No matter how much we all love Belle or Ariel, some of the iconic Disney characters do look kinda old-fashioned these days. And how couldn’t they? The Beauty first came to screens in 1991, and the first appearance of the red-haired mermaid dates back to 1989.
But one 25-year-old artist living in French Guiana has decided it’s time to give these animated girls and boys a modern-day glow-up. Véronique Pierre’s beautiful Disney transformations got her a lot of attention on social media, where she’s already topped 630.9K followers and 13M likes on TikTok, as well as 17.4K followers on her Instagram account.
And for Véronique, it’s not always about happy-go-lucky princesses. “I think that we’re so used to seeing our princesses happy, but in real life, not everything is always beautiful and easy. We all have ups and downs.” Hence, the illustrator expanded her glow-up series with Disney characters in realistic settings, and Ariel covered in marine plastic waste surely gives us a lot to think about.
So let’s see some of Véronique’s most beautiful and thought-provoking remakes down below and don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Tiana (Princess and the Frog)
Jasmine (Aladin)
In one interview, Véronique said that she got the idea to draw Disney glow-ups from seeing other artists on TikTok creating similarly fun images. “I thought it was really beautiful, and I was wondering how the drawings would look with my own style. So I decided to draw all the princesses.”
Snow White (Snow White)
Morgana (Little Mermaid)
Elsa (Frozen)
But the 25-year-old illustrator soon realized that all Disney princesses and princes are so picture-perfect, happy, and carefree, it’s absolutely unrealistic. “When I drew Ariel, I thought to myself: If she was here with us, if she was real, what would she be like? Would it be like in the movie where everything is nice and clean?”
Wendy (Peter Pan)
Giselle (Enchanted)
Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)
The artist then came to the understanding that Ariel would probably be sad to see what humans are doing to our planet, oceans, and animals. Hence, she drew thought-provoking illustrations of mermaid Ariel soiled with oil and covered in ocean litter.
Véronique also believes that Disney villains are just as charming and interesting. “They are often forgotten, but they’re funny and have charisma. It was so much fun to draw them!” The stunning Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians is her favorite, and I can totally see why!
Kida Nedakh (Atlantis)
Hades (Hercules)
Shan Yu (Mulan)
Colette Tatou (Ratatouille)
Nani (Lilo & Stitch)
Mother Gothel (Tangled)
Clayton (Tarzan)
Jane Porter (Tarzan)
Claude Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Cinderella (Cinderella)
Ariel (Little Mermaid)
Queen Narissa (Enchanted)
Elsa (Frozen)
Anna (Frozen)
Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)
Vanellope (Wreck-It Ralph)
Mr. Smee (Peter Pan)
Red Queen (Alice in Wonderland)
Merida (Brave)
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