Disney Princess Illustrations 2013
Disney Princesses Had a Major Moment (or 9) in 2013
We love us some Disney princesses in the traditional sense, but every now and then, someone comes along with an interpretation that's just too good not to share with the world. That happened several times this year when we saw Disney princesses replaced with Grumpy Cat, Disney princesses singing for equal pay, and other fairy-tale moments with twists. (Of course, we also got our classic fix when we met the sisters of Frozen.) It's hard to pick a favorite since they were all so unforgettable, but we're breaking it down and giving it a try.
Taylor Swift Became a Disney Princess
Way back in January, Taylor Swift let down her blond locks to pose as Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled. It was all part of Annie Leibovitz's Disney Dream Portrait series in which famous ladies step into the shoes (or glass slippers) of a Disney princess for an ad. Over the years, we've seen Jessica Biel as Pocahontas, Rachel Weisz as Snow White, and Julianne Moore as Ariel, to name a few. Like the rest before her, Taylor did a great job bringing the animated fairy tale from our childhood to life.
Disney Princesses Sang For Equal Pay
Just a few months ago in September, we saw a Disney princess parody music video about unequal pay in the workforce that knocked our socks off. Standout singer Jenny Joslin of Texpats performed a spot-on Ariel impression as she sang "Part of Your World" with a women's rights twist. The music video caught, and kept, our attention because it was funny but also packed with sad facts regarding the state of our current system — like that we're still earning 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Relive the moment and watch Ariel sing her heart out for equal pay (with cameos from Jasmine, Belle, and more).
We Met the Frozen Princesses
Everyone was excited to meet Elsa and Anna, the Norwegian sisters and stars of the newest Disney animated feature film Frozen, which came out in November. The princesses of Arendelle joined the prestigious official Disney princess club (taking the 12th and 13th spots), and the ladies were loosely based on characters from the Danish fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. In true Disney spirit, each one had qualities that were lovable and admirable (even though we might not have known it at first).
Disney Princesses Got Instagram
Before we saw Belinda Tan's imagined Disney princess Instagrams in August, we hadn't exactly wondered what Jasmine, Snow White, and Cinderella would post to the photo-sharing app. But then our worlds changed. With retro pics of parents, no-makeup selfies, food prep, and more — plus hilarious comments from fellow Disney characters — the idea made our entire month.
Disney Princesses Texted Their Princes
Who knew Disney princesses were so techy? Right after the Instagram accounts came out in August, we couldn't help but LOL all over again at these hilarious Disney princess texts that proved the regal ladies were just like us. Have a laugh once more by checking out the too-funny imagined texts from favorites like Belle, Aurora, and Ariel to their princes.
Disney Princesses Were Illustrated as Superheroines
Safe to say that back in October, we were obsessed with this stunning Disney princess art series by artist Isaiah Stephens. In it, he reimagined the ladies as if they decided to dress as superheroines for Halloween; we fawned over Belle as Hermione, but Pocahontas as Katniss was a close second. OK, actually, we loved them all.
Disney Princesses Dressed Up by Decade
One of our September highlights was when Swedish artist Beatrice Lorén designed Disney princesses dressed up in the fashion of the years their movies came out. The project took her quite a while with the research required, and we think it was all worth it. We adored the finished product, especially the '90s princesses!
Disney Princesses Tried Out Cross-Dressing
We found out who really wears the pants in the relationship in September when artist Haruki Godo reimagined some Disney princesses by dressing them in the clothes of their princes. We have to say, the ladies looked fabulous in their much more practical attire . . . it's no wonder Cinderella lost her shoe; you try running down a flight of stairs in a ball gown. Check out more of the costume-swapped royalty to pick your favorite.
Disney Princesses Morphed Into Grumpy Cats
We loved all the Disney moments of the year, but this one (arguably) tops them all. Back in September, artist Eric Proctor put a new twist on the royal ladies when he created a series of artwork titled Grumpy Disney. Just like you'd have guessed, he inserted the Internet meme Grumpy Cat into Disney movies like The Lion King, Pinocchio, and a handful of Disney princess flicks. Can you say genius?
