Has any other franchise’s characters been as beloved as Disney’s cast of lovable heroes and villains?
From antagonists to princesses and mermaids, Disney’s characters have truly transcended time. Many of them have become ageless, as they’ve been loved for decades by fans of all ages. Others have become instant classics, again loved by any and every viewer.
It only makes sense that some avid fans would tweak their favorite characters and make them their own through crossovers and fan art.
In this list, we’re featuring some wonderful artwork created by fans of many Disney franchises. Some take a realistic approach, imagining what animals would like as people or making the animated characters appear more lifelike, with gleaming eyes and shining hair that sets them apart from their animated versions. Others have blended their favorite Disney characters with other popular titles. Princesses taking on the personas of Pokemon and Sailor Moon characters? Sounds like a perfect match to us.
With that said, here are 25 Disney Fan Redesigns Way Better Than The Movies.
How Far Will Moana And Pocahontas Go?
No one knows how far Moana will go - except for maybe her new friend Pocahontas and DeviantArt user logancure.
This sweet rendition of the two princess adventurers contains a third crossover that Disney fans may have missed.
In lieu of their normal sidekicks, Moana and Pocahontas have made friends with a couple cute Pokémon.
The artist expressed their excitement over creating the image and revealed that it was commissioned by a fan of their work.
Pleased with the outcome, logancure hoped to incorporate Pokémon into more of their art going forward.
Mulan Is A Fierce Warrior
Mulan was already a pretty fierce warrior when she saved China from the Huns in Dinsey’s beloved movie.
However, artist Skirtzzz gives her an update that’s somehow even more powerful. The artist mixed elements of the Final Fantasy video game series with classic Disney characters.
According to Skirtzz, many DeviantArt posters had requested permission to cosplay using the artist’s designs. The potential cosplayers received an enthusiastic “yes” on the condition that Skirtzzz was able to excitedly view photos of the end results.
The artist focused heavily on the FF crossovers for about five years, beginning in 2010.
Skirtzzz continues to post their creations on DeviantArt.
Alice’s Wild Ride
As if the imaginative, and often confusing, world of Wonderland weren’t crazy enough, rebelakemi created a unique vision of the upside down world where Alice takes in the wonky sights of this magical land from her teacup roller coaster ride.
This iteration of the curious character and her even more curious friends lends a steampunk vibe to their iconic aesthetic.
Random animals join in on the madcap fun, including rebelakemi’s own two dogs.
The artist created their first steampunk version of Alice in 2009 and decided to update the image years later.
Oliver And Company With A Noir Feel
It may not be the first movie that comes to most people’s minds when they think of Disney classics, but Oliver and Company is a fan-favorite for many.
This underrated gem boasted a star-studded cast and a soundtrack filled with fantastic songs.
It just makes sense that artists would be compelled to recreate its city-dweller vibe.
Here, Picolo-kun brings Dodger and his partner-in-crime, Oliver, to artful life. You can just tell they’re ready to make some mischief.
The characters give off a hard-boiled, throwback vibe that suits their hot summer, hotdog-eating way of life.
Ariel Is Watery Perfection
This gorgeous version of The Little Mermaid’s Ariel by PixieCold is a well-loved staple on DeviantArt.
Fans of the design complimented the artist for the subtle allusion to water in the mermaid’s skin tone.
The detailed shimmer of the light in her hair and her hauntingly glowing eyes were also noted as key features of this beautiful piece.
PixieCold worked on this popular image for a total of two days.
The photo certainly is lovely, with intricate details requiring multiple viewings to catch them all.
This piece is definitely worth the hype.
Throwback Mickey And Minnie Are Too Cute
SAkURA-JOkER created this sweet take on Disney’s original power couple, Mickey and Minnie.
This image throws these iconic characters back to the 1920s, with Minnie’s babydoll dress and opaque black tights.
Mickey, the perfect gentleman, looks like a French suitor, presenting his love with a single white daisy.
The artist incorporated a subtle anime feel by giving the characters large, doe eyes and very carefully styled hair. Both characters exude charm and innocence.
SAkURA-JOkER created the piece in honor of Mickey’s birthday and dedicated the post to the beloved mouse.
Pokémon Princesses, I Choose You
This cute rendition of the Disney princess line-up, created by DeviantArt poster, Hapuriainen, imagines what these leading ladies would like if they were Pokémon trainers.
Each character retains their original style to some degree, as they all have their original hairstyles.
However, aspects of their clothing calls back to their onscreen counterparts.
Cinderella’s bustle is still accounted for through a jacket tied around her waist. Ariel’s seashell top is recreated through a crop top vest and shorts.
However, the characters are all modernized and given a sweet, chibi aesthetic that matches that of the trainers.
What If Scar Was The Real King?
The entire point of The Lion King was that Scar was fighting to claim the throne by any means necessary.
He did this by banishing his child nephew into the wilderness, allowing his people to starve due to a lack of food and refusing to move, and, of course, taking the life of his own brother in front of his young son.
Scar was a baddie with a hunger for the throne.
However, FelisGlacialis presents Scar as he likely would have looked in reality - noble, majestic, and almost incredibly thin.
After all, this is to be expected when hyenas often eat all of the food themselves.
The Frozen Family, Together Forever
This heart-wrenching take on the family at the heart of Frozen imagines what the future would have been like had Anna and Elsa’s parents never gone on their fateful journey.
Had the parents survived, they would be having a wonderful time with their lovely daughters.
DeviantArt poster miacat7 depicted the family with happy, loving smiles. They are clearly enjoying each other’s company.
Anna is having an absolute blast, and Elsa seems almost grateful to have her parents around - almost as if she knows what an alternate reality holds.
Young Tiana And Prince Naveen
This adorable version of Tiana and Prince Naveen was made in anticipation of the movie. DeviantArt user Isaia was excited for the introduction of Disney’s first black princess.
The soft artwork of the movie inspired the artist to create this cute version depiction Naveen showing off a disgruntled frog to an intrigued, though possibly frightened, Tiana.
Isaia noted that they were nervous that the story wouldn’t do Tiana justice, or that it may perhaps be a little problematic.
However, after viewing The Princess and the Frog, the movie received a huge thumbs up from Isaia.
A Song Of Ice And Fire
This utterly beautiful rendition of Elsa the Ice Queen by DeviantArt poster RikaMello takes an iconic moment from Disney’s Frozen and adds a dystopian feel.
It may not be recognizable at first, though, as the image appears vivid and bright.
However, this is actually a crossover piece that blends Elsa’s shining moment in which she lets go of her anxiety with the moment that Hunger Games hero Katniss spins around to show off her burning dress.
Appropriately titled, Elsa: The Queen on Fire, RikaMello was inspired by this piece when they wondered what the princess would be like if she had a different magical power.
A Celestial Vision Of Rapunzel
This pastel, celestial, magical version of Rapunzel wasn’t actually created for DeviantArt. Artist rossdraws created this lovely vision for a YouTube video and decided to post it for art lovers to enjoy, as well.
Rapunzel’s long, blonde hair has some serious volume in this iteration and her eyes boast an icy blue glow.
The princess is sporting a new magical power, which has her good friend Pascal in a state of shock and awe.
A mystical watercolor style backdrop decorates the piece. This is a gorgeous rendition of the princess that brings her to life in a realistic way without sacrificing its surrealism.
A Dance Between Villains
This spicy crossover starring Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent and Aladdin ’s Jafar may be the things of a villain fan’s dreams, but it’s based in reality.
DeviantArt poster, Steampunk-Girl, had heard of a unique attraction available in Disney parks around Halloween time.
A flirty tango dance was performed by character actors dressed up as these two popular villains.
Unable to see the tango in person, Steampunk-Girl recreated it on their own, with a few subtle changes made to their costumes.
The artist also requested that anyone with video of the dance upload it to YouTube for all to enjoy.
Disney Princesses Meet Sailor Moon
You wouldn’t think such a good-natured image would raise a lot of questions. However, DeviantArt poster manony had to answer for a lot of their choices here.
Many thought that Snow White should have been Sailor Mercury, rather than Mulan, and several posters suggested Cinderella as Uranus.
These questions were posed so frequently that manony edited their description of the image to explain that they felt Snow White was too sweet and fragile for the part of Mercury, and that the special relationship between Neptune and Uranus warranted the use of Hunchback Of Notre Dame1 and 2’s Esmerelda and Madellaine.
Mulan Gets A Realistic Update
This lovely image of Mulan, created by DeviantArtist cosmogirll, is simple but powerful.
Her stance exudes confidence. Her eyes let everyone know she means business, while still portraying an effortlessly laidback demeanor.
In short, she’s exactly what a modernized Mulan would be.
The playful breeze through her hair and the shining of her sword are more examples of cosmogirll’s careful attention to detail.
The artist has recreated several Disney characters, including Snow White and Pocahontas, along with several Game of Thrones and Final Fantasy characters.
The Beast Obliges His Lady
Despite his gruff exterior, T.DayDreamer’s version of the Beast is just a big softie who only wants to please his book-loving princess.
Belle may have an entire library waiting for her at home, but that doesn’t stop her from reading on-the-go.
In this adorable rendition of Disney’s oddest couple, Beast tags along behind a very distracted Belle, lugging around an unusually high stack of books as she becomes wrapped up in the story unfolding in front of her.
The look on his face betrays his anxious state of mind - perhaps he’s worried that something could drop at any minute.
T.DayDreamer gives this pair a pastel, muted update that creates a soft and soothing effect.
The Orphaned Animals Support Each Other
Children’s movies are some of the saddest films to ever exist. Take, for example, Bambi, in which a hunter ends the life of poor Bambi’s mother. There’s also The Lion King, in which Simba at first believes that he caused the accident that lost his father his life.
It’s this trend that prompted NostalgicChills to create this image of the two aforementioned orphans comforting little Koda of Brother Bear.
A familiar Don Bluth character joins these Disney animals.
The Land Before Time’s Littlefoot turns up to mourn the loss of his dear mother too.
This sweet image is almost too painful to bear.
Aladdin Becomes A True Prince
Aladdin was in love with Princess Jasmine, but he wasn’t legally allowed to marry her on account of not being a prince - or so the beloved Disney story goes.
Aladdin attempted to become a prince in order to achieve his relationship goals. However, these plans fell through when he saved Genie instead.
Thankfully, the laws were changed to pave the way for the happy union, anyway.
However, in this imaginative piece, FERNL depicts a Aladdin who finally got his wish.
Thanks to a perfectly suited crossover, Aladdin has now become the Prince of Persia.
Snow White Is Captivatingly Sad
Many posters frequenting DeviantArt were taken by yourpsychotherapist’s gorgeous rendition of Disney’s very first princess, Snow White.
This delicate image of the royal sweetheart has a lot to unpack.
There’s the faded beauty of the flowers behind her, the intricate patterns the bark makes on the tree trunk, and, of course, those large, doe-like eyes weeping devastating tears on a face that is filled with a soulful expression.
The artist has only uploaded a handful of images to the site throughout the years, all gorgeous and each featuring a different Disney princess.
Mickey And Donald Save New York & Eat Shawarma
At first glance, Donald Duck may not seem to have the physique, charm, or money to pull of Tony Stark - or Tony Quack, as Renny08 imagines him - but he definitely has that hot-tempered swagger that Iron Man is so famous for.
We think this duck is a perfect fit for this key Avengers team member.
Mickey, naturally, could take the place of none other than the stalwart and dedicated Captain America.
The leader of the Disney universe meets the leader of the Marvel universe.
It’s a match like no other.
