disney characters face reality for unhappily ever after

disney characters face reality for unhappily ever after
all images courtesy of unhappily ever after

eliminating the ‘once upon a time’ fantasy emblematic of a disney film’s storyline, artist jeff hong imagines a harsh reality for familiar childhood heroes in ‘unhappily ever after‘. the series montages what might be the day-to-day lives of the disney company if they experienced the real world, overcome by traumas and tribulations. examples include red-haired ariel, the little mermaid, emerging from the sea covered in a polluted sludge, not quite unlike the unfortunate images of underwater creatures cloaked in slime from oil spills; the ‘drink me’ potion notorious from the adventures of alice in wonderland has led her down a tragic path of drug abuse and narcotic dependency; the lovable bambi is mounted in an ostentatious living room as a hunting trophy. the irony inherent in the illustrations makes a sad case for modern culture, and dissolves the delusion of wonder and awe reinforced throughout disney features.

bambi is mounted as a taxidermied head

alice’s magic bottle of potion leads her to a life of drugs

cinderella in tattered and torn clothing

the sad reality for many circus animals

ariel emerges from the water covered in sludge

esmeralda hides in a dark corner by the parisian metro

tiana from the princess and the frog deals with racism in mid- 20th century america

pocahontas walks through a casino, much like the ones that occupy former indian reservations