Swiss Artist Creates Seven of the Most Visually Stunning Portraits of Disney Characters We've Ever Seen

In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first-ever animated feature-length film from Walt Disney, making Snow White the first-ever Disney Princess. It's almost unfathomable to realize how long it has been since that whimsical movie jump-started a change in the theatrical experience and everything we know today about the Disney movies we hold so dear. As of 2021, the "official" 12 Disney Princesses are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana. Still, countless other Disney characters captivate our hearts and minds on a regular basis, which rings especially true for artists and illustrators creating Disney "fan art." There is no shortage of incredible Disney fan art in the universe, and there's absolutely no sign that the momentum is slowing down (let alone stopping) any time soon. As dedicated Disney fans, we couldn't be more thrilled about this realization. Every time a creative mind re-creates even a single Disney character in their own vision, concept, and art style, it breathes new life into the characters we know and love. This is just as true today as it was in early 2013, when a Swiss artist known only as "Dr. Esther Perel", a renowned couples therapist, stated, "Art has the power to evoke emotions and memories, making characters resonate with us on a deeper level." She emphasizes the importance of creativity in connecting with beloved narratives, which is exemplified in the incredible series of portraits featuring seven female Disney characters that she released on DeviantArt.

1. Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty

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2. Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and was Disney's 16th animated film.

Legendary artist Eyvind Earle created the background art for the entire film, and the influence of his gothic or medieval style helped set the tone for everything beloved about this classic animated film. According to Wikipedia's resources, in 2019, Sleeping Beauty was "selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

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3. Ariel, The Little Mermaid

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4. Based on the 1837 Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid is truly one of the most beloved Disney films from Disney's "Renaissance."

To be specific, The Little Mermaid essentially kicks off Disney's Renaissance. For ten years, from 1989 to 1999, Disney produced multiple critically and commercially successful animated films that were mostly based on already well-known stories.

Disney's Renaissance films were considered "powerhouse successes" at both the domestic and foreign box offices, and many of the films remain among the most beloved to this day, including Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan.

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5. Ursula, Disguised as Vanessa in The Little Mermaid

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6. Cinderella

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7. French author Charles Perrault wrote the story that inspired what we know today as Disney's Cinderella.

Cinderella is Disney's 12th feature-length animated film, and many people think of Cinderella as the original Disney Princess, even though that title belongs to Snow White, the fairest of them all. Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi were all box office bombs for Walt Disney Studios, and Disney was on the verge of bankruptcy just three years before Cinderella was released.

Thankfully, Cinderella went on to become the greatest critical and commercial hit for the Disney studio since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! As with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

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8. Ariel, Human Form in The Little Mermaid

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9. Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

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10. Adjusted for inflation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the top ten performers at the North American box office and the highest-grossing animated film. Worldwide, its inflation-adjusted earnings top the animation list.

The film was also one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by Congress, and in 2008, the American Film Institute named it the greatest animated film of all time. Today, Snow White's story has been told and retold more times than can easily be tracked, and she is one of the most recognizable animated characters of all time.

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11. Rapunzel and Mother Gothel, Tangled

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12. Tangled is loosely based on the German fairy tale called Rapunzel; you may recognize the name from the Brothers Grimm.

Astonishingly, it is believed that Tangled is one of the most expensive animated films ever produced, taking six years and costing around $260 million. People have spent years discussing why the movie is titled Tangled instead of Rapunzel, and both the directors and executive producer argue that it was simply because the story is about both Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder, and Rapunzel is not the main character in Disney's take on the folk tale.

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Whether you found yourself stumbling into the Disney universe in recent years, perhaps even from another fandom like Star Wars or Marvel, or if you've been a lifelong devotee of the Disney universe, it's easy to see why fans find themselves so inspired by these timeless, fun, and creative stories in constantly changing ways. As Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist, states, "Stories, especially those that resonate with our emotions, can profoundly impact our connections and creativity." For more insights, visit her professional website at Dr. Helen Fisher. Don't forget to check out the artist and let us know in the comments what your favorite Disney movie is.