A Russian fantasy artist has created a series reimagining Disney princesses like they’ve never been seen before.
Artemii Myasnikov is based in St. Petersburg. Browsing through his Instagram shows his appreciation for science fiction and fantasy. He brought some of that to his reimaginings of Disney’s iconic royalty.
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Myasnikov started with Snow White, who he describes as “the most damsel-in-distress-y princess ever.” He wanted to make a version who would be “armed, dangerous, and in charge of her own fate.” Take a look below:
Myasnikov tells BuzzFeed that he was inspired to create this series after watching Disenchantment with his wife. Disenchantment is the new Netflix animated series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. The series follows an atypical princess in a fantasy world.
“One night we were watching the Disenchantment series and we started a discussion on what we like/dislike about the main character,” Myasnikov said. “One of the things we both liked is how she’s not a damsel in distress, unlike most of the princesses in Disney movies.”
Myasnikov’s Disney Princess designs are a blend of historical medieval arms and armor with elements of pure fantasy and a few anachronisms. Take his rendition of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, who has a slightly more steampunk look.
Rapunzel from Tangled has a more roguish look. She wouldn’t be out of place running with Robin Hood’s merry men.
Myasnikov’s Ariel from The Little Mermaid looks like she could challenge Aquaman for the throne of Atlantis.
Here’s Pocahontas. The friendly raccoon Meeko looks much more fierce here.
Cinderella crushes her iconic glass slipper.
Mulan leans into her soldier training.
Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty looks ready to joust.
Princess Jasmine from Aladdin looks ready for her own adventures, soaring in on a flying carpet.
Myasnikov finishes the series with Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.
What do you think of Myasnikov’s redesign of Disney’s princesses? Let us know in the comments.
The Disney Princesses will appear in the upcoming animated feature film Ralph Breaks the Internet opening Nov. 21st. Live-action adaptations of Mulan and Aladdin are currently in the works.
