Unhappily Ever After: Real World Endings To Classic Disney Stories

Disney's beautiful stories have captured our hearts since we were children, but after those stories' gloriously happy endings, life goes on, and life isn't always pretty. This is what New York-based storyboard and animation artist Jeff Hong explores in his bitter "Unhappily Ever After" illustration series, where Disney characters meet our real world.

The heroes and heroines in his images experience some of the darkest issues of the contemporary world. Ariel, the once-happy mermaid, narrowly escaped her polluted ocean home. The lovable Bambi has become another victim of hunting and now is a mere trophy hanging on a wall in a luxurious room. Pocahontas is devastated by the contemporary casino that shines like an obnoxious monument to her people's past.

“The idea just popped in my head to put Disney princesses into environments that they wouldn’t be associated with,” explains Hong. “Once I started putting them together, I realized a lot of social issues that are always important to me could be woven in as well. I think that’s what has made it really successful and a bit controversial as well, so I’m glad it has started debates and discussions on the issues of racism, animal abuse, drugs, etc.”