What if Abused Animals Were Disney Characters?

For many of us growing up, watching a Disney movie was a magical experience. Some inspired us to be brave, while others taught us about kindness and familial love.

Yet, Disney movies also blinded us to some scary things going on in real life. As critics have revealed in more recent years, a number of Disney movies reeked of both racism and sexism (in addition to classism).

Additionally, Disney movies featuring animal characters use them as mere props to carry out human destinies versus a way to explore the inner lives of the animals themselves, creating a disconnect between the animal characters we empathize with in the films and the animals we share our real lives with (and the ones we use and abuse).

Jeff, a New York City-based animation storyboard artist (and a fan of Disney animation), has brought this dichotomy to light with his Tumblr blog, Disney Unhappily Ever After. While some of his featured images deal with social issues, a number of them delve into Animal rights and Conservation topics, juxtaposing human-made scenes we often find animals (or parts of animals) in today (i.e. zoos, fast food restaurants, laboratories, etc.) with a favorite, yet forlorn Disney character.

Check out a few of his thought-provoking images below, and tell us what you think with a comment!

1. The Little Mermaid Drowning in an Oil Spill

2. Chicken Little in Horror at KFC

3. Winnie the Pooh Mourning a Clear-Cut Forest

4. Simba Languishing at a Zoo

5. Rataouille Suffering in a Laboratory

5. Dumbo Scared at the Circus

6. Bambi Silent on a Hunter’s Wall

Lead image source: Unhappily Ever After/Tumblr