If you've ever watched a Disney animation as an adult, you'll notice the darker side of fairy tales. What seemed like a life-lesson battle between good and bad, actually touched on some fairly controversial issues, like Ursula in "The Little Mermaid" resembling more of a devil-character than just a villain. Artist Rowan Stocks-Moore realized these deeper threads and captured the seedy underbelly of the classic cartoons in remakes of their posters.
"In recent years I have re-watched some Disney films and noticed a much darker tone than I remembered as a child, (though even as a child who can forget the infamous death scene in Bambi?!)," Stocks-Moore wrote.
Stocks-Moore has always been a fan of the Disney movies. Though as his world perspective changed, so did his perspective on the films. The fantasy world of the movies often masked the deeper stories, a dichotomy reflected in his posters. "The Little Mermaid" shows Arial diving into the ocean with her tail a part of the ship that kills Ursula, granting the little mermaid use of her legs and voice.
"I decided I would combine this love of Disney with the darker tones I'd picked up on to create some new poster art that would appeal more to adults than to children, but would still reflect the inherent magical charm of the Disney movies they depict," he wrote.
Click through below for photos of Rowan Stocks-Moore's "Disney" posters:
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If you've ever watched a Disney animation as an adult, you'll notice the darker side of fairy tales. What seemed like a life-lesson battle between good and bad, actually touched on some fairly controv...
If you've ever watched a Disney animation as an adult, you'll notice the darker side of fairy tales. What seemed like a life-lesson battle between good and bad, actually touched on some fairly controv...
Most people remember their favourite Disney films with fond memories of their childhoods. Rowan Stocks-Moore feels this too, but on re-watching noticed a darker side...
Some of these are nice design-wise (particularly The Lion King image with the sun as the eye) but they don't strike me as particularly dark. Then again, Ursula behaving like a Faustian devil doesn't strike me as particularly controversial either.
jennydevildoll: Some of these are nice design-wise (particularly The Lion King
It was Bambi's fault that his mother got shot. Bambi's constant complaining and whining pushed his mother to be careless and take unnecessary risks. Let that be a lesson to children everywhere.
talari: It was Bambi's fault that his mother got shot. Bambi's
considering that most of those movies except for Bambi and Alice in Wonderland where orginally by the Grimms Brothers of course they're going to be dark. In Cinderella the step-sister cuts off her frickin toe just to get the glass slipper to fit. The only difference with them is that Disney fluffed them up as happy as they could while throwing in hidden images in the clouds of the Little Mermaid..
evilkittiebaby: considering that most of those movies except for Bambi and
does he? I have a grimms book but I don't like sleeping beauty was in there. Most people don't know that the Grimms actually wrote the stories for adults and that there wasnt any stories really written for just children until about the 1900s (learned that in children lit. lol)
evilkittiebaby: does he? I have a grimms book but I don't
Alice in Wonderland was my first experience of the dark side (with a smile and wink), then Sleeping Beauty, seeing these movies again later as an adult opened my eyes and blew my mind. I love his interpretation in his poster art, very retro with the 60's perspective.... Snow White my favorite.
newyorkerviaLA: Alice in Wonderland was my first experience of the dark
The darkness of Disney was not limited to the animation. I re-watched 'Return to Oz' last night. You have a witch that can interchange her heads and wants to take Dorothy's head off. xD Before that "Child of Glass"..the entire story revolved around a murdered child's ghost.
...and there was blood in 'Beauty and the Beast', as Gaston tried to kill Beast.
Nevertheless how dark they are, they're all still better than 98% of Disney's current stuff
ladymulti: The darkness of Disney was not limited to the animation.
Really... almost all these stories/tales were adapted for Disney... Original Little Mermaid turns in to foam, she does not live happily ever after... Disney lightened and brightened up many of these stories...
I own all the Disney versions and love them!
No real story Mr. Stocks-Morre, read the original stories and try again!
bnbncb: Really... almost all these stories/tales were adapted for Disney... Original
These posters don't show any "dark side" to Disney. They're just alternative artworks.
Sure, many Disney movies had dark sides, but that's mostly because many of them are basedon things like Grimms' Fairy Tales, which were very dark to begin with. If anything, Disney lightened them up to make them more palatable.
Roger_Garrett: These posters don't show any "dark side" to Disney. They're
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Posted: 04/16/2012 9:31 am