Once upon a time, there was a Bear Of Very Little Brain who lived in a forest with his friends. And a mermaid princess who had her tail changed into legs so she could find her one true love. And a little girl who went to a magical Wonderland. And a beautiful young woman who found her Prince Charming despite a wicked stepmother.
They all lived happily ever after. But what if they had lived in the real world rather than in storybooks and Disney movies?
The thing about real life is, it's hard to ignore. No matter how many fairy tales we construct, happily-ever-after by happily-ever-after, real life insists on intruding. This is what might happen, as imagined by artist Jeff Hong, if Cinderella, Alice, Ariel, Winnie the Pooh and Pocahontas were to find themselves in a world not protected from social and environmental issues by make-believe.
Jeff told NDTV via email: "The concept behind 'Unhappily Ever After' is the juxtaposition of the innocence of Disney characters that we grew up with placed into our world which is not always so pure. Obviously, Disney movie tackles tragedies in its movies, but there is always a happy ending. By placing these fictional characters into a real environment somehow magnifies the social and ecological issues because we are so familiar with who the characters are. Unfortunately, I think 'Unhappily Ever After' is a bit of a misnomer for the series, I want people to realize that the story isn't completely written yet. There is hope in the future and we are the ones who are able to change it."
You can see Jeff's work on his
Tumblr For now, these images have been reproduced with Jeff's permission.
1. All those bottles marked 'Drink Me' gave Alice a drug habit. Hallucinations may or may not include talking animals and Mad Hatters.
2. At midnight, a far more sinister fate awaited Cinderella than her ride turning into a pumpkin.
3. The Little Mermaid has a giant problem at home and it has nothing to do with trading her voice for a pair of legs.
4. Once, there were trees. Now, just the memory of 100 Acres Wood, Owl and Piglet.
5. Cough. It's not invaders Mulan has to worry about. Cough.
6. There's not much Pocahontas can do about casinos taking over Native Indian reservations.
7. Bambi has a new home. It's not the one he wanted.
8. Africa? Where's that? Simba is king - of his enclosure.
9. When you are named Belle, the pressure to stay beautiful will lead you to the nearest plastic surgeon.
10. It's the whip, and not a 'magic feather,' for Dumbo if he can't fly for his circus act.
11. In this black and white segregated world, Tiana might be hard pressed to find even a Frog Prince.
12. Two words. Animal testing.