Fashion is an industry that sometimes takes things way too seriously — and a dose of humor is always welcome. Enter: these Disney takes on very recognizable fashion imagery that illustrator Gregory Masouras has been creating (and posting on Instagram) in his #AnimationInReality series.
In the images, the Athens-based illustrator has tacked beloved Disney princesses — both old-school, like Cinderella and Pocahontas, and new-gen, like Frozen ’s Elsa — on recent Vogue covers. He’s also given Met Gala photos some animated oomph, like Gigi Hadid moonlighting as Sleeping Beauty or Kimye recast as Jasmine and Aladdin. Plus, there are cheekily tweaked ad campaigns, like Olivier Rousteing’s #BalmainArmy recast as a troupe of familiar animated faces (in lieu of a gaggle of OG supermodels). Masouras also has rejiggered runway shots, like the very fitting addition of Disney's leading women to the runway finale shot of Dolce & Gabbana’s decidedly princess-y fall ’16 show.
Masouras started the series in 2014, after inspiration struck while gazing at the sky: “I bought a new smartphone, and while I was checking out the camera, taking pictures from all over Athens, I came across a cloud that looked like the Batman logo,” Masouras told Refinery29. “The moment I started editing that photo, the idea [for #AnimationInReality] was born in my mind!”
The illustrator posts an average of one shot daily on his Instagram account, where he currently has nearly 100K followers (98.4K, to be exact). Besides racking up Likes and comments from fans, Masouras says that “important people of the fashion industry,” like designers, major models, and photographers, have shown an affinity for the series (be it via commenting, following, or reposting his work).
Selecting which celeb or photo to riff on “is not an easy task,” Masouras explained, and his approach is slightly different with each image. Sometimes, the IRL celebrity’s outfit matches the famous animated character’s, but other matchups are about “extreme juxtapositions based on my sense of humor [and] aim to put a smile on people's faces,” he said.
#AnimationInReality is intended to “integrate fantasy into reality,” Masouras said. As for the larger objective: “Ultimately, my purpose would be the liberation of adult imagination by using tools that were, up to now, reserved for younger audiences.”
A welcome reminder to stay whimsical and creative well past the main demographic for Disney’s animated classics? Hey, we’ll take it. Click through to check out a selection of Masouras’ work.
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