Just a day ago, I didn’t know a term like ‘Disneyfication’ existed. But apparently, sociologists have been using it since 1959 to describe the commercial transformation of a society to resemble Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, based on rapid Western-style globalization and consumer lifestyles.
The Dutch illustrator Isa Bredt, however, gave it another meaning. In Bredt’s vocabulary, ‘Disneyfication’ is a mode of transportation. One that brings animals into the world of animation. Through Ella’s Pet Disneyfication project, the 22-year-old artist transforms photos of people’s pets into Disney-style illustrations, and they hit the nail on the head. Facial features, expressions; All the creatures in Bredt’s series look like the stars of the next Walt Disney movie!
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Bredt has been in love with drawing since she was very young but only started considering it as a career at the end of high school. These thoughts of hers led her to study illustration and animation, but Ella Bredt dropped out of her program during her third year to pursue pet portrait work.
“Pet Disneyfication is something I did very sporadically in my spare time for about 5 years,” Bredt told Bored Panda. “I started because I was and still am a huge fan of both drawing animals and the old Disney style.”
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However, the Tilburg-based artist noted that she is by no means an employee of Disney. “I’m just a huge fan. The Lion King is my favorite movie of all time, I used to watch it every day when I was a kid. I love the old animal movies; Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, the Aristocats.”
She started the Disneyfication of Pets on Reddit. “There was a subreddit where you could offer people free art. I wanted to practice the Disney style, so I offered free drawings to people who would send me pictures of their pets.”
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That was in 2014 when Bredt was 16 years old. “He did this several times and people really enjoyed it, even though he still wasn’t very good at it,” he explained. “Then last summer I decided to take commissions as a summer job because I didn’t want to go back to work in the food service industry, and it went so well that I decided to create an Instagram and do the commissions as a side job. “
After that, the project grew pretty fast. Bredt eventually began drawing shelter pets as well. He hopes his portraits will help animals find their forever homes and is glad to be able to use his platform for good.