People can inspire others, intentionally or sometimes unintentionally. Inspirations for even some of our favourite Disney princesses were real-life people. A digital artist, Hidreley Diao, who uses AI to make amazing artwork published a project in which he brought Disney princesses to life using AI. In the below images we have compared his AI artwork with the characters’ real-life inspirations.
Elsa from Frozen | Real Life Inspiration: Amy Winehouse
Claire Keane, former Disney animator, claimed that Amy Winehouse was the inspiration for the early sketches of Elsa where Elsa had blue hair and had Amy Winehouse’s iconic buoffant.
Pocahontas | Real Life Inspiration: Irene Bedard
Irene Bedard provide the voice for Pocahontas and served as a model for the character.
Snow White | Real Life Inspiration: Marge Champion
When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was being made, Disney Studio worked closely with Marge Champion. They studied her movements closely to make the character more realistic.
Belle from Beauty and The Beast | Real Life Inspiration: Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was the inspiration behind Belle’s facial features and the design of her iconic yellow gown.
Princess Tiana from the Princess and The Frog | Real Life Inspiration: Leah Chase
Princess Tiana’s inspiration was Leah Chase, a chef from New Orleans. Disney was assisted in creating the character by her family.
Ariel from The Little Mermaid | Real Life Inspiration: Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano did not know that she was the inspiration for Ariel’s character design and she only found it out after the movie came out.
Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty | Real Life Inspiration: Maila Nurmi
There were rumors that Eleanor Audley was the inspiration for Maleficent. People thought that Maila Nurmi being the inspiration was also a rumor but it was confirmed after the actor passed away, in her old diaries she described how she worked with Disney to make Maleficent.
