There is so much magic in the movies we loved to watch as children. We get to see that work all over again when we have children of our own and those stories come back to life. One of the companies that does these timeless stories the best is Disney. The stories are still relevant, loved across generations, and the princesses are always a favorite.
Both the stories and the artwork behind those movies – such as Snow White or Cinderella or the more recent ones like Frozen — require a lot of creativity and skill. They're classic for a reason, and when other artists come along and use their own creativity and skill to rework the characters that Disney brought us, we're all for it.
Emma G, who goes by @ekg.arts on Instagram, is an incredible artist who takes Disney princesses and gives them a powerful twist, turning them into witches. She reimagines each character and transforms her by sprinkling in some of her own magic with the original still in mind.
"I've always loved creating fan art, and the digital medium allows me to keep the source material intact, which I think ties into our nostalgia of those childhood characters, as though they've grown up as we did," she tells CafeMom. "I also love the dark, baddie witch look, especially as we get into the spooky season."
Pocahontas
Emma started her series on Instagram after she was inspired by Yudelmis San Emeterio, another Instagram artist who alters Disney characters.
"I've been so inspired by @vanotyarts for her Disney glow-ups, I decided to try my own," Emma wrote on Instagram. "And what better way to make my own spin than to make them all witches?"
Mulan
Along with each photo Emma shares, she includes a sped-up video of the creation process. It's an interesting thing to watch or to share with the kids if they're interested in how to make their own digital art. It's really cool to see the process that goes into making characters, like Mulan as a witch.
Ariel
"Filled with wonder as always," Emma wrote on Instagram. "I got to play with background paint for this one (not pictured) because I wanted a certain framing. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!" Ariel's got witchy-goth vibes with her new outfit and subtle but effective makeup.
Tiana
Tiana from The Princess and the Frog is one of the best Disney princesses because she's driven and is a strong role model for kids. In this version, she's serving up potions instead of restaurant goodies, and we love that we can't tell if she's got good or bad intentions.
Jasmine
Jasmine from Aladdin looks totally different in this rendition, and it may be one of our personal favorites. We love how Emma was able to change the princess' entire look using her hair, outfit, and small details that make her a "baddie."
Megara
Hercules is an underrated Disney movie, and because of that, Megara doesn't get enough play. This "baddie" glow-up is exactly what we love about this series.
Emma's fans feel that way too; one wrote, "Oh my goodness!! I love this!! Not only is Mehta by far the most underrated princess, but this is such a great rendition of her and 'I won't say I'm in love!' Love it!!!"
Aurora
"I never know how these are gonna go," Emma shared on Instagram. "At first, I was going to make her into that school-girl goth style, but she was giving me major queen vibes. And I LOVE her hair, so I couldn't change it."
We love this vibe, too. She could take on Maleficent!
Belle
Emma took Belle from Beauty and the Beast and transformed the book she's reading into one on spells. According to her Instagram caption, this photo gives her Belle as Hermione from Harry Potter vibes, and we can completely see that.
The Crescent Moon Featured
Something that may have been noticed in all the gorgeous artwork is that Emma uses a crescent moon in each one — and that's not a coincidence.
"I started using the crescent moon as a unifying factor and an indication of magical ability," she tells CafeMom. "In Wicca culture, it symbolizes a goddess of the moon (though I am not personally a member). I have always been very inspired by the moon, so it's become my signature on my witches."
Merida in 'Hocus Pocus'
Emma decided to try something new with her Disney as witches series and took some famous witches from our favorite movies and gave them a Disney princesses glow up! "I tried altering CG characters for the first time!" she wrote on Instagram, transforming Merida, a witch from Hocus Pocus.
Rapunzel as Sarah Sanderson
After working on Merida, Emma transformed Rapunzel into Sarah Sanderson, another witch from Hocus Pocus. She wrote in the Instagram caption that she "learned so much about painting hair," and it's really fun to see Rapunzel with shorter (but still blonde) hair, and she's exactly Sarah Sanderson!
Anna and Elsa
After trying out the Hocus Pocus characters, Emma took Anna and Elsa from Frozen and gave them their own makeover. She transformed them into the famous witches from Wicked.
"My favorite so far has to be, as one of my commenters called her, 'Elsaba,'" she tells CafeMom. "I've always loved Wicked and mashing up Elsa with Elphaba was a dream come true."
She Has More in the Works
Emma tells CafeMom that's she's really enjoying this series, and she's got a lot more characters in the works to complete.
"The 2-dimensional characters are much easier and faster to do than the newer CG [computer-generated] ones, so I'll be working through those for now," she says. "Some on my list are Alice, Cinderella, Snow White, Esmeralda, Kida, Anastasia, and maybe some Lilo & Stitch characters, too. I'm not ruling out the CG ones, though!"
Fans Can Find Emma on TikTok
Emma has been sharing more about her process of creating these reimagined princesses on her TikTok profile. "I've been sharing my learning process altering those on my TikTok live, most recently with turning Merida into Winifred from Hocus Pocus," she tells us.
She's Taking Requests
"I've also been getting requests to incorporate softer witch aesthetics into my work," she says. "Even though that's not personally my style, I plan to do that with some of them. As long as I keep getting requests, I'll keep making them!"
She shared on Instagram that her books are open for commissions for her artwork, and details are on her Instagram.
