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Unhappily Ever After – A Wake Up Call From Our Beloved Disney Friends [28 Images]

Unhappily Ever After - A Wake Up Call From Our Beloved Disney Friends [28 Images]

Excerpt: Unhappily Ever After is an animation project that portrays Disney characters as they might fare in today’s world. Not so happy; worth seeing.


Unhappily Ever After Origin

New York animation artist Jeff Hong has created less-than-rosy portrayals of Disney characters as they might fare in today’s world. They are not cheery images, but they are poignant in their depictions of very real challenges, from animal testing and ocean pollution to drug addiction and teen suicide.

In many of these instances it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with sadness, anger, and fear but what’s critically important is that we don’t let it paralyze us in our tracks.  While it’s true that many of these depicted challenges are of a massive scale, we can’t simply let that stop us from doing anything at all.

For this is the only life and the only earth we have—there are no do-overs.  And while that may sound cliché, it can’t be overstated because we’ve already had our wake-up calls—too many to count.  And yet, there is still so much that needs to be done—we mustn’t turn a blind eye nor sleep on our feet.

Start by browsing through the images below.  Each image has been numbered (in no particular order) so that if one of the images strikes you more than the others (or confuses you), you can identify it and start a conversation about it below.  Also, make sure you read the afterword so that you can see what you can do and how you can help to bring a Disney, “Happily ever after” ending to the movie that is our life and our world.  We can’t thank you enough.

NEW In The Shop: Don’t Let The Tame Ones Tell You How To Live [Poster]

Why We ♥ It: Some of the best advice I (Matt here) ever got was: don’t take life advice from people who aren’t living a life you want to live and don’t take criticism from people you wouldn’t go to for advice. I created this poster to act as a reminder to listen more closely to our role models and less closely to our critics, trolls, and tamed-comfort-zone-hugger acquaintances. It’s also a perfect gift for the outdoor adventurer, travel enthusiast, or solo explorer (or soon to be). Available in print or digital download. 👇🏼


Unhappily Ever After – The Images:


#27

Cars | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Traffic jam in Los Angeles

#26

Pinocchio | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Pinocchio

#25

The Jungle Book | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Jungle Book

#24

The Rescuers | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Rescuers

#23

Welcome to Syria | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Welcome to Syria

#22

Hunted | The Lion King | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Hunted | The Lion King

#21

The Little Mermaid | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Little Mermaid

#20

The Little Mermaid | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Little Mermaid

#19

101 Dalmatians | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
101 Dalmatians

#18

Pocahontas | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Pocahontas

#17

The Incredibles | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Incredibles

#16

The Princess and the Frog | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Princess and the Frog

#15

Frozen | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Frozen

#14

Alice in Wonderland | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Alice in Wonderland

#13

Bambi | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Bambi

#12

Chicken Little | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Chicken Little

#11

Dumbo | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Dumbo

#10

Lilo & Stitch | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Lilo & Stitch

#9

Cinderella | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Cinderella

#8

Mulan | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Mulan

#7

Ratatouille | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Ratatouille

#6

Robin Hood | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Robin Hood

#5

Peter Pan | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Peter Pan

#4

Sleeping Beauty | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Sleeping Beauty

#3

The Lion King | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
The Lion King

#2

Driftwood - Pinocchio | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Driftwood – Pinocchio

#1

Beauty and the Beast | Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
Beauty and the Beast

Afterword:  So, what can you do?  

The first and most important thing you can do is keep the conversation going.  Awareness of an issue is always the first step to solving it.  We need to continue to share work like this so that more and more people start to wake up and take the proper action(s).

It comforts me to know that we have some incredibly talented and hard-working individuals coming up with inventions and sharing ideas that can make change on a grand-scale.  People like Gary Yourofsky (Activist/ Liberator/ Educator) , Chuck Hull (inventor of 3D Printing), and Prince EA (Poet/ Filmmaker/ Speaker).  But they need the masses to support their work—otherwise, things will likely continue how they have been going—and that leads us down a dark path.

The second, pivotal piece to the solution is to start taking action steps that’ll influence change in your world—trying to change the whole world alone is naive.

Change needs to start in our own minds, backyards, neighborhoods, and communities before anything on a grand scale can be triggered.  And don’t be hesitant of small initiatives and their ability to inspire massive change!

As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  For me that has included becoming vegan, elevating mindsets (about things like beauty) through MoveMe Quotes, and teaching people how they can become their best versions through martial arts training at Master Khechen’s.

What about you?  What things do you do to influence change in your world?  Drop your ideas and action steps in the comment section below and help us keep the momentum going!  It could be something you’ve done, are currently doing, or plan on doing in the future!  …You never know who you might inspire.  Thank you for caring and best of luck!


Read Next: 15 Quotes on Changing the World – And Why You Already ARE Making A Difference.

Stay in touch:  Follow the Unhappily Ever After Project on Tumblr


NEW In The Shop: Don’t Let The Tame Ones Tell You How To Live [Poster]

Why We ♥ It: Some of the best advice I (Matt here) ever got was: don’t take life advice from people who aren’t living a life you want to live and don’t take criticism from people you wouldn’t go to for advice. I created this poster to act as a reminder to listen more closely to our role models and less closely to our critics, trolls, and tamed-comfort-zone-hugger acquaintances. It’s also a perfect gift for the outdoor adventurer, travel enthusiast, or solo explorer (or soon to be). Available in print or digital download. 👇🏼

Matt Hogan — Founder of MoveMe Quotes

Written by Matt Hogan

Founder of MoveMe Quotes. On a mission to help busy people do inner work—for better mental health; for healing; for personal growth. Find me on Twitter / IG / Medium. I also share daily insights here. 🌱

It has taken me 1,000’s of hours to build this free library for you. If it has helped you, you can support my continued effort here. ☕️

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