All of your queer fantasies about Disney's leading men are about to come to life.
An artist by the name of YANN-X has produced a series of images that reimagines your favorite childhood Disney princes in some compromising -- and very queer -- situations.
It's no secret that Disney is already pretty (secretly... or not-so-secretly) queer. But now, from Prince Charming to Aladdin to Hercules, YANN-X has provided us with some compelling videos to contextualize what it would look like if Disney's princes got intimate with one another.
The Huffington Post spoke with YANN-X further this week about these images and what the artist is trying to accomplish. Check out some of the images below, as well as the creator's interview.
The Huffington Post: Why did you decide to start making these images?
YANN'X: My first childhood memory was going to the movie theater with my dad to watch “Snow White." I was three years old and it hit me like a truck, because Prince Charming -- so gentle, yet so manly -- thrilled me in a way I never felt before. I had fallen in love! From this moment on I dreamt of becoming an artist (and work for Disney, of course!). Years later, artists like Joe Phillips or David Kawena inspired me anew with their radiant vision of a gay life, as normal and happy as a straight one... and no matter how idealistic, I wanted to be a part of this.
"Twisting well-known situations can be quite unsettling for people but I enjoy it. That’s what I’m aiming for."
Let’s be clear: naked Disney characters are nothing new. Everyone can do (or has done) it, but it’s not what I’m into. What I’m trying instead is to take highlights of our pop culture and show them from another point of view. Twisting well-known situations can be quite unsettling for people but I enjoy it. That’s what I’m aiming for. So if it moves you or makes you smile, then I’ve done my job well. Love it or hate it, I’m fine with both, for the worst would be to leave you cold. But when I use nudity, it’s never as a shock value -- things should be sexy, funny, not pornographic. It’s a matter of honor.
Are you trying to subvert traditional Disney storylines and values through these photos?
I’m not trying to subvert! I’m just showing these characters in a new light, thus suggesting to look at life in a different way. People are free to try or not, I’m not forcing anyone.
Of course, Disney characters are icons of our collective memory, so tapping that source is like using a universal language -- it’s a way to make sure everyone will get my message. So, I give these characters a private life, let them flirt, make love or have fun, not for cheap thrills but as a way to reflect on our feelings and intimacy.
"I give these characters a private life, let them flirt, make love or have fun..."
I also often pictured them as real actors whose lives had little to do with their parts, and I wondered what happened once their scene or the movie was over... But yes: in my imagination, they’d shed their perfect image and dump their princess girlfriends to fool around with the other boys.
Which photos have gotten the largest response?
It started with "The Little Upset“ where Mermaid Ariel catches her beloved Eric in Prince Philip’s arms. People liked and reposted it for weeks -- I was in heaven!
"Sleeping Beauty," where Prince Charming and Philip (him again!) kiss in Beauty’s bedroom, went quite viral as well.
My "Frozen“ parody with Elsa in the toilets was another success (anything "Frozen“ is bound to be a success these days, right?).
But "Mariage Pour Tous“ in support of gay marriage definitely had the biggest impact: all these hate-mails, insults, threats and lost friendships! But even though my life was a nightmare at the time, I never regretted it.
What do you want people to take away from these images?
That homosexuality is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of... It’s about love! And we all have the right to love, no matter where or whom. We shouldn’t have to fight in court about it, we should all be able to display our affection without facing contempt. We can all be princes, loving someone of the same gender and not feeling guilty. I like the idea that in the end, everyone can be happy, just like in Disney movies. It's as if it was a movie about paradise lost... and re-found!
