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Artist draws iconic Disney princesses as Black women

Illustrator Davian Chester recreates Belle, Cinderella and more

Illustrations provided by Davian Chester, real_toons on Instagram.

An artist with quite the following on Instagram has turned heads for some of his work -- which includes illustrations of some of the classic Disney princesses.

What makes his artwork stand out? You might be asking yourself.

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Well, Davian Chester is recreating the princesses as Black women.

When asked how he got the idea, Chester said, "I wanted something for our children -- to see us associated with big names, and more representation."

It looks like he’s accomplishing what he set out to do.

"My daughter nearly cried looking at all of these, especially Snow, because they look like her," one commenter wrote on Instagram.

Check out some of his work, below, like this drawing of Ana and Elsa, from “Frozen.” (He even recreated Tiana, of “The Princess and the Frog,” Disney’s first Black princess. Chester said he drew her twice “because she is that amazing.” Visit his page to see).

Here are some more:

Chester, of Columbus, Georgia, works as a graphic designer and an elementary school art teacher. He’s been drawing “forever,” he said. “Since (the) fifth grade.”

Check out his take on Aurora.

And here's Merida, from "Brave."

You can't draw the princesses without including "The Little Mermaid"'s Ariel.

And below are Belle and Cinderella.

Snow White’s perfect. We love it!

And finally, Rapunzel.

“I love sharing Black beauty,” Chester said.

In the past, he's spoken at schools and even had his work featured at a "Embracing Our Differences" exhibit in Florida.

We thought it was a great time to celebrate his work -- especially during Black History Month.

Now tell us: Which illustration is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.


This story was first published in 2019. It has since been updated.