"[The villains] are such over-the-top characters so it's interesting to try and portray their larger-than-life personalities in a still image, and try to make it somewhat realistic," Väätäinen says.
He particularly likes the way Cruella de Vil turned out. "I feel like I managed to capture both her signature appearance as well as her manic personality," Väätäinen says.
Väätäinen took his time nailing down Frollo's disdainful expression. He estimates that each digital rendering takes 10 or more hours to complete.
"Since I grew up with a lot of these characters, the sense of nostalgia made it such a fascinating and a fun personal project to explore," said Väätäinen.
To see the rest of the series, check out all of Väätäinen's Disney re-imaginings on Instagram and his website.
Väätäinen's full "Real Life Disney" series can be seen on his website, and be sure to follow him on Instagram for fast updates on any new Disney characters he finds time to draw.
"I've already received a bunch of new requests, but I have not had the time to plan more just yet," Väätäinen says. "As this is only a personal project that I am doing for fun, I'm always struggling to find time for these outside 'real work.' Maybe my next Halloween I could have a few more baddies ready..."