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An artist imagines what Disney princesses would wear if they lived in different decades, from the 1910s to the 2000s

An artist imagines what Disney princesses would wear if they lived in different decades, from the 1910s to the 2000s

Amanda Krause

Cinderella wearing a flapper dress, gloves, and headband, as drawn by Amit Naftali.Amit Naftali

Amit Naftali is a 20-year-old artist based in Israel who has been illustrating Disney characters since his childhood.
For the past two years, he's been working on a series in which he illustrates what Disney princesses might wear if they lived in different decades.
Cinderella, for example, might have worn a flapper dress in the 1920s, and Pocahontas in the '70s might have donned bell-bottoms.
Speaking to Insider, Naftali said he's inspired by other artists, vintage fashion, and the original outfits of each princess.

The outfits worn by Disney princesses are often as iconic as the characters themselves. So what would happen if each of their stories took place in a different decade, leading the princesses to wear something entirely different?

Artist Amit Naftali has wondered that himself — and he's even illustrated examples. The Israel-based freelance illustrator has been drawing Disney characters since his childhood, and has now expanded his craft to draw musicians as well.

Insider recently spoke with the artist about his work, and what inspired him to draw Disney princesses in outfits that reflect the fashion of different decades.

Amit Naftali told Insider he's been drawing Disney characters since the first time he "could hold a pencil."

Amit Naftali drew Snow White dressed in 1910s attire as part of his series. Amit Naftali

"I remember I used to draw Ariel, Tarzan, and Mickey Mouse all the time," he said. "I recently just found a bunch of old drawings from when I was 4 years old or so, and it's so much fun to see how far I've come."

Back in 2018, the artist became inspired to draw Disney princesses dressed in outfits that reflected decades between 1910 and the 2000s.

Cinderella wearing a flapper dress, gloves, and headband, as drawn by Amit Naftali. Amit Naftali

According to Naftali, his Disney-themed series was "heavily inspired by the work of Steve Thompson," who he says created illustrations of princesses wearing fashion from the years their movies debuted.

"I remember seeing all of his beautiful illustrations and my mind caught on fire," Naftali said of the artist who was previously a Disney character artist and designer and currently works as a principal designer for Disney Stores, according to his Tumblr page.

Naftali began his creative process by first writing down the order of release dates for each princess movie.

In the 1930s, Aurora might have worn a pink or blue evening gown, according to Naftali. Amit Naftali

"I decided to write down the chronological order of the princess movies — Snow White first since it came out in 1938, then Cinderella in 1950, Aurora in 1959, Ariel in 1989, and so on —and then I played with the idea of matching them to the last century's decades, starting with 1910s," the artist said.

The artist told Insider that it took "tons and tons of research" to start drawing the pieces in his series.

Alongside Ariel's 1940s-inspired dress, Naftali drew seashell-shaped earrings. Amit Naftali

"I am a huge fan of history and culture, and so I knew I had to get these right," Naftali said, referencing vintage fashion. "I'm talking going over old magazines, articles, interviews, videos, etc."

However, it was also important to the artist that he connect his designs to each character's classic look so that there would be some sense of familiarity.

"I made sure to keep the general color scheme of the characters to give them a recognizable factor, and from there I was just having fun with different designs," he said. "If I had more than one design that I liked — an accessory, or another angle to the outfit — I wanted to include it in the piece too as a sketch in the background."

When asked if he has a favorite piece amongst the art he's created, Naftali said "it's a tie between Belle and Jasmine."

Just like in "Beauty and the Beast," Naftali's version of Belle wears a yellow gown. Amit Naftali

"Belle is so classy and elegant, and I love the colors and silhouette of her," Naftali said.

In his illustration, the "Beauty and the Beast" character is seen wearing a 1950s-inspired strapless dress with a sheer piece of fabric that wraps around her shoulders. She also has a short, wavy hairstyle and small yellow gloves.

However, Naftali's take on Jasmine did cause some controversy amongst his fans.

Jasmine could have worn a patterned minidress with a beehive hairstyle in the '60s. Amit Naftali

According to the artist, some people were concerned when they saw Jasmine carrying a tiger-print bag, as her character's sidekick throughout "Aladdin" is a tiger named Rajah.

"So many people got so upset over the thought that Jasmine skinned Rajah to make her purse," Naftali said. "Besides the fact that she is a cartoon character, no one actually thought of the option of it being a print, or even faux fur. The internet sure is funny sometimes."

Whereas many princesses are limited to gowns and simple dresses throughout Disney movies, Naftali draws them wearing everything from crop tops to bell-bottoms.

Like she does in the 1995 film, Pocahontas wears a mix of blue and brown shades. Amit Naftali

Pocahontas, for example, wears both in addition to a fringe jacket, turquoise jewelry, and a brown headband.

Naftali's most recent drawings honor the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, and he has plans for one more illustration.

Of course, Mulan would likely wear shoulder pads and a statement necklace in the '80s. Amit Naftali

"I've actually sketched out an idea for the 2010s edition, and it's definitely on the way," Naftali said.

Naftali says he hasn't considered drawing numerous outfits for each decade.

Tiana might wear denim-on-denim with fresh sneakers in the '90s. Amit Naftali

Instead, the artist said he likes the ideas of each outfit "existing solemnly as a graphic embodiment of an entire decade."

In addition to Disney princesses, Naftali also illustrates musicians.

Naftali drew Rapunzel with both long and short hair, just like in Disney's movie. Amit Naftali

The best place to view Naftali's art is his Instagram account, where he shares illustrations inspired by both Disney characters and musicians like Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish.