Over the course of approximately a century, Disney has meticulously crafted a public image that exists outside of time or societal influence. Basing most of their features on fairy tales, Mickey Mouse's typical blueprint requires the presence of a moderately pure protagonist, and this character tends to arrive in the form of a princess. At the end of the day, the vast majority of entertainment media exists to serve as a source of wish fulfillment, and who does not yearn for their own personal happily ever after?

After a string of shorts, Walt Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, a move which propelled the studio to the forefront of cinema. Innovative from a technical aspect, the animated classic marks the first example of the Disney Formula. While the company hit a tiny snag that lasted from the 1960s to the 1980s, the image of a Disney princess is firmly ingrained into pop-culture. Ignoring the studio's live-action output, Mickey's cartoons are unlikely to star a female heroine who is anything other than inspirational or sugary sweet. Recent films like Moana and Frozen divert slightly from the beaten path, but the films' cores remain familiar.

With Disney preferring to soften its villains rather than darken its heroes, fan-art is the only remaining avenue available for those seeking a more macabre form of magic. What if Snow White was not the fairest in the land? Here are classic Disney kids characters reimagined as villains!

29 Beauty Masks The Beast

Via deviantart.com/willemijn1991

Colors hold meaning, especially when it comes to a visual medium like cinema, so Willemijn1991's simple act of swapping Belle's palette is enough to alter the audience's expectations of the character. Disney's classic villains are about as subtle as a punch to the face, but Beauty and the Beast subverted this trope by portraying the handsome Gaston as the vain monster. The author's art is cool, but labeling Belle as a villain due to a change in wardrobe goes against the film's core theme.

28 Double Trouble

Via ibtrav.com

With a heavy focus on the latter, Travis Falligant's portfolio manages to be simultaneously hilarious and unsettling. When it comes to horror, Disney is not completely unversed in the subject, but Stanley Kubrick's The Shining should be a tad too much for Mickey's target audience. Admittedly, Frozen's Elsa and Anna fall short of the original twins' creep factor, but that has more to do with the cartoonish design than the siblings. Considering Pixar love to reference Kubrick's masterpiece, Falligant's crossover actually makes quite a bit of sense. Just assume this is happening in the Toy Story universe.

27 Kim's Dark Turn

Via deviantart.com/mkdd00

Kim Possible is the animated equivalent to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both shows center around a female lead who maintains her feminine charm while portraying a convincing defender of justice. Disney's cartoon takes a more case-of-the-week approach, but the humor rarely fails to hit the mark and the action remains second to none. Serving as Kim's arch-nemesis, Shego is the living embodiment of sarcasm! Focusing on mkdd00's Dark Kim, Shego might be destined to become obsolete, as there is no need for a supervillain when the hero is even worse.

26 Ursula, Step Aside

Via deviantart.com/lunipard

Lunipard's Ariel is already a far more fascinating character than The Little Mermaid's spoiled redhead. Ursula carries 1989's musical, and the film's high points coincide with the villainess' various scenes. Largely due to Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's infectious soundtrack, Ariel tends to rank among the most popular Disney princesses, but the protagonist comes across as rather by-the-numbers. Going against her father because teenagers must partake in some rebellious shenanigans, Ariel's journey is one littered with poor decisions and short-sightedness. Just to be clear, genuine flaws separate a good character from a fantastic one, but the Disney Formula requires Ariel's inexperience to be presented as inspired and whimsical.

25 Game Of Thrones

Via deviantart.com/darkangel383

Awesome! Be it Snow White and the Huntsman or Maleficent, many studios seem determined to revitalize Disney's classic for a modern audience; unfortunately, both movies made the costly mistake of being unreservedly terrible, with the latter reducing the studio's greatest villain into a poorly written anti-hero. By this point, the adaptations have practically nothing in common with the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale, therefore Disney should throw caution to the wind! Perhaps, Snow White eats an orange instead of an apple! Okay, maybe certain changes would veer too far from the original's roots to be acceptable. DarkAngeL383's take should be fine.

24 Dark Princess

Via deviantart.com/willemijn1991

Predating Tangled and Disney's recent resurgence as an animation juggernaut, Enchanted decided to skip the waiting period and just release a live-action remake with the animated film. Casting Amy Adams as Princess Giselle, 2007's comedy presents a Disney that is willing to make fun of its own conventions, although the sentiment falls slightly flat when any hints of self-reflection fail to translate to any of the subsequent films. Willemijn1991's Giselle is dressed for trouble, but we just cannot picture Lois Lane as a villain.

23 Opposite Day

Via deviantart.com/lalunenoire

Besides offering a healthy dose of nostalgia, LaLuneNoire's lineup exhibits just enough originality to stand out amid the crowd. Examining the eight characters on display, this painting merely serves as further proof that, when it comes to fashion, Disney villains are unmatched! Putting aside Maleficent's Halloween costume, the rest of the girls could readily attend a ball and not look completely out of place. Even when up to no good, there is no reason that a supervillain's wardrobe cannot be classy!

22 Loose Leash

Via deviantart.com/neytirix

Destined to be hailed as a classic by future generations, Zootopia ranks among Disney's smartest films to date. In the cartoon's universe, preys and predators live side-by-side; however, neither group has forgotten their turbulent history, so there is a great deal of tension and uneasiness. Neytirix's art piece is powerful because it reflects the fear that resonates throughout Zootopia's entire society. Despite foxes having a taste for rabbits, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps get along relatively well, but there will always be that voice questioning whether this can last forever.

21 Fairest In The Underworld

Via deviantart.com/jeftoon01

As Disney's original princess, Snow White holds a special place in the studio's storied history. As time rolls by and new generations receive their own princesses to idolize, Disney's initial batch of animated royalty faces the risk of being replaced by the latest model. If jeftoon01's tribute serves as any indication, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' popularity has barely started to wane. Computer-generated animation comes with its fair share of positives, but it remains to be seen whether Moana and Tangled can stand the test of time. The author's creepy Snow White is already better than Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman.

20 Age Of Merida

Via deviantart.com/xcandyslice

2012's Brave is arguably the best Disney movie to not be produced by the official studio; nevertheless, Pixar shines the brightest when moving to the beat of its own drum. A marriage between Disney-0wned subsidiaries, Xcandyslice ponders whether Merida would have made for a better villain than Avengers: Age of Ultron's titular character. The Scottish lass definitely brings a certain menace to the role, but we are not quite sure that is enough to replace James Spader's smooth voice. Why not just combine the two? Pixar's Brave, starring James Spader as a sassy 16-year-old Scottish teenager.

19 Dreaming Of Jasmine

Via deviantart.com/knyazhy

What constitutes a strong character? Sheltered but bolstered by an adventurous spirit, Aladdin's Jasmine flip-flops between being a somewhat useful princess and a prize for the eponymous thief to collect. Even the strongest of characters should experience a moment of weakness, but Jasmine's endearing personality is not enough to mask her damsel-in-distress role throughout the film. Knyazhye twists Disney's princess into a wicked genie capable of crumbling the city of Agrabah like a sand castle hit by an incoming tide.

18 One Mermaid, Hold The Maid

Via ibtrav.com

Travis Falligant's unique amalgam of Disney and horror never disappoints! The Little Mermaid's Ariel may not be human, but the animators made sure that the princess' top-half is absolutely impeccable. How would people react if she lacked any homo sapien body parts? Assuming Ariel's personality remained intact, would audiences continue to react positively to the mermaid longing for Prince Eric? Afterall, King Kong is hardly celebrated as one of cinema's greatest love stories. The Shape Of Water is told from the perspective of the human, so Guillermo del Toro's film proves nothing!

17 Elsa's Frozen Rule

Via deviantart.com/no1dawn

No1Dawn's Queen Elsa captures Frozen's potential within a single frame. While we would be delighted to never overhear Let It Go again, Disney's take on The Snow Queen is a perfectly serviceable cartoon that plays around with the studio's standard formula. Prior to turning face, Elsa made for a genuinely captivating villain; as a consequence, Frozen peaks during the story's mid-point, before steadily losing steam towards a rather forgettable climax. Most of the blame resides with Hans' contrived betrayal, but Frozen's third act was set up for failure. Disney needed to introduce a "Maleficent" to maintain Dark Elsa's momentum.

16 Welcome To The Party...

Via deviantart.com/omrikoresh

OmriKoresh's take on Cinderella is filled with wonder and mystery. Did the Fairy Godmother commit the blunder of the century and accidentally turn Cindy into a scarecrow? If that is the case, the fault clearly rests with whoever wrote the Godmother's spellbook, as there is no reason for these two enchantments to be so similar! Talk about a wish with a catch! Hopefully, Halloween Town has a vacancy or two, as Cinderella could comfortably take over Oogie Boggie's vacant position as the resident baddie.

15 Let It Go (Remix)

Via deviantart.com/chaoyuanxu

Frozen currently ranks as the highest-grossing animated production of all time, and Queen Elsa is comfortably the film's most iconic persona. Idina Menzel's confused monarch briefly flirts with the prospect of turning evil, but it proves to be nothing more than a phase. In hindsight, Elsa's tantrum hardly paints Arendelle's ruler as reliable, but everyone has bad days. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, Elsa's book counterpart is far more enigmatic than Disney's marketable beauty. In comparison with the film, ChaoyuanXu's portrayal is a way more faithful adaptation of The Snow Queen.

14 Hair Maketh Woman

Via deviantart.com/holly-fox

We understand the point of playing the long con, but Holly-Fox's Rapunzel needs to seriously reconsider her strategy. Hidden away in a secluded tower that sees very little foot traffic, the girl patiently waited a couple of years to trick Flynn into saving her. On the one hand, this tactic greatly reduces the risk of being caught, but Rapunzel's life must be pretty boring. There are whole cities filled with idiots who would be more than willing to follow  girl, so the villainess should consider relocating her operation to a more populated area.

13 The (Twisted) New World

Via deviantart.com/kasami-sensei

Kasami-Sensei's portfolio is a rabbit hole lined with awesome but twisted tributes to Disney and other popular pop-culture brands, and we definitely recommend checking out the author's work. Marking the end of the studio's renaissance period, 1995's Pocahontas struggled to present the titular character as a believable human, while degrading the crucial 17th-century historical tale into a cheap Romeo & Juliet rip-off about lovers from opposite sides of the pond. It is not among Disney's best work, but Pocahontas comes with a couple of redeeming features. For example, Kasami-Sensei's version exists because of it.

12 An Obsession With Youth

Via www.deviantart.com/genzoman

Admittedly, GENZOMAN's Peter Pan may not necessarily be a villain, but the child's smile gives off an air of wickedness and mischief. In the Disney version, the Boy Who Won't Grow Up plays things relatively straight, but J.M. Barrie's Pan toed the line between good and evil. Mickey Mouse's adaptations of classic fairy tales hold a special place in our collective hearts; however, the studio tends to throw any complexity out of the window. Peter's original incarnation feels more like a cautionary tale than straight-up wish fulfillment, as the boy's unwillingness to mature casts a heavy shadow over Neverland.

11 Jasmine's Pirate Life

Via deviantart.com/aerobicsalmon

Aladdin contains everything one could wish for in a Disney film: a great villain, a marketable princess, and Robin Williams. Occasionally, the stars align perfectly to deliver the ultimate cinematic experience. Even though there are precious little tweaks that can be done to improve upon the animated adventure, aerobicsalmon's pirate Jasmine paints an enticing picture of an alternate reality that seems worth exploring. With Pirates of the Caribbean overstaying its welcome by a couple of Johnny Depp performances, Disney should consider taking the franchise in a completely different direction. If it worked with Kingdom Hearts, there is no reason that Disney cannot blend a couple of its own universes.

10 When Halloween Town Met Sally

Via deviantart.com/drocknation

Due to certain stories being deemed too dark for the studio's core audience, Disney formed Touchstone Pictures to distribute these films outside of its usual banner. A staple of Kingdom HeartsNightmare Before Christmas takes place in Halloween Town and centers around Jack Skellington's yearning to steal Christmas. Henry Selick and Tim Burton put together a strange beast that differentiated itself from Disney's usual output, but even they failed to create an image that compares to drockNation's deranged Sally. Oogie Boogie's mischief persona juxtapositioned poorly with Halloween Town's newfound Christmas spirit, but Sally's reign of villainy will last until the new year!