After years of intensive soul-searching and whining on the internet, I have finally come to the terms with the fact that my Hogwarts letter is not coming in the mail. Eventually life became worth living again, even as a Muggle. I have to remember this to console myself in these equally dark times, now that I know that animators had a "Disney Princess Academy" short film in the works, and that it may well never exist. Yes, it is a mighty blow, but I think we will survive this one the same way we survived missing out on the last magical school we hoped to attend—especially because, at the very least, we can stare at the stunning artwork of the film-that-should-have-been.
The concept for "Disney Princess Academy" was written and directed by Olivier Ciappa, and accompanied with beautiful renderings by artist David Kawena. They wanted to capture the energy of a school teeming with princesses, paying homage to the strength, knowledge, and heart of the princesses in the Disney realm.
"At the Academy building, not only would the ‘princess’ have a place, but all of Disney’s leading female characters. The building itself was to be a gigantic complex, with a feeling of an ancient palace with fountains, gardens, paintings and statues," said Kawena. "This concept art is one of many works that was conceived by us for the interior design of the Academy."
The duo also meant for the project to shed light on the beauty of hand-drawn animation, an art form that Disney has veered away from as of recently with blockbusters in 3D animation styles. They basically envisioned a big happy reunion for Disney princesses past, present, and future, and it is the lovefest you never knew you needed until you saw the artwork for yourself.
Be strong, everyone. Find your feelings and hold on tight.
As of right now, Disney doesn't have any plans to go through with the project. But guys, I've watched enough Disney movies to know that magic is real. It's gonna happen. It HAS to. And if it doesn't, well, at least we had this ray of sunshine thanks to Ciappa and Kawena's hard work.
Images: Disney; Imgur
