Photographer Meticulously Re-creates Classic Disney Princess Movie Moments With Dolls (Exclusive)
Brian McCarty likes playing with dolls. And the results are epic.
The photographer has become famous for his work with toys over the past two decades, filling books and exhibit halls with elaborately staged images of action figures, dolls and other playthings. His latest subject matter: Disney Princesses, the toons replaced by toys. McCarty, with an assist from the Mouse House, has painstakingly re-created three classic scenes from Disney animated films: Merida tearing through the woods on her mount, Angus, in Brave; a wistful Tiana on the balcony in The Princess and the Frog; and Rapunzel and Flynn admiring the floating lanterns in Tangled.
“I had already seen the movies before the project began,” McCarty tells Yahoo Movies. “This shoot gave me an excuse to dive back in and re-immerse myself in these incredible stories from a different point of view. I was most interested in studying the key moments we recreated. What were they feeling? What were the circumstances that led them to this turning point in their lives? Why were these moments so important? I watched each scene dozens of times.”
Here, for the first time, you can see McCarty’s new work (which will be displayed for the public at New York’s Toy Fair to celebrate Disney’s “Dream Big, Princess” campaign) as well as a glimpse into his creative process.
Merida in ‘Brave’ (Film)
This is the scene from the Oscar-winning 2012 Disney-Pixar film. Merida and her trusty steed Angus race through the forest, one of the few places the princess can loose some arrows and be herself.
Merida in ‘Brave’ (Doll Re-creation)
“With Merida the biggest challenge was capturing the energy of her wild and joyous ride,” McCarty says. “The sets and styling did so much in-camera, but I wanted more. We had thought about using a wind machine, but the amount of scale force needed would have blown the rest of the set into the next county, so in the end, I settled for one of the few pieces of digital effects that you’ll see in the shots.” (Merida is from the Disney Store line of Disney Princess dolls.)
Tiana in ‘The Princess and the Frog’ (Film)
Fearing she will lose out on her dream of owning a restaurant, Tiana escapes the masquerade ball and, in grand Disney tradition, makes a wish upon a star. Within moments she meets the frog-ified Prince Naveen and the 2009 feature’s plot gets rolling.
Tiana in ‘The Princess and the Frog’ (Doll Re-creation, Close-up)
“While Tiana’s scene might seem more simple than the others to recreate, we had to overcome perspective and sizing challenges. We made a lot of tweaks to the set pieces to make sure the balcony looked as close to the film frame and as realistic as possible,” says McCarty. (Tiana doll is from new Disney Princess line from Hasbro featuring a dress that will be exclusively available at Walmart this fall.)
Rapunzel and Flynn in ‘Tangled’ (Film)
One of the loveliest moments from recent Disney animated features, this scene features the long-locked Rapunzel and the ne’er-do-well Flynn Rider (a.k.a. Eugene) gazing at thousands of floating lanterns celebrating the lost princess’ birthday.
Rapunzel and Flynn in ‘Tangled’ (Doll Re-creation)
“The biggest challenge for Rapunzel was the sheer volume of lights other elements used to help us capture the essence of the scene,” says McCarty. “After the many hours of rigging, we introduced copious amounts of stage fog to help the glow of the lights fill the sky.” (Rapunzel is from Hasbro; Flynn from the Disney Store.)
The Props
To conceptualize the scenes, McCarty like a film director, made thumbnail sketches and relied on collaborators to help him realize his vision. “It took a team of brilliant artists and artisans to make it happen. The sets and props were made by Screen Novelties,” he explains. “You’ve seen their work before in stop-motion animation for movies, TV programs and commercials. These are the folks with the keen math skills and unbelievable eye for reproducing the tiniest details in miniature.”
The Little Details
The custom-made Angus model was created by a Brave crew member and hand-flocked to look like authentic horsehair.
Setting the Scene
McCarty and his team placed each element by hand to achieve perspective. The Brave forest included sticks, manzanita branches, moss, lichen and stone.
Finishing Touches
“I went frame-by-frame through the movies to see every angle of the sets and gave general direction on what needed to be built,” the photog says. “It was magical seeing the finished pieces arrive in the studio, more so knowing that each one took countless hours and very skilled hands to produce.”
The Dollhouse
Tiana’s building, featuring laser-cut railings, stood 6 feet tall to get the scale right.
A Cast of Thousands
“On set, I had a producer, doll-hair stylist, set and doll riggers, a specialized lighting designer, gaffer, P.A. [production assistant], caterer, and of course, the awesome folks from Disney,” says McCarty. “It was a massive treat bringing them all together for this project.”
Teamwork... and More Work
“There were literally hundreds of crew-hours involved in building the sets, and each took an entire day in the studio to rig and light, although Rapunzel took a little longer. Each of the paper sky lanterns were individually hung and placed very specifically.” The 250 lights were hand-wired incandescent pinball machine bulbs. All told, the Tangled scene took eight hours.
Levitating Lights
“I love that we were able to reproduce the design of the lantern that Rapunzel saves from the water — the same sky lantern released by her parents, far above in the castle,” McCarty gushes. Each of the 40 lanterns were crafted for the shoot and stenciled with sumi ink on rice paper.
Keeping It Real
“My goal from the beginning was to achieve as much in-camera, on-set as possible,” explains McCarty. “I wanted to see the movies brought to life in a tangible re-creation. The dolls were so true to the essence of the characters that the sets had to match.”