Artist Gives Pokemon’s Buizel a Disney-Inspired Makeover
It is not uncommon for artists to visualize Pokemon creatures in a new light, and one artist used Buizel as the representation of classic Disney animation. This style of animation is recognizable to many, from the famous film Bambi to the numerous shorts the company has produced. The bright, unique designs of the creatures found in Kanto and Alola Islands make them ideal for a conversion to the classic animation look.
Generation 4 Pokemon, Buizel, made its franchise debut in the Nintendo DS handheld system’s original Diamond and Pearl games in 2006. Its design was a combination of both a sea otter and a weasel, with the fins and body taking from the otter and the orange hue and facial features resembling the weasel. At level 26, the water-type can evolve into Floatzel, which is larger, quicker and much better suited for battling in the rain than its pre-evolved form.
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Grapemunxher, a user of the r/pokemon subreddit, crafted a Disney-esque rendition of Buizel that made it look just as if it were a side-character alongside Bambi. The design was largely weasel-inspired, with its orange fur and tails specifically, though the otter-style fins and feet were still present. For a finishing touch, Grapemunxher included a VHS-style filter to pay homage to the classic Disney animations. Link to article remains unchanged.
The artistic influence of Disney is evident in Grapemunxher’s Buizel, but some viewers have also detected hints of Don Bluth’s style. Bluth has been a major figure in the animation industry for more than half a century, from his days at Disney through directing his own movies like 1997’s Anastasia. He also made a mark in the world of video games with Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, which paved the way for the interactive film genre of games that is now commonplace, thanks to developers such as David Cage and Supermassive Games.
Grapemunxher’s Buizel art has been compared to The Bluth and other classic Disney works, showing how accurately they were able to capture the animation style. Disney has consistently drawn from its past to create new content, especially with the addition of Marvel and Star Wars. It would be interesting to see if Grapemunxher would attempt the same art technique with other Pokemon to see how many could fit in the Disney classic style.