“Disneyfication” is a term that’s been used by sociologists to describe the transformation of things or environments to resemble the Walt Disney theme parks and resorts. In this case, it’s our beloved pets that get carried into the world of Disney-like animation, and it’s truly charming. 

Isa Bredt always had a passion for animals and art, so it was a no-brainer to combine the two and become a pet portrait artist. According to her website, her greatest inspirations are the old 2D animated works from Disney, Dreamworks and Don Bluth. “In my portraits, I try to capture an animal’s spirit, with the twist that they look like they could star in their very own animated movie,” she wrote. 

She has been drawing since she was very young and started sharing her work on Reddit when she was 16. After that, the project grew really quickly. Bored Panda reached out to the artist to talk about the process behind her work and how it evolved over the years. 

Since the last time we spoke, the artist admitted that there haven’t been any specifically significant changes, other than the fact that she has improved a lot. “Especially painting my backgrounds used to be a big struggle, and I mean, it’s still a struggle but the end results are a lot better,” she said.

Her work is truly magical and admired by many: “People are so sweet! Especially if I’ve made a portrait of a pet that has unfortunately passed away, people send me the kindest messages, saying that the drawing brought tears to their eyes. Or that it helped them heal because pictures of their pet made them cry, but the portrait made them smile.”

Bredt does not only work based on commissions, but also does her own projects, like working her magic on our favorite Instagram animals or just any furry friends that inspire her. Also, she started Disneyfying animals from shelters as a way to give back.

“I think it was while I was browsing a shelter site (the site where I adopted my cats from) and I wished I could help the animals that had been in the shelter the longest, somehow,” she told us. “But it is also possible one of my followers recommended it one time and I’m just taking unjust credit haha! Either way, I wanted to do something to help.”

Although the illustrator is not sure if she helps all of the shelter animals that she draws, she has contributed to making a few of their lives better. “There are only two cases where I know my portrait really worked: Diesel, a dog that got adopted because the shelter added my drawing to his adoption page,” Bredt said. “And Benji, a dog that was too traumatized to be adopted by a normal family. The shelter had to raise money to get him to a sanctuary but a scared pit bull isn’t very popular, unfortunately, so featuring him on my page really helped them meet their goal.”

Isa Bredt leaves us with a few thoughts: “Give your local shelters some love, they can always use some donations, and enjoy the holidays!” And if you think that your pet is Disney-levels of cute and wish to have an adorable pet portrait yourself, don’t be shy and get in touch!