Harmony Between
Familiarity and Novelty

Illustrator Wooh Na Young Works with Disney Korea
to Give Familiar Characters a Korean Sartorial Touch

The prelude to this exciting collaboration occurred in 2017. Disney Korea proposed a collaboration with Wooh Na Young, an illustrator known for drawing characters in Western fairy tales wearing Hanbok. This is how the Korean poster for the 2017 live-action movie ¡°Beauty and the Beast¡± was created. The interesting new appearance of familiar characters such as Belle and the Beast in Hanbok, Cogsworth wearing a gat (a traditional Korean hat made from horsehair and bamboo worn by men), Lumiere transformed into a Korean-style candlestick and Mrs. Potts and Chip in a white porcelain pattern from the Joseon Dynasty received a great response from fans.

The Korean poster collaboration continued with ¡°Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,¡± ¡°Thor: Ragnarok,¡± ¡°Maleficent: Mistress of Evil¡± and ¡°Cruella¡± and captured the hearts of not only fans but also the actors. There was a well-known instance in which Mark Ruffalo (who plays the Hulk) retweeted the Korean poster for ¡°Thor: Ragnarok¡± on his social media and asked, ¡°Where can I get one?¡± The poster was delivered to Ruffalo through Disney Korea. After that, it became customary to deliver Korean posters to the actors.

Change For a Reason

Each Korean poster actually took more time and effort than was originally expected. This was because rather than simply drawing a pretty Hanbok, Wooh worked hard to find one that would best fit the story and character.

A prime example of this is the poster for ¡°Cruella.¡± Wooh said, ¡°In any country, it was common for fashion to spread from the upper class to the lower class. However, Cruella made her own outfits fashionable even to the upper class despite her commoner status. Even among traditional Korean clothing, there¡¯s a design that originated from the poor and spread to the upper class.¡± She added, ¡°I thought that particular design would be the perfect fit for Cruel-la¡¯s character and story.¡±

In a similar vein, the clothes worn by the Beast from ¡°Beauty and the Beast¡± were changed to a gonnyongpo (a royal dragon robe) worn by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty as he was a prince.

Wooh also said that she takes the hairstyle into consideration when thinking of the character and story. ¡°Maleficent¡¯s horns are an important element to her character, but drawing horns didn¡¯t feel very Korean. I decided to wind the horns in a gache (traditional Korean wig worn by women) style, which allowed me to keep the elements of the horns while still making it feel Korean.¡± Wooh continued, ¡°I drew Belle from ¡®Beauty and the Beast¡¯ wearing a daenggi since she was an unmarried woman. However, if I realize that changing the hair disrupts the character¡¯s image, I tend to leave it alone and instead, add a hat or accessories.¡±

Wooh said, ¡°The most important thing is to draw the image in a traditional Korean style without detracting from the image of the original character.¡±

In the posters for ¡®Cruella,¡¯ Wooh worked hard to find which Hanbok fit the characters best.

Synergy from Harmony

Why are Korean posters loved by so many Disney and Marvel fans both at home and abroad, including the actors who appear in the films? Wooh said, ¡°It¡¯s because of the harmony between familiarity and novelty.¡±

She explained, ¡°Characters from Disney movies and the Marvel universe are very familiar characters in Western culture. On the other hand, Hanbok is a type of clothing that feels very fresh and new to Western culture. When beloved characters wear Hanbok, they look familiar yet different. People keep looking carefully at the characters to find the difference.¡±

As such, Disney Korea¡¯s Korean posters have proven that they can add novelty while maintaining familiarity through collaboration. The Korean posters will serve as a good medium for those who are looking for a unique and striking form of expression for a very long time.