While few may realise it, Disney has long hidden art-related references in its songs and films, with the intention of getting more people involved in the creative industries. If it's not Pocahontas brazenly bragging about being able to "paint with all the colours of the wind?" (we can barely manage the odd acrylic), Aladdin questioning Jasmine's lack of artistic direction ("Tell me Princess, now when did you last let your art decide?"), or Woody's envious praise of Buzz's artistic sky-writing skills "That isn't flying, it's drawing with style!", the references really are everywhere if you look for them - or perhaps, overlook... From the impassioned speech Baloo gave on the minimalism movement, declaring it just "the simple bare necessities", to famous art house critic Bing Bong's final line, "Take her to the moon for me, okay?", which is, of course, a referral to Van Gogh's famous Starry Night, Disney have always had a hand in artistry - and this summer, you'll be able to flex your artistic muscles too, in a decidedly Disney themed 3DS title, Disney Art Academy.
"I bet she's the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever. Oh look at that. I've been impaled." - Olaf, on the legendary Mona Lisa.
Following on from the success of it's Pokemon-themed drawing tutor, Disney Art Academy will walk you through how to draw dozens of your favourite Disney and Pixar characters with simple, step-by-step instructions, using your 3DS' Touch Screen as your canvas. By working your way through the increasingly complex lessons, each dedicated to a single character, you'll learn the ins and outs of pastels, paintbrushes, markers and more as you go from vague sketch to artistic masterpiece. From Disney staple Mickey Mouse, to Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear, and Frozen's Elsa and Olaf, the game promises a wide range of characters to have a go at - and you can even add a spot of Disney magic to your finished creations with the new Magic Brush, which adds finishing touches and flair with it's stars, bubbles and glitter effects. You don't have to stick to the included Disney characters either, as the Free Paint mode will let you go wild with a blank canvas - or you can pick from more than eighty different Disney themed pics to act as inspiration too.
As your art skills improve, and you master more and more Disney and Pixar characters, you'll be able to easily share your works of art on the internet, both through Nintendo's own Miiverse, or via other mainstream social media networks via the Nintendo Image Share website. Completed artwork can also be saved to your 3DS' SD Card, which can then be connected to a PC and used to copy your drawings across for safekeeping - and to print out and keep, of course. The in-game Clubhouse also lets you pick and choose your favourite pieces to view in your own personal showcase slideshow too.
Disney Art Academy will be hitting the 3DS on the 15th July across Europe. Unfortunately, there's no sign of an English trailer at the moment, but we did come across a Japanese one, to give you some idea of what the game entails, below:
