Uniqlo's Disney T-shirts feature art by manga divinity and royalty【Photos】
Uniqlo and Disney have been friends for a long time. This summer, they're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the start of their Magic for All T-shirt collaborations, and with Disney's multifaceted media productions in the modern era, that means that not just characters from the Disney animated canon are featured, but also the stars of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars too.
Sometimes Magic for All's designs even include a touch of magic from some of the most celebrated manga artists of all time. Coming soon are a pair of redesigned Magic for All T-shirts using illustrations from Osamu Tezuka and the production company of Fujio Akatsuka.
Tezuka was such a prolific artist that he's known as 'the god of manga.' Most famous for creating Tetsuwan Atom/Astro Boy, Tezuka was also the artist and writer of such other landmark works as Jungle Emperor/Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Phoenix, and Black Jack. Uniqlo's Tezuka Magic for All shirt features an illustration by the artist of Mickey Mouse dashing across the front, with 'pyoon' (the Japanese sound effect for 'whoosh') written in katakana script.
Though not referred to as being manga divinity, Fujio Akatsuka nonetheless has an impressive nickname, 'the king of gag manga.' Akatsuka's greatest claim to fame is Osomatsu-kun, a manga series about the zany Osomatsu sextuplets which originally ran from 1962 to 1969 and has been adapted to anime multiple times, including a phenomenally popular reboot in 2015 titled Osomatsu-san/Mr. Osomatsu. Other highlights of Akatsuka's resume include gag series Tensai Bakabon and Moretsu Ataro, and also Himitsu no Akko-chan, one of the first major magical girl manga/anime franchises.
The Fujio Productions shirt has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all drawn in the, well, goofy sort of aesthetics that helped fuel Akatsuka's success.
▼ The 'ranrara～n' written in katakana is a sort of silly, joyous singing, sort of a Japanese equivalent of 'lalala.'
In addition to Tezuka and Akatsuka, the Uniqlo Magic for All collection also has takes on Disney characters from James Jarvis, Danny Sangra…
…Nuts Art Works, and Ester Kim.
And then, of course, there are all the designs that come direct from the archives of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, many with a retro vibe.
Uniqlo's Disney Magic for All T-shirts are priced at 1,990 yen (US$13.75) each and go on sale at Uniqlo stores and through the Uniqlo online shop here August 4.
Source: Uniqlo, PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Uniqlo (1, 2)
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