Disney Bounding at the 2019 Met Gala

If you are not familiar with the term "Disney Bounding," it is dressing, not exactly like a Disney character, but in a way that reminds people of a Disney character. Disney prohibits adults from wearing character costumes, in order to avoid confusing guests with cast members, so some very creative people came up with the idea of Disney bounding in order to get around that rule a bit.

What does Disney Bounding have to do with the Met Gala, you may ask? Well, I have a personal theory that celebrities occasionally get bored with dressing up for red carpet events, so they sometimes entertain themselves by secretly cosplaying some character or another. And at this year's Met Gala, it seemed to me that quite a few celebrities were secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) Disney bounding. Here's my evidence:

 

Anna Wintour as Babette from "Beauty and the Beast"

Simple, slender, adorned mainly by a giant pouf of feathers with a contrasting-colored edge? Definitely Babette in her feather duster form. 

 

Ava DuVernay as the Rose from "Beauty and the Beast"

I mean, hello, it's a boring dress with a GIANT ROSE ON IT, what else could it be? Most Disney bounding is a little more subtle than this, but points for choosing a non-character. 

 

Billy Porter as Buzz Lightyear from "Toy Story"

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm still convinced that Buzz is what Billy had in mind. The proud pose, the outstretched wings, the form-fitting bodysuit, the shiny helmet - like everything else Billy Porter does, it just has significant bling added.

 

Cara Delevigne as Riley from "Inside Out"

Form-fitting rainbow stripes, straight blond hair, and an air of toughness that you don't quite fully believe, plus lots of colorful business going on in the head region. Nailed it. 

 

Cardi B as Mother Gothel from "Tangled" 

This one's a little sneaky, since the silhouettes are so different. But it's Gothel's signature burgundy, paired with a general air of superiority and an attention-grabbing pose. That's Gothel, all right. 

 

Celine Dion as a Nutcracker Suite Ice Fairy from "Fantasia"

She's trailing glittering ice as she moves, the sleeves could easily double as glittering wings, and those shoes could definitely slice a feathery trail into a patch of ice. 

 

Ciara as Queen Elinor from "Brave"

Obviously, this is a highly stylized (one might even say, abbreviated) version of Queen Elinor's gown. But the thick curly dark hair, the train, the glittery gold accents, the noble bearing...maybe it's just Queen Elinor after an encounter with another bear.

 

Danai Gurira as Dr. Facilier from "The Princess and the Frog"

Top hat, open jacket, skinny pants, walking stick, great shoes, dangerous smirk. There's even a little hint of reddish-purple in the lining of that fabulous cape. Too bad she didn't add the crocodile-tooth necklace; it would totally have worked. 

 

Elizabeth Debicki as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid"

Judging my the expression on her face, I'm not the only one who wishes she'd chosen a different one of Ariel's dresses to Disney bound in.

 

Emma Stone as Elastigirl in "The Incredibles 2"

Black and silver pantsuit, unnecessarily high heels, great belt, sweet auburn bob. Are we even sure that Emma Stone isn't really Elastigirl?

 

Hamish Bowles as Frida Kahlo in "Coco"

Full skirt, vivid colors (especially hot pink!), intricate patterns, devil-may-care attitude, animal themes. And those glasses frames may be hiding a unibrow.

 

Hari Nef as Jane from "Tarzan"

At first glance you might think this was Belle, which is pretty much the go-to for a yellow Disney bounding dress. But the little blue bow at the collar is clearly a nod to the lovely Jane, as are the poofy sleeves. Plus her hair is just a tiny bit bedraggled, just like Jane's.

 

Janelle Monae as Mrs. Potato Head from "Toy Story 2"

Kind of round all over, lips a little off-center and crooked, not quite the proper number of eyes, fond of hats and combining pink, red, and white. Reminds me of a certain lady potato I know. 

 

Jordan Roth as the Magic Carpet from "Aladdin"

Basically a monochromatic pattern with gold accents in both cases, plus it's pretty obvious that Roth picked this up from under the dining room table and just went with it.

 

Julianne Moore as Te Fiti from "Moana"

Green gracefully cascading down all over, softly waved hair, and a sweet expression. Must be everyone's favorite nature goddess. 

 

Katy Perry as Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast"

Duh.

 

Kylie and Kendall Jenner as Andrina and Attina from "The Little Mermaid"

Slinky silhouettes with scaly textures, different colored dresses and hair but otherwise nearly identical looking, sisters, expressions that vary from slack-jawed to grumpy. Mermaid or Jenner? Hard to say.

 

Lady Gaga as Madame Medusa from "The Rescuers"

You may not be familiar with this particular Disney villain, but she's larger than life with an impressive pair of pipes, and sweeps around in a hot pink gown while wearing a little too much mascara. Sounds a lot like a certain famous Lady singer.

 

Lana Condor as Bo Peep from "Toy Story 4"

Pink and poofy, frothy and feminine, ladylike but tough, and occasionally showing a "peep" of leg to get what she wants, Bo seems an obvious choice for Condor.

 

LaVerne Cox as Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove"

The fabulous cheekbones, the fabulous train, the fabulous flared collar, the fabulously styled hair, the fabulous pose. I'm ready to start a petition to make a live-action remake starring Cox.

 

Lily Collins as Mama Odie from "The Princess and the Frog"

An all-white dress with a white wrapped headpiece, a great statement necklace, and doesn't that curly lock draped over Collins' shoulder remind you of a snake's tail? Surely that's not a coincidence.

Lizzo as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians"

I'm not sure what creature that red-and-pink fur came from, but I suspect 101 of them were sacrificed.

 

Lupita N'yongo as Gypsy from "A Bug's Life"

Elaborately patterned rainbow wings and feathery gold antennae? That's Gypsy, all right.

 

Madelaine Petsch as the Blue Fairy from "Pinocchio"

Glittery, ethereal blue dress and wings that all look like they're covered in stars. If Petsch claims she wasn't Disney bounding in this dress, I think her nose will grow.

 

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as Flotsam and Jetsam from "The Little Mermaid"

Dark and slinky, always seen in pairs, generally wearing a shifty smirk and whispering in each other's ear, this pair is definitely that pair.

 

Ryan Murphy as Senator Amidala from "Star Wars: Episode 2"

Draped, patterned gold everywhere, multiple shades of gold layered together, and a large fan-shaped piece at the back of the head. Perhaps we should call him "Senator Murphy"?

 

Tracee Ellis Ross as the Magic Mirror from "Snow White"

She brought her own picture frame, how could she be anything else? Although admittedly, she is much prettier than the guy in the mirror (sorry, Mirror).

 

Zendaya as Cinderella from "Cinderella"

And what better to end with than a Disney bounding dress which was clearly and blatantly designed to be Cinderella's ball gown.

What do you think? Couture or character??