MODERN ANIMATIONS: Just in time for some early Christmas gift shopping, Disney has partnered with designer Danielle DiFerdinando on a new collection of handbags inspired by four timeless Disney animated movies — “Beauty and the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

The co-branded Disney | DiFerdinando collection, which launches in October, imagines modern styles that would suit the famous movie characters. It blends contemporary design, craftsmanship and whimsical narrative, and brings a new perspective to character-inspired fashion design.

“For this collection, I wanted to approach Disney in a very fashion-driven way,” DiFerdinando told WWD. “The question I kept coming back to throughout the design process was, ‘If this character lived today, what would she carry?’

“Rather than creating literal character bags, we reimagined the stories through the ‘DiFerdinando lens,’ translating their worlds and personalities into the silhouettes, materials, embroidery, hardware and details of each handbag,” she said.

The bags will be offered to the public through a series of drops that begin Oct. 6 on shopdiferdinando.com with the Beauty and the Beast bags. Macy’s, HSN, Hot Topic and others will also carry the collection.

An exclusive BoxLunch line of Disney | DiFerdinando bags launches Oct. 13 featuring limited-edition designs, including the Cinderella: Twinkle at Twelve Backpack; Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Backpack, and Wonderland Attire: Alice Crossbody. Shopdiferdinando.com will then have its Winnie the Pooh bags on Oct. 20, and the Cinderella bags on Oct. 27. The collection retails from $78 to $118.

DiFerdinando launched her first brand in 2005, selling handbags at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. With her DiFerdinando brand, she brings a lifestyle approach spanning handbags, jewelry, hair accessories and other items focused on storytelling and craftsmanship. She has 153,000 followers on Instagram.