This Artist Used AI To Make Popular Cartoons Eerily Human
By Harper D.
The world of cartoons has always been pretty two-dimensional. Until now, that is! Brazilian artist Hidreley Leli Diao grew up watching ‘toons like the rest of us. He currently uses artificial intelligence to show us our favorites as human beings. Using a mix of photos and super software, Hidreley is able to create something brand new. He explains: “When we watch some animation, it is natural to accept the cartoonish proportions of the characters without any problems…after all, we are quite used to this type of trait. But what if, as in a spell, they became real, flesh and blood? I tried to bring them into our world through artificial intelligence.” From The Simpsons to Disney and everything in between, the results are stunning! Check out his AI creations, next.
Moe — The Simpsons
He was grumpy and miserable, and that’s how we liked him. Bar owner Moe Szyslak ran Springfield’s hottest social spot. He probably knew everyone’s drunk secrets, and he never said a word. We wish we had a barman like Moe!
If you’ve been wondering what he would have looked like in real life, the mystery is over. Here, we see Mr. Moe as a middle-aged man with familiar features. He’s a lot less yellow, but his essence is undeniable.
Jasmine — Aladdin
When a homeless guy named Aladdin posed as a prince, he thought he might trick the daughter of a sultan into marriage. Jasmine was a bit sheltered, but she knew her worth. She insisted she was not a prize to be won. She was right!
No genie required, AI brings her to life. We see why Aladdin went to such lengths to win her heart. Jaz is a mysterious, dark beauty! Nowadays, she could be the princess of Instagram in a whole new world with us.
Eric — The Little Mermaid
We all dreamed about dreamy Eric after watching The Little Mermaid. He rowed in that boat and captured Ariel’s heart with a kiss. He didn’t even mind that she had lost her voice. Maybe she was just a shy beauty, he thought.
Eric was temporarily seduced by Ursula, but that didn’t last long. Supposedly, the sea witch wanted to ruin Ariel’s chances of breaking her spell. But is it possible she just wanted the prince for herself? Looking at his AI photo, that’s what we suspect!
Carl Fredricksen — Up
Disney’s Up inspired adults and kids alike, a rare achievement for an animated film. It was nominated for five Oscars. Without a doubt, part of that credit has to go to character Carl Fredricksen. Here, we see the cranky, old helium balloon salesman in double 3-D.
We already loved the 3D movie version of the retiree. But his new, 3D human form offers us more perspective. Carl’s features are less extreme, but the resemblance is unmistakable. We can almost hear him now: Take a bath, hippie!”
Pocahontas — Disney’s Pocahontas
She painted with all the colors of the wind. And now, AI has used all the colors of the computer to show us what the cartoon Pocahontas may have looked like. She’s a real stunner! And dare we say, a natural beauty.
Pocahontas attracted the attention of a Brit named John Smith. Sparks flew, of course. In real life, this daughter of a chief went back to England to live with her new husband. Disney left that part out, but it would have been interesting!
Ariel — The Little Mermaid
Ariel lived a dull life under the sea, no doubt. When Ursula helped her break free of the fins with a magical spell, the little mermaid got to live the dream. What did she look like, in human form?
Hard to say for sure. But maybe technology can help fill in the gaps. This pretty redhead was generated by artificial intelligence. The resemblance is uncanny! We see why Eric fell in love, even without a word from the gal.
Tinkerbell — Peter Pan
Tinkerbell was a tiny toon, but we saw her spunk. She was sassy and she was feisty. And on top of that, she zoomed around in a strapless green dress and matching shoes. We loved her fairy fashion sense!
Here, we see what she might look like in the real world. Something looks familiar, and we know exactly what it is. At first glance, she reminds us of Taylor Swift. Has the pop singer ever noticed her Disney doppelganger?
John Smith — Pocahontas
This Disney man of our dreams was dashing. He was strapping. He had a British accent. And incredibly, he didn’t play games. When John Smith met Pocahontas, he declared: “I’d rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you.”
John Smith may seem too good to be true. But what does artificial intelligence reveal? Here, we can see what John would look like as a real suitor. According to this software: He may be too handsome to be true!
Lady Tremaine — Cinderella
Evil stepmothers have a bad reputation. In part, they can thank Lady Tremaine, the witchy woman who oppressed Cinderella. Was she jealous? Probably. And she had no shame in taking it out on that poor girl. We hate you, Lady Tremaine!
We do love this AI version of the character, though. It’s incredible how they brought all her awful features to life. She’s just as terrifying in 3D, and it’s all in the eyes. There’s no love there whatsoever. Very impressive!
Captain Li Shang — Mulan
Mulan brought us the gift of Captain Li Shang. He inspired us to get down to business to defeat the Huns. It sounded pretty dangerous, but we were willing to get on board. Even in cartoon form, Captain Li was a total dreamboat.
Here, the captain is brought to life in 3D. The results show that this character may have been cast in the wrong role all along. Those high cheekbones and exotic eyes don’t lie: Can’t he see he was meant to model?
Ned Flanders — The Simpsons
Ned Flanders was the most bible-loving character on The Simpsons. He was careful about vice. Ned happily stayed away from modern temptations that might take him off the track of the Lord. The question is, how would he feel about AI?
It’s hard to say for sure. Ned Flanders always erred on the side of caution. He might see it as a tool of the devil. And we admit it, AI is a pretty freaky technology. This 3D Ned is almost supernatural!
Rapunzel — Tangled
Rapunzel was a gal like any other her age. But her life was unique: Cruelly, she was trapped in a tower because of a rare gift. “I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” she explained. Could she ever find love?
It was lonely, up there. We might despair. But then again, we don’t have mile-long hair. AI shows us even more of her beauty. Rapunzel was rescued and lived happily ever after with the fairytale prince of her dreams. We can now see why!
Milhouse — The Simpsons
Milhouse was the best bud of Bart on The Simpsons. Viewers witnessed his fourth-grade year at Springfield Elementary School for more than 30 years, somehow. We’re not quite sure how that works. He never seemed to age, or graduate!
We know what he looks like in yellow. But how would he look as a real-life nerd? AI has the answer, here: Software generated the eyebrows, the glasses, and even his essence into 3D. It’s an impressive projection, fans agree.
Aladdin — Disney’s Aladdin
By all accounts, Aladdin was a charmer. He stayed one jump ahead of the breadline as a thieving hobo, and that’s an achievement. Somehow, he even seduced the princess of Agrabah. Be honest: Would you be fooled by this handsome fellow?
We think you would buy his lines, just like Jasmine. It helps to have a genie. But most of the credit goes to Al himself. Life may have given him lemons, at first — but he was always a diamond in the rough!
Anna — Frozen
Frozen fans loved Queen Anna of Arendelle, the little sister of Elsa the Snow Queen. Anna was the more socially awkward of the two, and that’s why she was so relatable. What would she look like in real life, as our BFF?
Thanks to AI, we have the answer. Anna has been brought to life, even down to her trademark freckles. We can’t believe Handsome Hans betrayed this angel face. He literally left her to die as he plotted to steal the throne. We say, let him go!
Peter Pan — Disney’s Peter Pan
Peter Pan was the flying boy who never wanted to grow up. Never Never Land was his home, where he had feuds with pirates. It seems like an adventure, no doubt. What would Pete look like as a modern teen?
Without his green outfit, you might miss him on the street. But looking closely, we can see a familiar face in this image. There’s a little mischief in those brows and eyes. There’s a smirk, too. It’s definitely Peter Pan!
Olive Oyl — Popeye
It’s time for a fresh take on a classic face. Olive Oyl is the cartoon girlfriend from Popeye. The sailor has had an undying love for this lady since 1919. Even now, Olive is still a beloved character. How does AI make her look as a real person?
Olive Oyl was drawn as a super 2D image, back in the day. It might seem like a challenging adaptation for artificial intelligence software. But it looks like technology has done an incredible job filling in the lines. Good job, computer!
Handsome Hans — Frozen
Looks aren’t everything, they advised. But do we ever listen to good sense in love? Just like Anna from Frozen, we are seduced by Handsome Hans. His AI face is hard to ignore, even though we know he is a bad, bad man.
Hans plots to take over Arendelle as the new king. He even tries to kill to get his way. As we all know by now, that plan failed: Disney never lets evil triumph. Good looking is not a qualification, Hans.
Snow White — Disney’s Snow White
Truthfully, no one at home envied Snow White. The evil queen did, though: First, she tried to kill the beautiful young girl, who fled to the forest. Then, the queen showed up as a witch and gave her a poisoned apple. Jealous, much?
Things clearly got pretty out of control there. To see just what made the monarch so insecure, AI has recreated the cartoon character as a real gal with a modern style update. In 3D, Snow White really is quite striking.
Belle — Beauty and the Beast
Belle was the brainy gal of the Disney lineup. Audiences admired her dream to read books. She just wanted to go on adventures in her mind, but it seemed like no one in her town respected it. No denying she’s a funny girl, that Belle!
Big, muscly Gaston seemed to dismiss her hobby the most. He still demanded she marry him. Here, we see the face he fell in love with, in his own way. Belle was beautiful, just like her name. But she was so much more!
Kristoff — Frozen
Kristoff wasn’t the looker in Frozen, by any means. But the trolls still tried to market him to Anna. They claimed: “So he’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but this we’re certain of; you can fix this fixer-upper up with a little bit of love!”
By the end of the tale, Kris and Anna hit it off. They even got engaged! Here, we see what the real-life man might have looked like through the magic of AI. We see the resemblance. Never ‘let him go’, Anna!
Moana — Disney’s Moana
Every once in a while, we get to enjoy a truly original Disney plot. Fans loved Moana in 2016. In a Polynesian village, we meet the strong-willed child of a chief. She sets sail on a magical mission to save her people. Along the way, she charmed us!
Here, we see the character brought to life by AI. We understand it’s a fake Moana. But it’s hard to believe this isn’t a real girl somewhere on the island. We bet you could have been fooled! Technology is getting freakier by the minute, friends.
Elsa — Frozen
We all have challenges accepting ourselves. Even Elsa the Snow Queen! In Frozen, we watched her fear her own magical gifts and hide away from the world. The power of ice and snow could start an eternal winter. Brrr!
That’s scary. But luckily, this enchanted heroine learned to control it by the end of the movie. If we met her in real life, we wouldn’t suspect she had snowy powers. Would you? Look at her here, in 3D AI.
Isabela Madrigal — Encanto
Isabela Madrigal certainly enchanted us in Encanto. We thought her gift to conjure flowers and plants was quite the trick. We wish flowers would bloom with each step we take. But actually, she got tired of it after a while. Isabela admitted: “I’m tired of perfect, I want real.”
Here, we can see what she would look like in real life, as a real gal. The artificial intelligence version of the character certainly looks a lot like her. This time, she could pass as an ordinary teen, as per her request.
Bart Simpson — The Simpsons
Bart Simpson, is that you? The little guy who told Springfield to eat his shorts has come to life with artificial intelligence. Bart has been a familiar face in our homes for decades now, though we always knew him in yellow.
Check out the humanized version of the character, here. It captures the best of Bart: The hair and chin are there, and his big eyes show a bit of mischief if you look closely. It’s classic, in a whole new way.
Cinderella — Disney’s Cinderella
When it comes to Disney princesses, Cinderella comes to mind right away. She was one of the originals! We loved her rags to riches tale cleaning the cupboards and dancing with the prince. She even rode in a pumpkin, at one point.
When she lost her glass slipper, many girls thought they would steal her thunder. But alas, none of their feet fit. Here, we see the real-life beauty they were competing within the kingdom. Our verdict: They never had a chance!
Prince Naveen — The Princess and the Frog
Prince Naveen had a rough time in The Princess and the Frog. He was a bit lazy and selfish, and his parents decided to actually disinherit him from his royal rights. What’s more, a sorcerer turned him into a frog to teach him a character lesson. Yikes!
Seems harsh, but he was also a vain jerk. Let’s take a look at why the prince was so conceited using artificial intelligence. A computer has brought his face to life, and he is quite the hunk. Frog face must have been rough!
Dashiell Parr — The Incredibles
He wanted to fight the bad guys, and he didn’t want to eat his vegetables. In many ways, audiences found Dash to be the most relatable character in The Incredibles. How many of us have felt that way once or twice?
Although the movie was in 3D animation, it was still one step behind real skin. Here, artificial intelligence software has generated a real boy version of the character. We must say, it’s pretty incredible in its own right. Pun intended!
Apu — The Simpsons
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon was the Indian immigrant who ran the Springfield Kwik E’Mart. He offered exceptional service. But he also demanded that you don’t waste his time and linger. Once, he threatened: “This is not a lending library. If you’re not going to buy that thing put it down or I’ll blow your heads off!”
Apu is a classic Simpsons character, no doubt. Here, AI projects his 3D features and offers us a glimpse of the man beyond the yellow. He always thanked us for coming and urged us to come again. We can practically hear him now!
Sailor Moon — Sailor Moon Series
Anime was always big in Japan. But Sailor Moon just might be the most popular girl in the genre for Americans. She was a big hit in the late 90s, and she still has plenty of fans out there. Not one of them has seen her in 3D until now.
Anime techniques exaggerate the eyes, nose and mouth. That special animation style has been transformed into a real female face with more realistic proportions. It’s interesting to see how artificial intelligence imagined her features. Is this what you pictured, too?
Chucky — The Movie Chucky
The scariest little doll in film history might just be Chucky. The character has been haunting dreams for decades, and remakes seem to happen frequently. Nowadays, Chucky has gone full 3D. What is it about this face that audiences can’t resist?
Artificial intelligence has recreated the doll as a real person, as seen here. Even as a child, there is something unnerving about him. It’s mostly in the eyes. Why wouldn’t this creepy kiddo kill? It’s clearly a matter of time.
Mulan — Disney’s Mulan
Mulan was a youngster in ancient China who found herself in a war. When all the men got drafted, she worried about her elderly father. To take his place in the army, she prayed: “Ancestors, hear my plea. Help me not to make a fool of me and to not uproot my family tree. Keep my father standing tall.”
As we all know by now, Mulan fought heroically. We wonder how she tricked the guys that she was one of them. Here, AI shows us her face to help us understand. She’s a pretty girl! Would you be fooled?
Tintin — The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a cartoon book from France. Since the first published adventure in 1907, the series has been translated into more than 70 languages. Tintin and his adorable dog have been making readers laugh for more than a century. But 200 million copies sold is no joke!
As a classic character, Tintin is delightfully 2D. We always loved him for that. But AI generated an interesting take on the real-life Tintin. This blond boy has upturned bangs and a polo shirt. Seems pretty close. C’est magnifique!
Raya — Disney’s Raya
When the world turned to stone, Princess Raya began a mission to collect gem pieces. She explained: “My whole life, I trained to become a guardian of the Dragon Gem. But this world has changed, and its people are divided. Now, to restore peace, I must find the Last Dragon.”
Here, we can see her human face generated by artificial intelligence. The determination in her eyes seems completely true to character. Need someone to vanquish the Druun for good? She is clearly the girl for the job. Druun, be gone!
Flynn Rider — Tangled
Flynn Rider was the charming, witty bad boy in Tangled. He was a notorious thief, but he had a change of heart when he met the right girl. That girl was Rapunzel, a princess with golden hair. Isn’t that how it always goes?
Was Flynn handsome enough to seduce a princess? Looking at his AI image here, many would say yes. He’s a bit dark and mysterious, and we already know he has a checkered past. There’s a market for that. How could Rapunzel resist?
Lilo Pelekai — Lilo & Stitch
In Lilo & Stitch, Lilo is a Hawaiian orphan. She wears hula skirts and lives with her older sister and, of course, a bunch of aliens. This character has long, black hair and big brown eyes. How would she look as a real girl? Artificial intelligence has the answer.
It would be one thing for the computer to generate a Hawaiian face and call it a day. But here, it’s impressive to see that the software got the details right. Look closely: Her eyes are surprisingly accurate. Aloha, Lilo!
Bruno Madrigal — Encanto
The Madrigal clan was full of magical talent. Bruno was the oddball and he had the gift to see into the future. The family never talked about him and the town thought he was a villain. Was that really fair?
It’s time to humanize Bruno a bit with AI. Here, software shows what he might have looked like up close. The nose, the eyes, and the mustache are all there. Computers aren’t magic, but they seem to be getting close!
Princess Tiana — The Princess and the Frog
Tiana was a gifted cook in New Orleans who dreamed of opening a restaurant. When she kisses a frog, he turns out to be a prince. She becomes a frog, too, temporarily. It’s quite a tale, all based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Frog Prince”.
Fans called it a charming, modern update. Now, it is time for an even more modern update. Artificial intelligence has created a version of Princess Tiana that seems incredibly life-like. But as always, this face doesn’t really exist. It’s a bit of tech voodoo, that’s all.
Princess Merida — Brave
Scottish Princess Merida taught us so much in Brave. She explained: “There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own. But I know better. Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.”
Here, we see what she may have looked like in battle. The AI has given her red curls and blue eyes like the animated character. But this time, she is a lot less serious and a lot more glam. Post victory, perhaps?
Julieta Madrigal — Encanto
Julieta Madrigal was the matriarch in Encanto. She was the mama of Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel, and she had the magical power to cook healing foods. Many people claim they have this power, in a general sense, but Julieta was the real deal.
Here, a clever computer brings all her features to life. In the story, Julieta is a Colombian woman in her 50’s. She has curly, graying hair, brown eyes, and a caramel complexion. The verdict: AI captured it all, like magic.
Joe Gardner — Soul Movie
Joe Gardner was a middle-school band teacher, but his real passion was playing jazz. In his mid-40’s, he still feels he was meant for professional music. Soul Movie explores this character’s journey pondering what life is truly about. Who can’t relate to that?
Now, it’s time to relate to this 3D character as a real face. Take a look at the new Joe and be amazed. His silly proportions from the movie have been replaced with more realistic ones. Now, he could totally be your teacher.
Annabelle — The Movie Annabelle
When it comes to scary movies, most are meant for adult audiences. Annabelle is the prequel to The Conjuring, which certainly wasn’t meant for kiddos. That story involved a possessed doll and a whole lot of blood. Don’t be fooled by the animation here: This Annabelle was no calmer.
Here, artificial intelligence brought this nasty little toy to life. The toy is terrifying, and so is the human recreation. Take a look at her new eyes. It’s not hard to see the evil. She’s got murder on her mind!
Camilo Madrigal — Encanto
In Encanto, Camilo Madrigal is shown as a real entertainer from the start. His magical power let him shapeshift, which came in handy on stage. He has a naturally positive personality, too. Fans often cite him as a favorite from the film.
Cam is supposed to be around 15 during the movie, and we have a life-like version of the teen here. AI did a great job with his curly hair and brows. His nose and smile are quite similar to the animation, too.
Lisa Simpson — The Simpsons
On The Simpsons, Lisa is a fan favorite. Although she is only 8 years old, she is wise beyond her years. She is an early vegetarian and questions the chaos in her family. In one episode, she is even shown as president in the future. We could see it!
Here, we see what she might look like as a real girl. AI expertly transformed her from simple lines to full human features. Her big eyes are the most striking part of this portrait. There’s definitely something to her hair, too.
Pepa Madrigal — Encanto
Pepa Madrigal was the most emotional member of the family in Encanto. She could control the weather with her feelings: Warmth and sunshine when she was happy, and storms when she was sad. If she got upset enough, she could cause a hurricane.
She could get intense, but we’d still love to meet her. AI projects this version of Pepa as a real person. It’s not hard to see the resemblance. The red curls and the big, green eyes pop off the page.