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This Person Used AI To See What These 23 Popular Cartoon Characters Would Look Like IRL
Ever wondered what cartoon characters in real life would look like? Yes, they’re fictional sketches, which means we’ll never know their human looks in our world. But what if cartoon characters were real?
The subject of cartoon characters IRL is fascinating, so Bored Panda’s pro member Hidreley delved into experimenting with AI-generated cartoon characters. That’s what digital art is about—blurring the lines between fantasy and reality on screen!
Surprisingly, some cartoon characters as humans look even better than the originals. See if your favorite cartoon characters are on this list, and scroll further to witness 23 pictures of real-life cartoon characters!
Note: The original article was written by Hidrėlėy and later edited and updated by the Bored Panda team.
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Hidreley did all the work on AI-generated cartoon characters by himself: “I’ve done some similar posts by other authors here on Bored Panda. I wanted to try something out myself, and so I dove into the world of AI. This time, I challenged myself to try to do one on the theme of cartoon characters. For this project, I used Photoshop and three mobile applications, FaceApp, Gradient, and Remini.
Carl Fredricksen
The Simpsons were the most challenging when making realistic cartoon characters. “In terms of how they all turned out, I’m more and more pleased with the results with each post I make. I really liked how Moe Szyzlak, Ned Flanders, and Milhouse Van Houten turned out because initially, I thought that the Simpsons drawing style would be very hard to emulate on ‘real life’ terms. Still, they are actually very easy to recognize,” Hidreley explains.
Moana
“I am Moana of Moto’nui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te’fiti.”
Ariel
“This post inadvertently brought back some good memories from my childhood. Like every kid in my generation, I loved watching cartoons. I really loved the Simpsons and Hanna Barbera classics, and I can safely say that they’ve made a huge impact on my life,” adds Hidreley.
Tinkerbell
Pocahontas
“I’ve been exploring the world of artificial intelligence recently, and I can tell you, it’s a world without limits! With the rise of AI-assisted art generation, there are virtually (no pun intended) no boundaries for digital art; you just have to be creative and know how to guide the blind hand of the machine,” explains Hidreley.
Jasmine
Ned Flanders
At some point, we’ve all wondered if cartoon characters were real. Were they inspired by celebrities or real-life events? Hidreley explains that he’s also intrigued by this concept:
“I don't want to tease anything too early, but currently, I’m working hard on a project where I’m trying to show what some prematurely deceased celebrities would have looked like if they were still alive. I hope it will turn out great, and I’ll be able to share this with you soon!”
Milhouse
He looks like a guy I went to elementary School with (except the haircolor). His Name was Sten.
Rapunzel
Aladdin
Anna
Peter Pan
My little sister went to school with twin boys with similar ones 😂 they more like angry ones though
Load More Replies...We have reached the uncanny valley here. He looks human...yet there my mind is going "I really don't like this..."
Jeremy Sumpter was a *fantastic* Peter Pan (2003 film). Wish I could post a pic here, but he's just perfect!!!
i mean other than the eyes ( which creep me out a little) i like this one
You guys know that peter pan is evil cause Unlike his Disney fairytale counterpart who is slightly pompous but is otherwise heroic, this version of Peter Pan is totally evil and heartless (relating to a role thought by J.M. Barrie in the early drafts of the original book). He is also the arguable archenemy of his son, Rumplestiltskin
Even the Disney version was sociopathic and generally disrespectful. He ignores the girl he convinced to sneak out and brought to his land while avidly flirting with others in front of her, wastes time taunting his favorite rival While the victim he's there to rescue almost drowns (is he even aware his comrades are about to be burned to death?), and let's Not forget the time he scars a guy for life by cutting off his hand for No reason in the middle of supposed "play time". Even Captain Hook calls him a "Flying Devil," and were I in his position, I'd want revenge on Pan, too.
Load More Replies...Yep, if you dyed his hair red and made it longer. Also plucked the eyebrows a little, he’s pretty close.
Bobby Driscoll (the first of Disney's tragic child stars) his looks were used for Peter Pan as well as they used his voice.
When I was a kid i went to sleepaway camp and there was a counselor who looked exactly like this photo
Robbie Kay who actually played peter pan (villan) in Once Upon A Time, actually looks more like peter than this image. But that's my opinion
Your AI is missing the pointed ears and the upturned nose. But very good likeness
Those r some crazy eyebrows. Although the color of the eyes and the hair aren't accurate.
Peter Pan was drawn from the actor who voiced him, Bobby Driscoll...and wow...this pretty much looks like him--even the eyebrows!
I was Tinkerbell in my high school play and this was our Peter! Wow!
Okay, this adorable version absolutely did NOT grow up to be Robin Williams (not casting aspersions on Robin W, one of my absolute favorite actors and comedians). Great rendition.
So, I’m not the only one, I hope, that sees the VERY obvious feminine traits in the cartoon version. The eyelashes and stylized feminine, high cheek bones, contrappasto stance with a cheeky expression, narrow but high shoulders pulled back as a lady might stand…. Then there’s the fact of the character classically being portrayed by females in the theatre. Makes me wonder if the character wasn’t supposed to have been female.
This Peter Pan has Esotropia, a type of Strabismus ( eye misalignment) often found in young children, in which one or both eyes turn inward. It is not Crossed eyes or Lazy eye. Two of my sons had this. One started at age 5 and was corrected with glasses, which he then no longer needed. The other presented at age 3, and he was prescribed eye drops and it cleared up fairly quickly because I caught it earlier. It can occur in adults as well, IDK how that goes.
*gets the wax* boy them eyebrows gotta be fixed they look like a whole caterpillar
I have a peter pan lego and he looks like a maniac. I took a lego ax and put it n his hand. With my friends, we had made "Battle of Hogwarts 2.0" around it. We combined multiple different universes.
He looks like he'd be a theater kid that gets mad that he's not cast as the hunky leading man every year.
"If you can't imagine yourself being Peter Pan, you won't BE Peter Pan, so eat up."
Yep.....totally looks like the kindof guy I would regret accidentally getting pregnant by. Sports on!
I wonder why the hair color wasn't changed in the AI image like some of the others.
Wow. He looks very similar to the guy who played Pan in Once Upon a Time!
Olive Oyl
Lady Tremaine
Wrong hair. Her butt hair has always been very important to me
Handsome Hans
Kristoff
He kinda looks like some kind of 2000’s Disney Channel character from a show that takes place in a summer camp
Elsa
Isabela Madrigal
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY MADRIGAL! THE HOME OF THE FAMILY MADEIGAL! WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE fAnTaStIcAl AnD mAgIcAl!
John Smith
Show White
Bart Simpson
I agree with the "surprisingly" part. Normally I roll my eyes at this type of post, but this time I was impressed.
Load More Replies...amazing! keep up the good work my good sir/ma'am (i aint tryna assume genders here)
Somewhere in the world there is someone that looks like each and every one of these guys.
How exactly is this achieved, I feel like 'ai' means you hit a button and it happens? I am sure its not like this but there is no context.
No they use something, maybe artbreeder, to make a face that looks like the character. this is why some features weren't recreated bc ai has a hard time with some stuff.
Load More Replies...These are amazing! I absolutely love the work into this. You can really tell how passionate the creator is about this. Stunning work! Well done to you!
Definitely not Snow White! That is not accurate at all. She's not white enough or pretty enough to fairest of them all, unless everyone else is ugly.
Load More Replies...Very nice photoshop worl, but it's pretty clear most of these weren't entirely done by ai.
These are quite good but for some of them.. guess AI need some more training
Do you think the AI programs could do non-human characters? Or like how non-human characters would look like as humans?
Wow those are beautiful. 😍 I would them to do a live action with the pictures if they can find anyone even remotely similar. You did a truly fantastic job. I love you work.
I m face-blinded (google it) thus cant see r differentiate most of the faces featured here. Still, some of them (ones I can recognized to an extend) r similarly impressive... ❤️
I like them! Most of them are excellent! But there were some that...that were a bit wonky. Other than that. Perfect!
Magnifique, j'aimerais transformer un dessin en image ia si vous pouvez m'aider
most of them are good other than small details like hair, eyes, stuff like that
BRU so good but where is sponge bob i would like to see him in here hehe..........
Excellent article but i'd like to share it with friends. The How?
These human representations of cartoon characters are spot on I would say. Brilliant! Perfection!
It would be nice to have you diversify your character exposure. Princess Tiana (Disney), Franklin (Charlie Brown / Snoopy), Boondocks (Huey Freeman), Black Panther, Storm (X-Men), South Park (Token Black), The Simpson (Carl Carlson), Roberta Tubbs (The Family Guy), Cleveland Brown (The Family Guy), Oscar Proud (The Proud Family), Dr. Hibbert (The Simpsons),
It would be nice to have you diversify your character exposure. Princess Tiana (Disney), Franklin (Charlie Brown / Snoopy), Boondocks (Huey Freeman), Black Panther, Storm (X-Men), South Park (Token Black), The Simpson (Carl Carlson), Roberta Tubbs (The Family Guy), Cleveland Brown (The Family Guy), Oscar Proud (The Proud Family), Dr. Hibbert (The Simpsons),
I really enjoyed these and I'd love to learn the technology for myself, because I've always been fascinated by the nature of how they make composite sketches and similar illustration like this! I think there are a couple noses that lacked connection to the animation they're based on (and maybe some pronounced jawline on John Smith), but ultimately they're very hypnotic to look at!!
They're really good, but I wish I could know what app or website this is.
I think maybe the characters who were already humans should be left alone. You should try pets and low-quality cartoon characters though, like the ones that people would enjoy seeing as human
I don't think that those are truly A.I. constructs. The humans are too good looking. Especially when the animated characters are unrealistic. For example, Olive Oyl looks nothing like what her cartoon face resembles. I'm not saying that there is no A.I. involvement, but there has to be more involved than just showing it a cartoon picture.
Would you make it with animal characters? Bet would be incredible beautiful too. You're very skilled!
I think that some are actually pictures of people, if you look at the backgrounds of some for example #16 Lady Tremaine. That background looks like a house of some ai generated background. Also the hair is messed up for a lot of them, which for how well the ai can do some of these (Simpson characters) it should have no problem with the hair, like on elsa with the braids
Wow, impressive. Most intriguing is that the characters personalities really seem to show through. I can totally see bart spray painting "skinner is a tool" on a wall, or ariel defiantly storming out of a room. Impressive indeed!
This isn't AI it's just "people that look like cartoon characters" lol
I wonder were training data set came from? To have such good result lots of examples is needed.
These are really good. I enjoyed this thread. Thanks for sharing your talent
I hate these i used ai to recreate blablabla posts so much. Woooow so inspired... Lets use ai on the next project and post it again.
FALSE ADVERTISEMENT!!!!! JUST PICTURES OF REAL PEOPLE FOUND ON THE INTERNET!🤥
They are clearly AI-generated (plenty of AI artifacts). But I do question how they generated these images.
Load More Replies...I agree with the "surprisingly" part. Normally I roll my eyes at this type of post, but this time I was impressed.
Load More Replies...amazing! keep up the good work my good sir/ma'am (i aint tryna assume genders here)
Somewhere in the world there is someone that looks like each and every one of these guys.
How exactly is this achieved, I feel like 'ai' means you hit a button and it happens? I am sure its not like this but there is no context.
No they use something, maybe artbreeder, to make a face that looks like the character. this is why some features weren't recreated bc ai has a hard time with some stuff.
Load More Replies...These are amazing! I absolutely love the work into this. You can really tell how passionate the creator is about this. Stunning work! Well done to you!
Definitely not Snow White! That is not accurate at all. She's not white enough or pretty enough to fairest of them all, unless everyone else is ugly.
Load More Replies...Very nice photoshop worl, but it's pretty clear most of these weren't entirely done by ai.
These are quite good but for some of them.. guess AI need some more training
Do you think the AI programs could do non-human characters? Or like how non-human characters would look like as humans?
Wow those are beautiful. 😍 I would them to do a live action with the pictures if they can find anyone even remotely similar. You did a truly fantastic job. I love you work.
I m face-blinded (google it) thus cant see r differentiate most of the faces featured here. Still, some of them (ones I can recognized to an extend) r similarly impressive... ❤️
I like them! Most of them are excellent! But there were some that...that were a bit wonky. Other than that. Perfect!
Magnifique, j'aimerais transformer un dessin en image ia si vous pouvez m'aider
most of them are good other than small details like hair, eyes, stuff like that
BRU so good but where is sponge bob i would like to see him in here hehe..........
Excellent article but i'd like to share it with friends. The How?
These human representations of cartoon characters are spot on I would say. Brilliant! Perfection!
It would be nice to have you diversify your character exposure. Princess Tiana (Disney), Franklin (Charlie Brown / Snoopy), Boondocks (Huey Freeman), Black Panther, Storm (X-Men), South Park (Token Black), The Simpson (Carl Carlson), Roberta Tubbs (The Family Guy), Cleveland Brown (The Family Guy), Oscar Proud (The Proud Family), Dr. Hibbert (The Simpsons),
It would be nice to have you diversify your character exposure. Princess Tiana (Disney), Franklin (Charlie Brown / Snoopy), Boondocks (Huey Freeman), Black Panther, Storm (X-Men), South Park (Token Black), The Simpson (Carl Carlson), Roberta Tubbs (The Family Guy), Cleveland Brown (The Family Guy), Oscar Proud (The Proud Family), Dr. Hibbert (The Simpsons),
I really enjoyed these and I'd love to learn the technology for myself, because I've always been fascinated by the nature of how they make composite sketches and similar illustration like this! I think there are a couple noses that lacked connection to the animation they're based on (and maybe some pronounced jawline on John Smith), but ultimately they're very hypnotic to look at!!
They're really good, but I wish I could know what app or website this is.
I think maybe the characters who were already humans should be left alone. You should try pets and low-quality cartoon characters though, like the ones that people would enjoy seeing as human
I don't think that those are truly A.I. constructs. The humans are too good looking. Especially when the animated characters are unrealistic. For example, Olive Oyl looks nothing like what her cartoon face resembles. I'm not saying that there is no A.I. involvement, but there has to be more involved than just showing it a cartoon picture.
Would you make it with animal characters? Bet would be incredible beautiful too. You're very skilled!
I think that some are actually pictures of people, if you look at the backgrounds of some for example #16 Lady Tremaine. That background looks like a house of some ai generated background. Also the hair is messed up for a lot of them, which for how well the ai can do some of these (Simpson characters) it should have no problem with the hair, like on elsa with the braids
Wow, impressive. Most intriguing is that the characters personalities really seem to show through. I can totally see bart spray painting "skinner is a tool" on a wall, or ariel defiantly storming out of a room. Impressive indeed!
This isn't AI it's just "people that look like cartoon characters" lol
I wonder were training data set came from? To have such good result lots of examples is needed.
These are really good. I enjoyed this thread. Thanks for sharing your talent
I hate these i used ai to recreate blablabla posts so much. Woooow so inspired... Lets use ai on the next project and post it again.
FALSE ADVERTISEMENT!!!!! JUST PICTURES OF REAL PEOPLE FOUND ON THE INTERNET!🤥
They are clearly AI-generated (plenty of AI artifacts). But I do question how they generated these images.
Load More Replies...