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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. 

More info: Instagram

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.

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    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. 

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    #4

    Moana

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Moana character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “I am Moana of Moto’nui. You will board my boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te’fiti.”

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    “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. 

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    “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. 

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    #9

    Ned Flanders

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Ned Flanders character from the cartoon

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    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!”

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    #10

    Milhouse

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Milhouse character from the cartoon

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    Kristina Meyer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He looks like a guy I went to elementary School with (except the haircolor). His Name was Sten.

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    #11

    Rapunzel

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Rapunzel character from the cartoon

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    #12

    Aladdin

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Aladdin character from the cartoon

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    GoddessOdd
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can see similarities. It's difficult to compare because Disney makes all eyes and most mouths larger than humans on the characters, especially the girls.

    Lemy Kilmister
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

    Virtually Fabulous
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Agreed, and I am 1000% not trying to be racist or anything, but it's made pretty clear that it takes place in a made up country called Agrabah tho, so they could have a mix of races.

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    thatonelesbiangorwl
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    looks like an actor i know from some where..... OH YEAH THE DUDE FROM FIRE NATION IN THE LAST AIRBENDER!!!!!!!!

    dogs
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If your guy looks like this, that’s not your guy. That’s mine

    Maozedong Xijinping
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    this picture is wrong aladdin should be like uighur/chinese looking with some turks features this picture is not authentic. remember the factual that Aladdin is a chinese national. aladdin lives in china, chinese citizenship. xinjiang, china. xinjiang is an autonomous region where many uyghurs or uighurs , its a muslim region of china where people looks like turks arabs, thats why aladdin is a muslim islam by religion but his citizenship is chinese.

    EAM EAM
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Incase you did NOT know this.Aladdin was supposed to be both drawn and in the likeness of actor Tom Cruise.So your depiction of him is absolutely incorrect.

    Chatgirl#1
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    OK people… Is this Eric or… Aladdin. This confuses me so much!!!

    Randomly Flying
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Looks abput right. That looks like the actor for the live action actor

    Jamilah toenailkilla
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fun fact: in the original 1001 Arabian nights, Aladdin is actually Chinese lol

    Gypsy Lee
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why aren’t the mens eyes 85% of their face too? Equality, dang it! Give those man-boys gigantic innocent eyes!

    Mira Heiman
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    hes cute but i dont like the hair but for the cartoon its spot on

    Scourge McCloud
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These pictures are making me crush on characters I never had a crush on before.

    Mona Shareen
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aladdin and Jasmine are Arabs not Indian. Get your facts right and representations.

    James Bailey
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited)

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Aladdin is Chinese. Disney strikes again. Read 1001 Arabian Nights.

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    #16

    Lady Tremaine

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Lady Tremaine character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wrong hair. Her butt hair has always been very important to me

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    #18

    Kristoff

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Kristoff character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He kinda looks like some kind of 2000’s Disney Channel character from a show that takes place in a summer camp

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    #20

    Isabela Madrigal

    ai recreation of appearance in real life of Isabela Madrigal character from the cartoon

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    Orange Is Aging
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    WELCOME TO THE FAMILY MADRIGAL! THE HOME OF THE FAMILY MADEIGAL! WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ARE fAnTaStIcAl AnD mAgIcAl!

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