Artist Uses A.I. To Turn Popular Cartoon Characters Into "Real" People

With the assistance of artificial intelligence, digital art will virtually have no boundaries.

Kylin

• Published in Film & TV
• April 2, 2022

Watching a cartoon or an otherwise animated show, we naturally accept each character's exaggerated features, large eyes, pear-shaped faces, bulbous noses, you name it. It’s just whatever, they’re drawings, after all, and it’s not like they have to be realistic.

One artist found himself caught up in the curiosity of “what-if”, and decided to attempt the evolution from cartoon to real people. With the help of artificial intelligence, Brazilian artist Hidreley Leli Dião went to work.

Dião shares that he uses a combination of Photoshop, and three mobile apps, FaceAPP, Gradiente, and Remini to complete these incredible transformations. And that each image takes about two and a half hours on average.

That means that the 40 images we’ve collected to share with you would have taken him over 4 days of editing! And truly, the results are delightful.

His images look almost flawless, making his work look easy, while logically, there are layers of skill, practice, and mastery at play. It’s obvious that Dião has put a lot of time and effort into learning and mastering AI-assisted digital art.

From the Madrigal Family to The Simpsons, other familiar Disney characters to iconic horror movie dolls, and more, Dião has opened our eyes to a world most people might not have considered before. Bringing the make-believe and animated characters to life.

Continue scrolling to see Hidreley Leli Dião’s incredible recreations.

1. Camilo Madrigal From Encanto

2. Cinderella

3. Homer Simpson From The Simpsons

4. Apu From The Simpsons

5. Ned Flanders From The Simpsons

6. Chucky From Child's Play

7. Joe Gardner From Soul

8. Peter Griffin From Family Guy

9. Maleficent From Sleeping Beauty

10. Evil Queen From Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

11. Usagi Tsukino From Sailor Moon

12. Ursula From The Little Mermaid

13. Tiana From The Princess And The Frog

14. Luisa Madrigal From Encanto

15. Bruno Madrigal From Encanto

Oh. Can we please talk about Bruno?

16. Tintin From The Adventures Of Tintin

17. Tarzan

18. Julieta Madrigal From Encanto

19. Princess Merida From Brave

20. Prince Naveen From The Princess And The Frog

21. Moana

22. Annabelle From The Conjuring

23. Mulan

24. Goku From Dragon Ball Series

25. Pepa Madrigal From Encanto

26. Lilo Pelekai From Lilo & Stitch

27. Dash From The Incredibles

28. He-Man From The Masters Of The Universe

29. Violet Parr From The Incredibles

30. Lisa Simpson From The Simpsons

31. Raya From Raya And The Last Dragon

32. Isabela Madrigal From Encanto

33. Marge Simpson From The Simpsons

34. Flynn Rider From Tangled

But did he get his nose right?

35. Li Shang From Mulan

36. Belle From Beauty And The Beast

37. Hercules

38. Vega (Claw) From Capcom

39. Barbie

40. Mirabel Madrigal From Encanto

Hidreley Leli Dião doesn’t limit himself to just popular cartoon characters, either. He’s worked on a project recreating historical figures and has been working on another project about celebrities who passed away too soon.

You can keep up with Dião and his art via his Instagram @hidreley. And be sure to spread the word about his work by sharing this with your friends and family!

Kylin