Did “The Simpsons” predict this?
An artist has reimagined the beloved cartoon characters as humans with the help of AI software and a bit of photo retouching.
Hidreley Diao, a regular contributor to the site Bored Panda, let curiosity get the best of him, asking AI to render many animated household names in flesh and blood.
Diao said he “challenged” himself to use Photoshop, FaceApp, Gradiente and Remini to create somewhat realistic images of well-known cartoon characters, he explained on Bored Panda.
Cartoons often play on exaggerated features to create beloved caricatures, and viewers never question the outrageously large noses or stretched foreheads – but, when actualized, Diao’s results took people by surprise.
He recreated 23 popular animated characters as humans, including personalities from “The Simpsons” and even some Disney princesses.
“This post inadvertently brought back some good memories from my childhood,” Diao wrote. “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.”
The first is Moe – a slouchy grump from “The Simpsons” with curly gray hair and a permanent scowl. As a human, users applauded the AI creation as “very convincing.”
Ned Flanders, also from “The Simpsons,” bore a resemblance to a nicer version of Ron Swanson — Nick Offerman’s role in “Parks and Recreation” — complete with round glasses, a bushy ‘stache and slicked-back hair.
Millhouse’s reimagining pays homage to the character’s vibrant purple ‘do, and the AI art also includes his staple tilted brows.
Meanwhile, Bart Simpson was made to look just like a normal, pre-teen boy – acne and all. Even with a few rendering errors in his eyes, the human version of Bart eerily resembled the wide-eyed, spiky-haired cartoon, even with a square-shaped head.
In another post on Bored Panda, Diao once again showed what other favorite characters would look like as humans – including Lilo from “Lilo & Stitch,” Dash from “The Incredibles” and Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog.”
His rendition of Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” featured a creepily large grin, while Violet Parr from “The Incredibles” had her iconic, purple-hued doe eyes.
Homer Simpson, on the other hand, didn’t appear as realistic as the others – his infamous few strands of hair atop his crown still looked drawn on, while his eyes were wide and bulging.
The rendering of Lisa Simpson featured her bright eyes and wild hair while Marge Simpson’s human form included yellow pupils and blue tresses that looked more like a wig than real hair.
Diao’s AI renderings also included some fan-favorite animated characters, such as famed Disney royalty and familiar characters.
Prince Eric from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” has bushy brows, bright blue eyes and a brilliant head of lush hair – looking more like a Hinge hunk than a cartoon royalty.
It was similar to that of Handsome Hans, whose rendering seemed even a little too handsome to be realistic, featuring sparkling blue eyes and incredibly smooth skin sans pores.
The AI rendering of Carl Fredrickson, from the beloved movie “Up,” was compared to the late actor Robin Williams by one commenter and even had a twinge of a smile – a stark contrast to the usually grumpy cartoon in the Pixar film.
Ariel, Moana, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Snow White and Jasmine also made the cut, all rendered to look exactly like stunning, human versions of themselves – and scarily realistic.
Isabela Madrigal, from “Encanto,” also looked like a normal girl, with her hair tossed up in a messy bun.
Diao additionally included Tinkerbell, which drew comparisons to pop star Taylor Swift, and Anna from “Frozen” without her iconic braids.
But the images weren’t perfect – Peter Pan’s eyes and brows seemed a tad off in the human version, appearing almost in a constant state of surprise, while “Frozen” star Elsa had uneven facial proportions and was missing her braid.
Lady Tremaine, the wicked stepmother of Cinderella, was imagined with some deep-set forehead wrinkles and raised brows, giving a look of surprise.
Meanwhile, John Smith’s head looked a little too long as he gave his iconic smolder.
Perhaps the most challenging, though, was recreating Olive Oyl – a “Popeye” character who bears nearly no resemblance to a human.
Somehow, Diao was able to make Olive Oyl appear just like a human, even with a rather long nose.