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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.

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. 

#4

Moana

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

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

My cousin looks more like Moana than this AI creation. I feel like this doesn't quite have enough Polynesian evident.

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

I was thinking the same thing. The AI version looks more mixed with Asian than the actual Polynesian resemblance that I expected.

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Kelly Cannon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would not look at this person and think she looks like Moana. I've seen other people irl who look very much like Moana.

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Monday
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2 years ago

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Because the Polynesian people she's inspired by were Asian?

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Kealoha Marquardt-Kerns
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Moana is supposed to be Polynesian and I am Polynesian (Samoan, Maori, and Hawaiian) and this model looks more Asian and has zero Polynesian features.

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

This one certainly isn't accurate if Moana originated in the southern Pacific Islands. But I figure it might tie in more with attributes from people of Hawaiian descent?

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Jay Tamaalii
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Full blooded Native Hawaiians actually resembled more toward their Tongan and Sāmoan siblings.

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lafayette
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tatou o tagata folau e vala'auina E le atua o le sami tele e o mai Ia ava'e le lu'itau e lelei Tapenapena Aue, aue Nuku I mua Te manulele e tataki e Aue, aue Te fenua, te malie, Nae ko hakilia mo kaiga e We read the wind and the sky when the sun is high We sail the length of the seas on the ocean breeze At night, we name every star We know where we are We know who we are, who we are Aue, aue We set a course to find A brand new island everywhere we roam Aue, aue We keep our island in our mind And when it's time to find home We know the way Aue, aue We are explorers reading every sign We tell the stories of our elders in a never-ending chain Aue, aue Te fenua, te mālie Nā heko hakilia We know the way

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

She is a beautiful girl. The resemblance is there, but more like Moana's sister.

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

Moana is supposed to be of either Samoan or Tongan decent. This girl does not look she could be of either. She doesn’t even have the curly hair like Moana.

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

did you know in the movie, she was supposed to be 12??!!

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

Her eyes… they are black. In the movie they are like greenish-brown!

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

Good job, cute Polynesian face! But does not look distinctly Polynesian. Could be mistaken for Asian too!

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Tristan Magdalena Valentine
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People... Polynesians originated in Asia. Every post like this 500 people complaining about ethnic groups who originated in East Asian looking to Asian🙄

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

I'm not seeing the resemblance. She looks Asian but not Hawaiian.

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

Nah. The cartoon face is wider, eyes farther apart, and eyes are not slanted.

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

I don’t think this one did a very good job….. WAIT DONT HATE ME I STILL THINK THE GIRL IS HOT ITS JUST-

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Nothing Fancy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Moana was darker, and I felt like she was stronger looking. Not as "pretty". If you know what I mean.

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

Is she Somoan? The real life version doesn't look somoan to me.

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

What's funny is that Moana looks a ton like her voice actor. I wonder if she was inspiration?

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

This is what Barbie should look like, attitude & all. .. Forget the RHONY/LA/SL pinched & tucked lipo llama look!

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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. 

“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
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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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#16

Lady Tremaine

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

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Orange Is Aging
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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
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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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gabrielshultz avatar
Orange Is Aging
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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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