Classic cartoon characters undergo a redesign in these beautiful illustrations.
Ever wondered what your favourite cartoon character might look like in real life? This is clearly a question considered and answered by a handful of artists in these breathtaking illustrations.
Reimagined with real-world scientific regulations, Ariel, The Powerpuff Girls, Tintin and more have been transported into the real world in these beautiful photoreal portraits. Is your favourite character included?
01. Mario Bros
This illustration of the Nintendo superstars was created by Priscilla Kim at smART school under the guidance of Dan dos Santos. The image is based on the game Super Mario Bros. 2, hence Princess Peach's strawberry blonde hair, which was due to the graphical limitations of the NES hardware.
02. The Little Mermaid
Princess Ariel by Serafleur, a.k.a. Abigail Diaz. A speedpainter, Diaz recorded the process of creating Ariel here.
03. Ursula
We couldn't follow Ariel with anyone but Ursula. Jirke Vinse Jonatan Vaatainen's take on the evil sea witch is part of a series the Melborn-based artist garnered worldwide attention for.
04. The Powerpuff Girls
Kirbi Fagan's badass take on the Cartoon Network cult trio is exactly how we wish they'd be in real life. Each of the characters colours and personalities are represented subtly, with Bubble's knack for communication made apparent with her glowing blue phone, and Buttercup's tough, no nonsense attitude reflected in her pose.
05. Futurama
Matt Groening's sci-fi animated sit-com is given a new lease of life in this incredible image by Deviant Artist Darey-Dawn. The illustration features Bender, Lord Nibbler, Fry and Leela and screams 90's cyber punk dystopia.
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06. Calvin and Hobbes
Isaiah Stephen's Calvin and Hobbes tribute, Cat Naps, is a beautiful memorial to Bill Watterson and his influencial daily comic strip.
07. Tintin
Continuing with comics, Kristina Gehrmann has created an entire series of images re-imagining Hergé's Tintin and Snowy in various real life situations and environments. Here he is in the post nuclear catastophy Chernobyl, alongside Captain Haddock.
08. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Dave Rapoza's take on the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters are awesome. Although we recently saw the team on big screens, injected into our world, Dave's image of April is just how we imagined her to be!
09. Frozen
Heather Theurer's disney fine-art series is nothing short of inspiring. With so many beautiful takes on Disney characters, including Mulan, Lilo, Stitch and Merida, it was hard to decide which to feature. However, her Frozen-inspired piece, entitled "Never Let it Go", pretty much sums up the Christmas season.
10. Kim Possible
A less mainstream character, for sure, but Dave Galopim's real life version of the Disney channel's Kim Possible, is brutal and brilliant. Check out his DeviantArt for the complimenting piece, Doug (and Porkchop).
Alice Pattillo is a freelance journalist with a passion for heavy metal, horror, science fiction, fantasy and comics. She has over seven years experience in magazines, formerly working as a staff writer at Creative Bloq, Imagine FX, Computer Arts and 3D World, as production editor for Guitar World and Guitar Player and online editor of Metal Hammer.
