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Pop Culture

Characters from 'Encanto' get made into portraits so lifelike they look like real people

Digital portraits as magical as the Madrigal family.

encanto characters get real life portraits

Where is the live action movie already?

What do you get when you mix artificial intelligence with editing software?

Mind-blowing images, apparently.

Brazilian digital artist Hidreley Leli Dião creates ultra realistic portraits of beloved cartoon characters as well as historical figures.



The magic is in a unique blend of Photoshop, FaceApp, Gradiente and Remini, according to his contributing article on Bored Panda. Using this formula, even The Simpsons characters feel like real people you would pass on the street.

Some of Dião’s latest works include the characters of Disney’s “Encanto,” like:

Mirabel

The face shape! The hair! The smile! He nailed it.

Luisa

To no one’s surprise, Luisa was highly sought after by fans.

Bruno

I think the song will change to “Everybody Is Talking About Bruno” after seeing this picture.

Isabela

A portrait perfect enough for Miss Perfect herself.

Camilo

It’s like he could hop out of the frame and start shapeshifting in real life. Wow.

Pepa

As a fellow redhead constantly trying to keep emotions at bay, this one was my personal favorite.

Julieta

Here is Mirabel’s mother Julieta, giving off major Aunt Voula vibes from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

And, of course,  Abuela Madrigal

I think it’s safe to say even if Dião doesn’t have a magic door like the Madrigal family, he’s got superpower: digital wizardry.

But of course, this is not Dião’s first Disney deep dive. Feast your eyes on some of these:

Carl Fredrickson from “Up”

Moana from “Moana”

Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”

Also Prince Eric

Pocahontas from “Pocahontas”

Joe Gardner from “Soul”

Hans From “Frozen”

Another long lost Hemsworth brother, rediscovered?

Are you more of a history buff than a Disney nerd? Never fear. Dião’s work has something for everyone.

One collection includes what certain celebrities that met an early death might look like today, such as:

Amy Winehouse

Bruce Lee

John Candy

Janis Joplin

Marilyn Monroe

Another reimagines what historical figures might have look like in modern times:

George Washington

Benjamin Franklin

Napoleon 

Leonardo da Vinci

Mozart

Beethoven

Sir Isaac Newton

William Shakespeare

Vincent Van Gogh

Marie Antoinette

Cleopatra

Alexander the Great

And just for fun, here’s what the Statue of Liberty might look like as a real person:

Thank you Hidreley for giving us some genuine wonder to peruse through on the internet. If you’d like to see more of Hidreley's work, you can follow his Instagram here.


This article originally appeared on 04.25.22

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