AI Turned Horror Characters Like Pennywise Into Disney Animated Characters, And It's Almost Adorable (2024)

As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, creative minds are using it to give our beloved childhood classics a chilling twist—remember when The Rock was transformed into all the Disney Princesses? Now, the latest AI experiment reimagines some of the scariest modern horror villains as charming Disney animated characters, resulting in a blend that's both uncanny and adorable.

The Instagram account AI Dreams, renowned for its innovative use of artificial intelligence in art, recently posted a series of images that transform infamous horror figures into characters straight out of a Disney classic. The post, aptly captioned 'Horror icons in a Disney Classic. Part 1,' has not just captivated, but actively engaged followers and fans of both animated films and the horror movie genre. You can see the intriguing images embedded below.

I never thought I'd see the day when some of the most iconic killers from the best horror movie franchises would be flawlessly Disney-fied. Plenty of the photos were amusing, like the one featuring the Scream series Ghost Face Killer, clearly mixed with Robin Hood’s Friar Tuck and Chucky. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre illustration is particularly adorabable. For my money, Leatherface is one of the most disgusting and vial-looking slashers known for some of the scariest scenes committed to celluloid film. However, thanks to AI, Bubba Sawyer looks pretty sweet wielding his chainsaw.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Hell Priest looks straight out of Hercules with his adorable bear minion that would give Disney’s best animated sidekicks a run for their money. Seriously, this reimagining gives me Hades vibes.

The infamous clown from IT has been turned into a jolly, almost endearing, animated clown, holding a red balloon and smiling in a more welcoming than terrifying way. Honestly, this look aligns more with Stephen King’s original vision for the character than Bill Skarsgård’s menacing take on the dancing clown. I could believe kids approaching this clown willingly, whereas I wouldn’t believe kids approaching the Swedish actor without his clown makeup, let alone with it.

However, some of them have me intrigued. Why have animators not considered creating some upcoming horror movies? There has to be a significant crossover of scary movie fans and people who love classic animation. An animated Frankenstein could be incredible, and I would be one of the first people in line to get a ticket. Also, if Disney were to make an animated Alien film, would that mean the Xenomorph queen would become a Disney princess? Come on, Disney, get off your high horse and make the Disney princess movie we want to see!

While these iconic horror characters couldn't be further from Disney's realm, this is certainly a G-rated mashup I can get behind. Honestly, all of this makes me hopeful for a 2D animated horror movie franchise. A scary animated flick may not be hitting the 2024 movie schedule any time soon, but never say never. Hey, The Terminator is getting a Netflix anime series, so anything is possible.

If you need a good scare, check out our list of the best horror movies streaming on Netflix. Or, if you’re in the mood for classic Disney animated movies, grab a Disney+ subscription and stream them on the platform.