AI Creates An American Dad Trailer Set In The 1950s & It's Perfect
That AI enthusiast YouTuber DemonFlyingFox has fed a staple of pop culture into another era and given it a realistic spin to show what cartoon characters would look like if they were real people. After coming on down to "South Park" via the 1950s and making "Bojack Horseman" eerily realistic, the next show on their to-do list is the zany, star-spangled animated series "American Dad."
With an aesthetic somewhere between "Bewitched" and "Mad Men," this version of "American Dad" sees Stan Smith looking like a Don Draper-type, only armed, dangerous, and in far better shape. The rest of the Smith clan all fit the bill and are a solid interpretation of what they would look like in real life, particularly the bespectacled Steve Smith. But the highlight comes in the form of what the narrator describes as the Smith family's "unusual" housemate — Roger the alien.
Roger is depicted just as you'd expect an alien from the 1950s to look: Massive eyes and long limbs. Of course, Roger is known for his variety of disguises in "American Dad," and if you thought they looked ridiculous on an animated alien, just wait until you see them on a "real" one: Picture the famous image of the supposed Roswell alien but with a blonde wig and pink blouse.
Plenty of supporting characters also appear
It's not just the Smith family that appear in this 1950s AI "American Dad" trailer. We also get to see what Hayley Smith's stoner boyfriend Jeff Fischer would look like in real life, complete with his trademark bucket hat. Perhaps our only criticism of this trailer is that AI Jeff looks way too old to be dating Hayley — sure, smoking is known to age your skin, but the apparent age gap between these two AI characters is pretty creepy.
Speaking of creepy, this AI "American Dad" trailer also shows us what Principal Lewis would look like in real life. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but for reasons we can't begin to explain, AI decided to render the wacky teacher wearing nothing but a red pair of underpants while also brandishing an AK47. Face wise, he looks the part, but — just like the AI version of Stan — he's in better shape than his cartoon counterpart.
The best part of the trailer in terms of nailing what "American Dad" characters would look like in real life in Avery Bullock, Stan's boss at the CIA. In the cartoon, Bullock is voiced by Patrick Stewart, and the AI version of the characters looks a lot like the veteran British actor. After watching this trailer, we can't help but wonder what an actual live-action version of "American Dad" with Stewart as Bullock would be like.
American Dad already poked fun at the 1950s
"American Dad" creator Seth MacFarlane tackled the 1950s way before this AI trailer did. In the episode "American Dad Graffito," Stan tries to bring the '50s back to Langley Falls after becoming a huge fan of a themed restaurant. Naturally, things get a little out of hand, with Stan getting himself into a knife fight with a teenager and being forced to face the repercussions. These are dodged, however, thanks to Stan's big song in the final act called "We Didn't Know It Was Wrong," highlighting all the things that were absolutely not cool back then that folks did anyway.
It might not be one of the best "American Dad" episodes ever (in fact, it didn't even make our top 25), but, as far as musical moments from the series go, "We Didn't Know It Was Wrong" is certainly up there, if only for the extra detail of seeing Stan with an oiled up head of hair and cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve. In the end, Stan ends up accidentally destroying his beloved diner when a Fonzie-style drag race goes wrong. It transpires that he was only ever attached to the place because he used to spend time there with Hayley when she was young.