AI Re-Imagines Harry Potter as a Korean Dorama, and It's… Quite Something
Can you imagine Lord Voldemort as a Korean heartthrob?
It's been over two decades since the first Harry Potter book was published, but the franchise's fan base remains one of the largest in modern pop culture. There's hardly a person today who wouldn't instantly recognise the beloved characters of the series.
Korean drama is the only genre that comes close to the Potterverse in terms of following and popularity. Recently, viewers have become completely addicted to K-dramas, often binge-watching one series after another. But what if these two obsessions were to merge into one?
The YouTube channel I Create a Thing, which uses AI to reimagine movies, shows, video games, and popular personalities as something completely different, recently posted a video of a Harry Potter trailer remade in the style of a Korean drama. And it's quite something!
The entire 1-minute trailer is in Korean, and the only words a non-Korean speaker can recognise are the heavy-accented 'Harry Potter'.
'New game: giggle every time they say Harry Potter,' a viewer commented under the video.
The characters from J. K. Rowling's world have all undergone a transformation, becoming the perfect Korean drama material. They wear traditional clothes and showcase facial expressions and intonations typical of K-dramas.
Of course, the AI recast all the characters to resemble Korean stars. Yet, they are all still recognisable via small details and characteristics: Harry Potter wears round glasses, Hermione Granger has big hair, Ron Weasley is red-haired, Sirius Black looks just like his English counterpart with his long, wavy hair and lost look, Severus Snape has shoulder-length black hair and a stylish traditional outfit, Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood are white-haired, Dobby is recognisable by his pointy ears, Professor Lupin by his characteristic moustache, and Dolores Umbridge by her pink sweater.
The three most memorable characters in the trailer are Minerva McGonagall, who appears as a strong, wise Korean woman wearing a traditional dress and stern gaze; Albus Dumbledore, with his long white beard and stunning traditional outfit; and Lord Voldemort, who looks more like a Korean heartthrob than the monster from the book. For one, he has a nose, and his pallor comes across as resulting from the application of traditional theatrical makeup rather than the lack of a soul.
'This is amazing! So much creativity,' a commenter wrote below the video, and we can't help but agree.