The Office characters get animated transformations in a Pixar-style artistic reimagining. Originally a British television series, NBC’s American adaptation of The Office is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. The workplace comedy is oft-quoted, memed, and rewatched today, and its performances by leads such as Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Leslie David Baker, and Brian Baumgartner remain cornerstones of television comedy characterization and key facets to each actor’s career.

Now, new art from @the_ai_dreams reveals what The Office characters would look like as animated figures. The art recreates Dwight, Pam, Michael, Angela, Jim, Phyllis, Toby, Stanley, Kelly, and Oscar into Pixar-esque counterparts. Their features are smoothed out and they are given animated model-style clothing in the AI reinterpreted art. Several versions of these characters look much different from their AI counterparts, including Stanley, who is much jollier than the usually exasperated Office character.

Michael Scott is another character who looks much different in the animated version than in the live-action. Unlike his rageful and over-the-top boss persona, the Pixarified version of Michael has magnanimous and inviting eyes. Even though the majority of the characters are kinder seeming versions of themselves, Dwight’s transformation is still replete with Wilson’s signature The Office frown. The caption on the art reads “The Office as an animated movie.”

The Office Could Have a Great Animated Special

While some of this art may not be the most faithful version of the characters, it sparks the idea that The Office could have a great animated special. This tactic is used by a number of network shows, who interrupt their regularly scheduled live-action programming to imagine the scenes in an animated universe. This visual style could especially benefit a series like The Office, as an animated special could find comedy in artistically rendering Michael Scott’s outbursts or exaggerating Dwight’s grumpiness.

With a reboot of The Office coming soon, the possibility of an animated episode of the series remains open. After all, the series is trying a new approach, as it has cast a new set of Office characters, which includes Domhnall Gleeson in the lead role. As The Office reboot looks to do something new with the beloved franchise, adding an animated episode could be a unique way to distinguish itself from its predecessor.

An animated The Office episode could also be a vector to bring back actors from the previous series in a lower-stakes manner. As of now, Carell has said that he won’t be returning for The Office reboot, and actors such as Fischer and Wilson have said that they have not yet been asked to return. While these talents are in high demand (and price point) and may be hard to get in a recurring role, getting an original Office star to step in for a voice-acting cameo could be an easier ask. This possibility marks another reason why an Office animated special would be a great move.

Source: @the_ai_dreams / Instagram