Happy Sunday! Here's what we've been working on.
This week, I recorded a one minute video of myself sitting in my office.
Then I transformed that same video into five completely different characters: Homer Simpson, Mario, Messi, Ronaldo, and Nick Wilde from Zootopia.
Same chair. Same lighting. Same movements. Just… different faces and bodies.
The kids' reaction when they saw me transform? Three seconds of complete silence. Then screaming 😂. They wanted to watch it again and again.
This is Kling Motion Control, and it's the most fun I've had with an AI tool in months.
This Week's Family Project
Turn Yourself Into Movie Characters Using AI
This tutorial walks through exactly how I created those transformations:
- Recording one perfect A-roll video (the secret is consistent lighting + static camera)
- Using Nano Banana to generate character images sitting in my exact spot
- Applying Kling Motion Control to transfer my movements to each character
- Which characters worked perfectly (photorealistic sports stars got the biggest reactions)
- Which attempts failed completely (the Home Alone scene, the Joey from Friends reverse test)
Time investment: 90 minutes first attempt, 30-45 minutes once you know the workflow
Cost: 700 Kling credits from 3,000 monthly allocation
Age range: 6+ (younger kids love seeing the results, older kids help choose characters)
What kids actually learn: Motion tracking, AI image generation, media literacy ("seeing isn't always believing")
The tutorial includes:
- ✅ Step-by-step workflow with exact prompts
- ✅ What worked (Messi and Ronaldo = biggest hits)
- ✅ What didn't work (tight framing, too-short clips)
- ✅ Credit budgeting (how to maximize your monthly allocation)
- ✅ Common problems and solutions
Read the full tutorial →
Why This One's Special
As you know, I've tested dozens of AI tools with the kids over the past year. This one got the strongest emotional reaction by far.
Part of it is the characters themselves. We chose ones they're obsessed with right now: Mario (because we play Mario Kart together on the Nintendo Switch from Santa), Messi and Ronaldo, Nick Wilde (Zootopia has been on repeat).
But the bigger part? They couldn't understand HOW it was possible.
"That's you, Dad."
"But that's also Mario."
"How did the computer do that?"
This sparked real conversations about AI motion tracking, the difference between appearance and movement, and how computers can learn what characters look like.
Maria, my 6 year old, and Mateo my 8-year old, are already drawing pictures of other characters they wants to see next: Elsa from Frozen, Spider-Man, a dragon. We're planning round two based on their ideas.
What's Coming Next Week
I'm not done with Kling Motion Control yet.
Next experiments:
- Testing with more complex character types (will a dragon work? What about anime characters?)
- Trying different motion styles (dancing, running, dramatic poses)
- Seeing if we can turn the kids into characters (they've already requested this)
Plus, I'm working on a new Research Lab article comparing motion control tools across different platforms. Real testing data, credit costs, which ones actually work with kid-friendly content.
Quick Links
Latest Content:
📚 Family Project: Turn Yourself Into Movie Characters
Popular This Week:
🎮 Best AI Learning Games for Kids (2026)
🎨 Nano Banana Review: Tested With Real Kids
⚽ AI Celebrity Selfie Video with Footballers
Quick Links:
All Family Projects
Instagram @aidadlab
TikTok @aidadlab
Thanks for following along on these experiments.
– Niall
