The internet is a vast and often bizarre place， and recently， I stumbled upon a video that exemplified this perfectly. The clip featured a Bichon Frise， dressed in a school uniform， working as a server in a restaurant to earn tuition money. In a moment of mishap， the dog slipped and dropped all the plates it was carrying. Simultaneously， another scene showed the Bichon’s father laboring in the rain， desperately trying to earn enough for his child’s education.
Such videos， while odd， are not entirely uncommon in the sprawling digital landscape. However， what struck me was the overwhelming engagement this particular video garnered: over 400，000 likes， 600，000 shares， and more than 20，000 comments. A quick glance at the comments revealed a peculiar sentiment among viewers， with many humorously remarking， “Ne Zha’s box office is in trouble，” referencing a popular animated Chinese film.
This led me down a rabbit hole， discovering that these anthropomorphic cats and dogs are currently dominating platforms like Douyin (China’s TikTok). The content within these videos is often outrageously exaggerated， yet undeniably compelling. We see an all-capable Siamese cat acting as a nanny， performing tasks like bathing， feeding， and cooking.
In one particularly absurd storyline， a plump orange cat， wearing a straw hat， is depicted as saving the mythical Chinese hero Ne Zha， rather than the official character Taiyi Zhenren.
The emotional impact of these videos is surprisingly potent， with viewers often moved to tears， proclaiming these “AI-generated” narratives as formidable rivals to seasoned filmmakers like Jiaozi， the director of Ne Zha. These deliberately kitschy videos have become a platform for internet humor， with a 60-second clip capable of generating hundreds of memes.
The origins of this trend are somewhat murky， but it appears to have gained significant traction with the YouTube channel SuperCatPapa. As the name suggests， the content typically revolves around a mischievous kitten that constantly finds itself in trouble， only to be saved by its resourceful father. The kitten’s escapades， such as provoking crocodiles and cheetahs， lead to perilous situations that the “muscle-bound dad” heroically resolves. These videos have achieved massive international success， with views often reaching tens or hundreds of millions.
This success has inspired countless creators， establishing a formula for viral content: AI-generated animals combined with simplistic， over-the-top narratives. Popular dramas， such as “The Temptation to Go Home” and various “CEO’s triumphant comeback” stories， have been re-enacted with feline and canine protagonists. The pace of these narratives is relentless， designed to cater to short attention spans. A minute-long video can pack in dramatic twists and turns every few seconds. Within a mere two minutes， viewers might witness infidelity， a mother and child in peril， a rescue， an act of revenge， and a poignant demise.
While some may dismiss these videos as absurd， they represent a lucrative market. Many creators on Douyin have amassed over 140，000 followers in less than three months with a mere 70 videos. On Xiaohongshu， a platform akin to Pinterest， a dedicated account featuring AI-generated Bichon Frise short dramas， despite having only 13，000 followers， regularly achieves thousands of likes per post. This has enabled them to incorporate advertisements within their videos， mirroring the practices of traditional short drama producers， and reportedly generating an impressive monthly income of 500，000 yuan.
This phenomenon has evolved into a full-fledged industry， complete with mentorship programs where successful creators offer paid courses to aspiring content creators， guiding them on how to build their accounts. Platforms like Xianyu and Taobao even feature services for custom AI pet short dramas as well as tutorials for video production.
To understand the process， I invested a nominal fee to acquire a tutorial. The ease of creation became immediately apparent: with basic computer literacy， anyone can produce these videos through a simple “copy-paste” workflow.
The process involves three primary tools: a conversational AI， an image generation AI， and a video generation AI. First， a chatbot crafts sensational plotlines – themes of infidelity， revenge， and rags-to-riches stories are popular. Next， the AI generates detailed prompts for image creation， specifying visuals， camera angles， and lighting.
These prompts are then fed into an image generation AI to produce the visual assets， effectively casting actors and storyboarding the scenes.
While image generation AIs are largely free， video generation can be costly and challenging to fine-tune. Therefore， it’s advisable to generate multiple images and select the best one for conversion into video. The previously generated image prompts can be reused in this step. After inputting the image and prompts， a short video is generated within minutes.
The process continues by refining the script， adding fitting music， and subtitles to complete the pet AI short drama. With music and editing， I managed to produce one of these videos in approximately 10 minutes. The low cost of the tutorial meant that the final product lacked a certain “greasiness” or exaggerated flair， likely reserved for more in-depth paid training. However， the fundamental workflow， once mastered， allows for the production of five to six videos per hour.
The minimal production barrier combined with the sophisticated AI video capabilities has significantly elevated the potential of these short dramas. Modern AI video tools can maintain remarkable consistency without manual intervention. Observing the evolution of AI video capabilities on creators’ profiles， from early “Tang-style” cats to present-day animals capable of defeating tigers without visual degradation， reveals an increasing viewer immersion.
The continually improving AI technology has unleashed a surge of creative absurdity. Beyond domestic trends， internationally， AI-generated “Shanhaijing” (Classic of Mountains and Seas) content， which involves bizarre combinations of objects and creatures like sharks with Nike shoes or cappuccinos with ballet dancers， is gaining popularity. The creative responses have evolved from simple power comparisons to elaborate narratives exploring ethical dilemmas， love， and drama within a Shanhaijing universe.
Furthermore， unlike many other content genres， cute animal videos possess an inherent advantage in viral dissemination. Much like how older generations are captivated by AI-generated children， humans possess an innate attraction to adorable animals. Witnessing a Golden Retriever grooving to a catchy children’s song about ducks bathing created an internet sensation， outperforming even AI-generated depictions of celebrities like Elon Musk dancing. This demonstrates the sheer power of cute pets.
Moreover， the use of animals allows for the palatable presentation of often disturbing or surreal plotlines. Viewers are more accepting of these scenarios when depicted by animals， often engaging in lighthearted commentary. For instance， in one narrative， an orange cat husband is discovered to be having an affair with a leopard， while his unsuspecting wife， a calico cat， is shown making zongzi.
As the viewer instinctively prepares to condemn the adulterous cat， the scene shifts to reveal the wife now sporting a leopard-print outfit. The comments section humorously interprets this， suggesting， “I thought it was an affair， but it turned out to be a planned event.” This creates ample room for creators to push boundaries with absurdity， as even the darkest of themes can be reframed by the audience as mere entertainment.
Crucially， many individuals consume online content primarily for escapism and entertainment. They prefer short videos， movie summaries， and simplified drama plotlines over in-depth engagement. Given that they are already paying for internet access， the expectation is for effortless consumption， not mental exertion. Therefore， in a quest for mindless relaxation， users gravitate towards the most unconventional and sensational content. This explains the global phenomenon， from Western audiences engrossed in “TungTungTungSahur vs. Tralalero Tralala” to Chinese viewers supporting orange cats saving human children. Despite our critiques， we find ourselves captivated by the seemingly nonsensical lives of these AI-generated animals.
The question arises: “What has my Douyin feed become?” Yet， the reality is that cute animals， even those engaging in bizarre and animated behaviors， are demonstrably more appealing than meticulously styled fashion models.
