Andrii Daniels, a Ukrainian AI creator, produced a viral two-part video titled 'Harry Potter and the Christmas Trap' that mashes up characters from Harry Potter, Deadpool, Home Alone, John Wick, and Fast & Furious. The clip, which garnered nearly 5 million views on Instagram and 17 million across platforms, was crafted over 40 hours in a Kyiv bomb shelter amid 2025 missile attacks. Daniels describes the project as a fan tribute and sanctuary from the ongoing war.
Andrii Daniels, a non-English-speaking Ukrainian filmmaker, has been creating AI-generated fan tributes since 2022 as an escape from the realities of war, including constant missile attacks, drone hums, and power outages lasting 12-18 hours daily. His latest work, released nearly a month ago, depicts a whimsical Christmas scene: Hogwarts students Harry, Hermione, and Ron build a snowman, joined by Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, Keanu Reeves' John Wick, and Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto from Fast & Furious. The group ends up riding in Toretto's muscle car, sipping Corona bottles into the wintry night.
Daniels, who previously freelanced writing for OK! Magazine and Radar Online, turned to AI in summer 2025 after demand for his services declined. With help from his AI-savvy sister, he mastered tools that allowed him to realize long-held ideas limited by traditional production costs. 'AI finally allowed my technical skills in cinematography to catch up with the scale of my imagination,' he wrote in an email interview with Variety. The 40-hour project, conceived years before AI tools existed, represents every script word, joke, and direction from Daniels himself.
Expecting only his usual 2,000 views, Daniels was stunned by the overnight surge to 500,000, teaching him 'creative success isn’t about the first attempt. It’s about refusing to give up.' He emphasizes respect for intellectual property, calling the video a 'transformative work of parody and social commentary' with a disclaimer noting its non-commercial nature. No studios have contacted him, but responses include praise for the humor, requests for AI tutorials, and criticism labeling it 'AI slop.' Daniels views AI as democratizing filmmaking, offering the industry a 'collaborative signal' for innovation without replacing studio efforts.
In Ukraine, such creations embody resilience: 'Millions of Ukrainians have learned to find a sanctuary in our work and our passions while life hangs by a thread.'
