I don't think I'm going to require anything close to AI to manage this task, I think shrink wrap may work just fine. As soon as I figure out how to use it I will have to give it a try.

My only real concern about shrink wrap is, is it possible to effect part of an object with the shrink wrap modifier and leave the rest of the object alone? For Example I want to try to make a sort of banana people as part of my project and I need to conform the heads to be banana shaped at some parts: long pointy chin and split peal cranium sort of things, but leave certain part rather human looking: eyes, lips, and mouth.

As far as poly count, I'm not all that certain...