Singles, Flirt Up Your Life: Does Realistic Animation Creep You Out?

Does realistic animation creep you out? According to a report by The Age, animation that is too realistic tends to creep people out and have the opposite effect on consumers that retailers were looking for. The above image is from ‘Singles, Flirt Up Your Life, a victim of the uncanny valley phenomenon’, a well known video game in Asia. I’d have to agree that often times “realistic” animation starts looking a little creepy, particularly when it’s obvious that something is off.

In a conference on animated films being held in Melbourne this month, two sessions will examine the phenomenon, first described by Japanese robotics expert Masahiro Mori, who predicted that as robots became more human-like, people would find them increasingly appealing — but only up to a point.

“It’s been the same with films. In Final Fantasy, a huge amount of money was spent on the animation, but somehow the hair still doesn’t move quite right, and the eyes look a little scary. There’s a still from Polar Express where one of the children looks practically demonic, not their intention at all.”