The Animation On Polar Express Disturbs Me

[+ Gar1eth]

I've just seen some scenes from the movie Polar Express. The CGI is so good-but still obviously CGI. But I find the animation psychologically disturbing. There's something about it-maybe because it's almost life-like. Anyone else have problems with it?

 

Gman

[+ oldNbusted]

It's a known phenomenon: Uncanny Valley

 

In aesthetics, the uncanny valley is a hypothesized relationship between the degree of an object's resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to such an object. The concept of the uncanny valley suggests that humanoid objects which imperfectly resemble actual human beings provoke uncanny or strangely familiar feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers. "Valley" denotes a dip in the human observer's affinity for the replica, a relation that otherwise increases with the replica's human likeness.

[+ Gar1eth]

It's a known phenomenon: Uncanny Valley

 

In aesthetics, the uncanny valley is a hypothesized relationship between the degree of an object's resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to such an object. The concept of the uncanny valley suggests that humanoid objects which imperfectly resemble actual human beings provoke uncanny or strangely familiar feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers. "Valley" denotes a dip in the human observer's affinity for the replica, a relation that otherwise increases with the replica's human likeness.

 

 

Thank-you very much for that explanation. I probably knew this intuitively, but I didn't know it had a formal name.

 

Anyone else with eerie feelings watching Polar Express?

 

Gman

[TruHart1]

That brings to mind how realistic erotic gay art stimulated me sexually as a teen. I would see drawings of gay sexual acts or sometimes, just realistic drawings of nude, well-built (sometimes hard!) men and it was enough to get me hard and make me want to jack off!

 

It's not the same though, because I never felt uncomfortable being stimulated by those drawings!

 

TruHart1