Uncanny Valley is the concept associated with the unsettling feeling when presented with a face or image of something that is similar to a human but not quite. For example, when watching a movie with a humanoid robot. I have learned about theories in which people believe that this concept was an evolution from depicting Neanderthals and homo sapiens.
A known example of the uncanny valley is the famous Christmas movie, The Polar Express. Watching the movie during winter break has been a tradition in my family for many years. However, despite watching it for so many years, the "eerie feeling" doesn't go away when seeing the characters' faces. The movie was one of the first to rely heavily on motion capture. This caused the characters to seem unnatural.
The link shared below shares more information on the creative design choices made in the movie. This can be beneficial in understanding the thought process in creating such a movie, where negative comments about the uncanny valley were shared. This movie may have allowed people to start questioning these unsettling feelings when watching the movie, especially since it was in the early 2000s.
https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/design-lessons-from-movies-the-polar-express
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The Polar Express is my favorite Christmas movie. I saw this movie every year in elementary, middle, and high school. From watching this movie, I have learned that getting train tickets is not easy, it is difficult. In life, I would need extra help going from place to place on train. Individuals in the movie show strong personalities, qualities, and characteristics. Every character in the movie had different feelings. Characters in the movie had greater humanities and did lots of decision-making. Anyway, the Polar Express is an astonishing movie!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I watched The Polar Express with my grandparents and siblings every Christmas. Because of this, I now associate the movie with good feelings and emotions. But I remember being slightly scared of it as a child, and I didn't know why considering there's nothing scary about the storyline. Now I know! The look of the characters is unsettling, which younger me found to be a bit frightening.
ReplyDeleteThe Polar Express was one of the first Christmas movies I had ever watched when I first moved to the United States. Before, I had only been familiar with cartoon channels that depicted exaggerated expressions and movements. Watching this movie opened my eyes to the concept of realism in films and how it may have seemed "uncanny" to individuals due to the unfamiliarity with natural expressions and movements being depicted in a children's movie. I enjoyed reading your perspective on the concept of Uncanny Valley, and I'm glad to know I was not the only one to notice this as a child!
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