History Main / UnintentionalUncannyValley

While it is usually known to be unintentional, it can be [[IntendedAudienceReaction deliberately invoked]] for the audience or even the characters in the work -- see the main UncannyValley trope for examples of that. Some examples of particular ways to intentionally produce this effect are CreepilyLongArms, CreepyLongFingers, MalevolentMaskedMen, UndeadBarefooter, UndeathlyPallor, BodyHorror, and UncannyValleyMakeup. Tropes such as DemonicDummy, EveryoneHatesMimes and MonsterClown may exist ''because'' of this trope, as such characters' full-face makeup and oddball behavior can rate as invoked examples of it. Also compare MundaneHorror, when the effect is applied to storylines and situations rather than characters.

While it is usually known to be unintentional, it can be [[IntendedAudienceReaction deliberately invoked]] for the audience or even the characters in the work -- see the main UncannyValley trope for examples of that. Some examples of particular ways to intentionally produce this effect are CreepilyLongArms, CreepyLongFingers, MalevolentMaskedMen, UndeadBarefooter, UndeathlyPallor, BodyHorror, and UncannyValleyMakeup. Tropes such as EveryoneHatesMimes and MonsterClown may exist ''because'' of this trope, as such characters' full-face makeup and oddball behavior can rate as invoked examples of it. Also compare MundaneHorror, when the effect is applied to storylines and situations rather than characters.

* WebVideo/PartyCrashers: In 2024, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' {{Author Avatar}}s on Nick's channel were replaced by animations of the group's ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' mains imitating the original characters' sprite animations. This includes Birdo being used in place of Larry Butz for Vernias, but her mouth is drawn to resemble actual mouth movements, which looks incredibly out-of-place on Birdo, especially with her angry sprite giving her [[ToothyBird spiked teeth]].

* LetsPlay/PartyCrashers: In 2024, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' {{Author Avatar}}s on Nick's channel were replaced by animations of the group's ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' mains imitating the original characters' sprite animations. This includes Birdo being used in place of Larry Butz for Vernias, but her mouth is drawn to resemble actual mouth movements, which looks incredibly out-of-place on Birdo, especially with her angry sprite giving her [[ToothyBird spiked teeth]].

* LetsPlay/PartyCrashers: In 2024, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' {{Author Avatar}}s on Nick's channel were replaced by animations of the group's ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' mains imitating the original characters' sprite animations. This includes Birdo being used in place of Larry Butz for Vernias, but her mouth is drawn to resemble actual mouth movements, which looks incredibly out-of-place on Birdo, especially when her angry sprite gives her [[ToothyBird spiked teeth.]]

* LetsPlay/PartyCrashers: In 2024, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' {{Author Avatar}}s on Nick's channel were replaced by the group's ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' mains drawn to resemble the original characters' sprite animations. This includes Birdo being used in place of Larry Butz for Vernias, but her mouth is drawn to resemble actual mouth movements, which looks incredibly out-of-place on Birdo, especially when her angry drawing gives her ''[[ToothyBird spiked teeth]]''.

* LetsPlay/PartyCrashers: Starting in 2024, the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' {{Author Avatar}}s on Nick's channel were replaced by the group's ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' mains drawn to resemble the original characters' sprite animations. This includes Birdo being used in place of Larry Butz for Vernias, but her mouth is drawn to resemble actual mouth movements, which looks incredibly out-of-place on Birdo, especially when her angry drawing gives her ''[[ToothyBird spiked teeth]]''.

* There's a certain Youtube channel that warps photographs of poets to look like they're mouthing readings of their poems and creates [[https://www.youtube.com/user/poetryreincarnations these abominations]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkqUq26z1CE Here's a particularly freaky example]], using an actual recording of Alfred Lord Tennyson reciting Charge of the Light Brigade.
* Micheal from ''WebVideo/{{Vsauce}}'' mentions the trope when discussing why the typefont Comic Sans may be so hated by people. He speaks of it in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUCcObwIsOs this video]] around 6:18.
* [=AmaterasuEVE=], a talented Japanese makeup artist, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2JkuHFuGqc&t=267 once made herself up as]] Music/HatsuneMiku, and her adaptation of a stylized anime face involves taping over her lips and nostrils (with small air holes for her to breathe, of course) and covering them with makeup to blend in with her skin, invoking the level of detail of the fictional character's face.
* In [[https://youtu.be/FmACHdTApbY this video]], Cool History Bros discusses the concept of a "Cultural Uncanny Valley" as part of the reason for ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'''s [[AmericansHateTingle lack of popularity in Japan and China]]. The show had an ostensibly Asian setting, but the characters didn't act how Asian people would expect them to act, creating dissonance.

* ''Manga/CityHunter 91'' and ''Manga/AngelHeart'' use realistic, sketch-like art style to depict main characters' serious/dramatic faces, which easily come off as uncanny. The worst offenders are Ryo and Kaori themselves in ''Anime/AngelHeart'' anime, where their voice acting bounces all over the place and doesn't match the expressions, making the issue even weirder.

* ''WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcRguMhpQPQ does]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD5UKQggXTc come]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjAsJfz9dBc across]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JO0-WCEOw4 this]]. The characters are photos of produce [[SynchroVox with live footage of the actors' eyes and mouths superposed on them]], resulting in characters that are clearly not human but have partial faces that move exactly like a real human's. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqPnqF64WFQ#t=859s Even Daneboe, the creator of the series, has acknowledged that the characters are kind of creepy.]]

* A common criticism of ''Manga/DrStone'' is that the female characters' faces often look... off, with their default expressions normally having [[https://i.imgur.com/1xuqMgq.png vacant, glassy, unnaturally spaced "doe-eyes" and comparatively tiny mouths and noses]] (something which is not seen in the male characters). It's even led to jokes that their disturbing appearance is due to [[spoiler:them being inbred, since it's eventually revealed that the inhabitants of Ishigami Village are all descended from a small group of astronauts]].

* A website called [[https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/ This Person Does Not Exist]] has human mugshots that very much fall into the trope, looking very convincing but at the same time so very, horribly off. Oh, there are also some faces that [[BreadEggsMilkSquick have some errors as well, looking half formed as a result]]. Granted, the AI does improve over time, generating increasingly convincing human mugshots as of 2021, but sometimes it is prone to generate misshapen faces as background images due to the AI focus on single person mugshot.

* Franchise/TheMuppets, most of whom steer far clear of the valley because of their obviously exaggerated portions and colorful cartoonish looks. But every now and then one will be introduced that is just a little too human while not being human enough, and it'll creep people out.

** Wear and tear on older puppets sometimes creates a creepy effect. When the Electric Mayhem's SixthRanger Lips was taken out of retirement in 2009, the studio was still using the same puppet for him built in 1980; the foam in his head was obviously wearing out, making his mouth gape wide open when not playing his trumpet. This, coupled with the discoloration and his eyes always seeming to be in a sad position ("/ \"), makes him look like almost a corpse brought back to life. Eventually, filming for the music video "Kodachrome" ended with Lips completely falling apart (an interview with performer Steve Whitmire attributed this to the foam finally disintegrating), and a newer puppet was built which removed these elements and restored the character back to looking alive and well.

''Warning: This page and it's subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from them should be used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works purposes only and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the unintentional increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from this page should not be viewed by anyone.''

* Franchise/TheMuppets, most of whom steer far clear of the valley because of their obviously exaggerated portions and colorful cartoonish looks. But every now and then one will be introduced that is just a little too human while not being human enough, and it'll creep people out. The character of Digit from the "[=MuppeTelevision=]" segments of ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'' is a prime example, often topping lists of creepiest Muppets; the bug eyes that are not open fully and barely moving mouth while at the same time having an otherwise human facial proportion is just disturbing. Chip as well, who is also from ''The Jim Henson Hour'', tends to fall into this category. Much like Digit, he has huge bulging eyes but with an odd blinking mechanism that cause his pupils to occasionally flicker. This ended up being PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' as the rest of the Muppet characters also seem to find him unsettling or awkward.

In 1970, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori proposed in [[http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/the-uncanny-valley The Uncanny Valley]] that the more human a robot acted or looked, the more endearing it would be to a human being. For example, most lovable {{Robot Budd|y}}ies look humanoid, but keep quirky and artistically mechanical affectations. However, at some point, the likeness seems ''too'' strong and yet somehow, fundamentally ''different'' — and it just comes across as a very strange human being. At this point, the acceptance drops suddenly, changing to a powerful negative reaction. The Uncanny Valley doesn't necessarily have to invoke fear, though; for some people, the reaction is more similar to {{Narm}} or unintentional comedy. Either way, you don't feel the same about that character as you would a human, or even something less realistic.

If shown as a graph (like the one to the right), the acceptance on the Y axis and increasing X approaching human normal, there is a slow rise, then a sudden drop, then a sudden peak as "human normal" is reached. Masahiro Mori referred to this as the "uncanny valley". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzxBpz7Xjl0 This video explains it extremely well.]]

Thus, things that look somewhat human, but are clearly not — such as C-3PO (in ''Franchise/StarWars'') or AnimatedArmor — produce an accepting reaction, while things that are very nearly human, but just a little strange — such as a [[CreepyDoll child's doll]], a [[DemonicDummy ventriloquist's dummy]] or [[ClownTropes a clown]] — produce a negative response. For some people, the resonance is stronger with a ''moving'' object, which is why a corpse is creepy but a moving corpse is creepier still. In fact, some people that don't have a problem with things like [[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombies]] and consider them merely another monster may still be creeped out by things like [[MarionetteMotion unnatural movement]].

This has applied to film [[ComputerGeneratedImages CGI]] and video-game graphics, as technology has developed over time to allow for more photorealistic graphics, but not necessarily realistic ''movements''. It's become very easy for computers to simulate textures and skin tones, but convincing movement and facial expressions aren't so simple, often requiring MotionCapture to look realistic. More stylized 3D models or a 2D art can generally get away with odd animations or expressions, but the more realistic the graphics shoot for, the more noticeable it is when something isn't lining up with reality. This is normally a cost issue, as detailed animation can be extremely time-consuming to craft and even more so when one set of animations is used for multiple characters and still needs to look natural for all of them. Not putting in enough effort can produce the effect where a character can come across as something less than human, like a zombie. As computer graphics become ever more detailed and realistic, while also becoming more affordable, the Uncanny Valley becomes ever narrower, but it ''does not go away.''

Many cartoons nowadays prefer a simultaneously stylized yet simplified character design, versus the realistic look among some older cartoons. In the latter, it's more obvious the budget just didn't allow characters to move much. Heavily {{rotoscop|ing}}ed characters also often seem less real than more stylized animated characters, especially when they're in the same production. See the [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Fleischer Studios]] version of ''WesternAnimation/GulliversTravels'' for an example.

Rather unfortunately, this phenomenon can be applied to real-life people and may be in part an explanation (though not an excuse) for things like racism when other groups of people inspire this reaction in certain people. People with [[NoSocialSkills social]] [[UsefulNotes/AspergersSyndrome disabilities]] tend to be hurt hardest by this reaction, as people usually don't try to see past the "unnatural" behaviour of the individual and may have the same negative reaction that this trope describes.

A character in the valley is not necessarily doomed to being unsympathetic; sometimes they manage to be sympathetic despite evoking the unsettling uncanny valley feeling, leading to an odd kind of NarmCharm, where you find yourself crying over or rooting for a character you initially felt creeped out by due to their appearance.

While the Uncanny Valley is usually known to be unintentional, it can be [[IntendedAudienceReaction deliberately invoked]] for the audience or even the characters in the work -- see the main UncannyValley trope for examples of that. Some examples of particular ways to intentionally produce this effect are CreepilyLongArms, CreepyLongFingers, MalevolentMaskedMen, UndeadBarefooter, UndeathlyPallor, BodyHorror, and UncannyValleyMakeup. Tropes such as EveryoneHatesMimes and MonsterClown may exist ''because'' of this trope, as such characters' full-face makeup and oddball behavior can rate as invoked examples of Uncanny Valley. Also compare MundaneHorror, when the Uncanny Valley effect is applied to storylines and situations rather than characters.

See also RealityIsUnrealistic, where the poor impression comes less from being "creepy" as from breaking [[TheCoconutEffect existing conventions which audiences had come to expect]]. In addition, there's OffModel, BishonenLine, NoFlowInCGI, and UglyCute. And while you're at it, see WhatMeasureIsANonCute, as the scientific study of that trope gave birth to this one. An opposite is EldritchAbomination, where the unsettling effect is caused by being way too unfamiliar rather than being way too human, yet still produces the same abominable effect (although the two can overlap as a HumanoidAbomination). FurriesAreEasierToDraw is a way artists get around the Uncanny Valley phenomenon; it's easy for drawn humans to dip into the valley, but a cartoony talking animal doesn't evoke the same response.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from them should be only used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the unintentional increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from this page should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from them should be only used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from this page should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages should be only used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages and the works talked about in their YMMV tab from this page should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages should be only used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages should be only used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may cause, this page and its subpages should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages should be used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may cause this page and it's subpages should not be viewed by anyone.

!Warning: This page and it's subpages should be used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may case this page and it's subpages should not be viewed by anyone.

And also: ''Warning: This page and it's subpages should be used for learning and improving from goofs and mistakes from previous works and should not be used as an excuse to talk down certain art forms and techniques and believing others are more superior. And due to the increase negativity and hostility it may case this page and it's subpages should not be viewed by anyone.''