History UnintentionalUncannyValley / AnimatedFilms

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[[caption-width-right:350:Tintin's face is too realistic and detailed in his [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin Movie]].]]

** This is also invoked with the three [[NonStandardCharacterDesign non-standard]] Spider-People. Spider-Ham is a {{Toon}} who uses ToonPhysics in a realistic world, Peni Parker is an {{Anime}} schoolgirl who has deliberately LimitedAnimation, and Spider-Man Noir is a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome permanently black-and-white character]] who's always given heavy shading even in broad daylight. All of these characters are individually appealing, but putting them alongside more traditionally CG characters and the result is [[https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wRHFqxpxk00Z6ium1rsDb1gqh3g=/0x0:1777x744/1200x800/filters:focal(724x143:1008x427)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62693936/MV5BMTgxODE5MDgyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzkyODI4NjM_._V1_SX1777_CR0_0_1777_744_AL_.0.jpg pretty damn uncanny]]--intentionally so, to enforce the idea that they don't belong in this universe.

* The ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' CG movies ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration Degeneration]]'', ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilDamnation Damnation]]'' and ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta Vendetta]]'' do have this problem. There is definite lip-syncing problems with the CG models and in general the human characters are so [[https://farm1.static.flickr.com/597/22609926276_17b0499ff3_b.jpg Spirit’s Within-esque]] that the zombies and monsters come as more natural as a result.

** This is also invoked with the three [[NonStandardCharacterDesign non-standard]] Spider-People. Spider-Ham is a 2D WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes-like characters who uses CartoonPhysics in a 3D world, Peni Parker is an {{Anime}} schoolgirl who has deliberately LimitedAnimation, and Spider-Man Noir is a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome permanently black-and-white character]] who's always given heavy shading even in broad daylight. All of these characters are individually appealing, but putting them alongside more traditionally CG characters and the result is [[https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wRHFqxpxk00Z6ium1rsDb1gqh3g=/0x0:1777x744/1200x800/filters:focal(724x143:1008x427)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62693936/MV5BMTgxODE5MDgyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzkyODI4NjM_._V1_SX1777_CR0_0_1777_744_AL_.0.jpg pretty damn uncanny]]--intentionally so, to enforce the idea that they don't belong in this universe.

* Interesting example in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' as the filmmakers deliberately invoked this by using 12 frames per second and not the usual 24 this gives the Spider-Verse a stiffer, blurrier but appropriately comic-esque design. Since most fans are universally praising the movie for its beautiful visuals, it’s safe to say the negative aspects of this trope have been averted.
** Played straighter with Spider-Ham and Peni Parker, the former being a 2D WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes-like characters who uses CartoonPhysics in a 3D world and latter being a {{Anime}} school girl who frequently invokes {{Moe}}. Both characters are respectively appealing, but putting them alongside more traditionally CG characters and the result is [[https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wRHFqxpxk00Z6ium1rsDb1gqh3g=/0x0:1777x744/1200x800/filters:focal(724x143:1008x427)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62693936/MV5BMTgxODE5MDgyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzkyODI4NjM_._V1_SX1777_CR0_0_1777_744_AL_.0.jpg pretty damn uncanny]].
** To be fair, Noir Spider-Man is a bit unnatural as well, mainly because he’s a [[DeliberatelyMonochrome permanently black and white shaded]] Fleischer-esque character who remains unchanged even when in broad daylight or under different lighting.
** Kingpin of course invokes this, as hilarious as his ridiculously [[TopHeavyGuy bulky body]] is juxtaposed to his tiny head. [[https://fsmedia.imgix.net/61/b0/d4/eb/ebab/41f0/a27c/be0bf94a9ea5/spider-verse---spider-people-voice-talentjpg.jpeg?auto=format%2Ccompress&h=675&w=1200&crop=edges&fit=crop Compared to other characters]] (or RealLife people), he’s a freak of nature.

** The Forest Spirit from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' whose eyes and face is too [[https://i.gifer.com/78Q.gif human-like]] for comfort. Oh and when viewed from side on the Forest Spirit eerily looks like [[https://miro.medium.com/max/996/1*YtdXFJb23uAmesCBk8_UCQ.gif a headless deer]], somehow its EldritchAbomination transformation is less scary than its deer form.
** ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' invokes it with [[https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/923671396601785901/BB992B0BF2D239E42E36F872A06B7016474ADC6E/?interpolation=lanczos-none&output-format=jpeg&output-quality=95&fit=inside%7C1024%3A552&composite-to=*,*%7C1024%3A552&background-color=black passengers]] on the AfterlifeExpress. No-face deserves special mention. Just looking at that blank expressionless face on the pale, ghostly body is enough to give you the willies. [[https://media.giphy.com/media/ayMW3eqvuP00o/giphy.gif Observe]], or maybe even worse when he becomes monstrous and gains a [[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-180c0ccfb8701bae669de8177a0b01a0 mouth full of teeth and bulbous body]]... ''but his mask-like face stays the same''. Hell ''Spirited Away'' invokes this ''everywhere'', from the anamorphic animals to the "regular' humans [[https://www.filmindependent.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SpiritedAway_FeaturedImage.jpg who look completely alien]] compared to Chihiro the justification being most of them are spirits.

** If you think rotoscoping makes characters look unnatural, [[http://youtu.be/JuVRi9XzNpk?t=53s take a look at the first realistic Disney character, who wasn't rotoscoped.]] "The Goddess of Spring" was Disney's first attempt at realistic proportions on a character, but her [[UncannyValleyMakeup porcelain face]] and [[RubberHoseLimbs floppy limbs]] are what drag her down the valley. In fact, this was a "test run" to see how well Disney's animators could do a realistic human character from scratch before the making of Snow White, and apparently, after seeing how much they couldn't attempt to draw it well at all, is why Disney started rotoscoping. The thing about it is, had they not done this "test run" to show how much they weren't able to create a realistic human without it looking ridiculously puppet-like, Snow White herself [[WhatCouldHaveBeen probably would've ended up looking like this, with noodle limbs and wonky way of walking and all.]]

* Speaking of direct-to-video CGI, the animated film ''The Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree'' has character designs that are trying to be so realistic that it turns out to be off-putting, including the [[CreepyCute titular christmas light]].

* If ''The Spirits Within'''s CG is off-putting, then ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' is just as bad, especially since it's [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII beloved characters]], known for their stylized, action-figure-like appearances who are getting the uncanny treatment.

** ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' invokes it with [[https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/923671396601785901/BB992B0BF2D239E42E36F872A06B7016474ADC6E/?interpolation=lanczos-none&output-format=jpeg&output-quality=95&fit=inside%7C1024%3A552&composite-to=*,*%7C1024%3A552&background-color=black passengers]] on the AfterlifeExpress. No-face deserves special mention. Just looking at that blank expressionless face on the pale, ghostly body is enough to give you the willies. [[https://media.giphy.com/media/ayMW3eqvuP00o/giphy.gif Observe]], or maybe even worse when he becomes monstrous and gains a [[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-180c0ccfb8701bae669de8177a0b01a0 mouth full of teeth and bulbous body]]... ''but his mask-like face stays the same''. Hell Spirited Away invokes this ''everywhere'', from the anamorphic animals to the "regular' humans [[https://www.filmindependent.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SpiritedAway_FeaturedImage.jpg who look completely alien]] compared to Chihiro the justification being most of them are spirits.

** ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' invokes it with [[https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/923671396601785901/BB992B0BF2D239E42E36F872A06B7016474ADC6E/?interpolation=lanczos-none&output-format=jpeg&output-quality=95&fit=inside%7C1024%3A552&composite-to=*,*%7C1024%3A552&background-color=black passengers]] on the AfterlifeExpress. No-face deserves special mention. Just looking at that blank expressionless face on the pale, ghostly body is enough to give you the willies. [[https://media.giphy.com/media/ayMW3eqvuP00o/giphy.gif Observe]], or maybe even worse when he becomes monstrous and gains a [[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-180c0ccfb8701bae669de8177a0b01a0 mouth full of teeth and bulbous body]]... ''but his mask-like stays the same''. Hell Spirited Away invokes this ''everywhere'', from the anamorphic animals to the "regular' humans [[https://www.filmindependent.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SpiritedAway_FeaturedImage.jpg who look completely alien]] compared to Chihiro the justification being most of them are spirits.

** The 2012 Disney short "Electric Holiday", done in partnership with Barney's New York (a fashion company) seems innocent enough, until the scene with several Disney characters at a fashion show where their heads are placed on skinny human bodies, even in the case of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Daisy Duck. See for yourself [[http://youtu.be/ayzfwJZhKro here]].

* The early animation of Creator/{{Dreamworks}} was pretty infamous for this, promoting the phrase "Dreamworks face". This is very clear for [[http://caps.pictures/199/8-antz/full/antz-disneyscreencaps.com-8696.jpg the characters in]] ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}''.

** The early short ''WesternAnimation/TinToy'' is infamous for this. Everyone remembers the horrifying looking baby. By the time ''Toy Story'' rolled around, they at least seemed like they were starting to get that humans didn't need to be fully realistic. They ''hadn't'' figured that out yet in 1988, and not only was the [[http://doomlaser.com/images/tintoy.png baby]] in the short creepily almost-realistic, but it got even worse compared to the cartoonish toys which were the only other characters.

* The human characters from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', due to the extreme detail rendered into their skin.

* An intentional example in ''WesternAnimation/PenguinsOfMadagascar'': Dave, when posing as Dr. Octavius Brine, makes some movements that are impossible even for a cartoony human, like walking on the ceiling, leaning forward almost to the ground, and stretching his arms to extreme length. These all indicate his true identity, but the humans are still fooled by his appearance.

* ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'', particularly due to the main character Oscar having Creator/WillSmith's [[InkSuitActor barely caricatured face on the body of a cartoon fish]].
* The producers of ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' intentionaly dialled down the realism of Fiona's skin, because the animators reportedly felt a bit like they were animating a corpse.
* Eris from ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas'' is an interesting example. She sort of tiptoes across the valley by looking decidedly scary with her gray skin and yellow eyes, but being very, ''very'' [[EvilIsSexy sexy]]. In a couple of scenes she is goosebump-inducingly creepy, yet awe-inspiring in others. Her character design also varies extremely from the other characters in the film, which makes her stand out even more.

* Speaking of direct-to-video CGI, the animated film ''The Littelest Light on the Christmas Tree'' has character designs that are trying to be so realistic that it turns out to be off-putting, including the [[CreepyCute titular christmas light]].

* Speaking of direct-to-video CGI, the animated film ''The Littelest Light on the Christmas Tree'' has character designs that are trying to be so realistic that it turns out to be off-putting and horrifying, including the [[UglyCute titular christmas light]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'', while being motion capture, avoids making the characters look creepy via IntentionalSuck that makes the textures more plastic looking as well as having the character design to be very stylized. What can come off as off-putting are the movements of the characters being too fluid and realistic. Of course, it's technically a horror film for children, so the creepiness suits it.

* Deliberately applied to the characters in ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse''. While the film uses motion capture, making their body and facial movements very realistic, this is edged out with very slightly 'off' proportions - Dee Jay was deliberately given a lanky physique and the faces are slightly exaggerated. Of course, it's technically a horror film for children, so the creepiness suits it.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' got slammed in several reviews for this, particularly in the design of Tintin himself as opposed to the more cartoony side-characters.

** However Chris, on the other hand, is just [[https://media.giphy.com/media/l4FGALgTZFq6mQ53O/giphy.gif off-putting]] and Rebecca may be even [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D0W9G_TZqpg/maxresdefault.jpg worse]].

* Interesting example in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' as the filmmakers deliberately invoked this by using 12 frames per second and not the usual 24 this gives the Spider-Verse a stiffer, blurrier but appropriately comic-esque design. Since most fans are universally praising the movie for it's beautiful visuals, it’s safe to say the negative aspects of this trope have been averted.

** Mr. Bobinsky has blue skin, freakish long legs and a big gut, and he's supposed to be a normal human. There's some justification, as the background information states he was part of the Chernobyl clean up crew, which may explain his appearance.

** The Blue Fairy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' is another early Disney example. Again, due to being rotoscoped, she ends up looking almost like an actual person when compared with the more cartoony looking humans in the film. That may be intentional, however, given that she is a [[TheFairFolk fairy]], and supposed to look inhuman.

*** Some of the Genie's impression faces also count, especially when [[http://www.fantasiescometrue.com/images/medium/fct_efa7e2d220571a0.jpg he does that dweeb William F Buckley]].

*** The other character is [[https://wallpaperset.com/w/full/e/b/5/534241.jpg Tifa]], who looks relatively similar to how she does in the games. Granted, there are [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQR7JBHOIKqmRuYPzJrVt5m7DxiWkyZJhECZQ&usqp=CAU a]] [[https://thelifestream.net/wp-content/uploads/warm-smile.jpg few]] [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/20c2b190-c6be-4acf-a810-4dc5721e7299/scale-to-width-down/1200 shots]] in which she ''does'' slip into the valley, largely due to a combination of extreme-closeups and in-universe light sources causing her irises to appear a little [[BlackEyesOfEvil too dark]]. However, this is more or less compensated for by the [[https://i.gifer.com/wVl.gif subtle albeit near-constant movement]] and [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/f266d263-38e1-45a5-af8a-e780e455d3e6/scale-to-width-down/800 depth of her eyes]]. [[WordOfGod According to the ''Reunion Files'']], she benefited immensely from the development team having an animator who is "particularly skilled at female facial animations," and she was redesigned countless times throughout the production process in order to make her [[https://i.pinimg.com/236x/0f/0f/cf/0f0fcfe5f29f503abcc66ed90dbb4fe8--tifa-lockhart-cloud-strife.jpg as beautiful as possible]].

*** The other character is [[https://wallpaperset.com/w/full/e/b/5/534241.jpg Tifa]], who looks relatively similar to how she does in the games. Granted, there are [[https://www.elsetge.cat/myimg/f/152-1521016_tifa-lockhart-wallpaper.jpg a]] [[https://thelifestream.net/wp-content/uploads/warm-smile.jpg few]] [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/20c2b190-c6be-4acf-a810-4dc5721e7299/scale-to-width-down/1200 shots]] in which she ''does'' slip into the valley, largely due to a combination of extreme-closeups and in-universe light sources causing her irises to appear a little [[BlackEyesOfEvil too dark]]. However, this is more or less compensated for by the [[https://i.gifer.com/wVl.gif subtle albeit near-constant movement]] and [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/f266d263-38e1-45a5-af8a-e780e455d3e6/scale-to-width-down/800 depth of her eyes]]. [[WordOfGod According to the ''Reunion Files'']], she benefited immensely from the development team having an animator who is "particularly skilled at female facial animations," and she was redesigned countless times throughout the production process in order to make her [[https://i.pinimg.com/236x/0f/0f/cf/0f0fcfe5f29f503abcc66ed90dbb4fe8--tifa-lockhart-cloud-strife.jpg as beautiful as possible]].

* Due to either technological or budgetary limitations, many CGI works can fall into this trope. [[NoFlowInCGI The expensive technology required and overall difficulty can make it next-to-impossible to create truly realistic graphics without everything looking like plastic or moving like robots]]. This was ''especially'' true for early CGI animated works from the '90s and 2000s, when the medium was still at its bare minimum.