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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. |
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| 6 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1641877113017237500 |
| 7 | %% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread. |
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| 9 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shronkey_3.png]]]] |
| 10 | [[caption-width-right:350:'''"Dada."''']] |
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| 12 | %% Caption selected per above thread. Please don't change or remove without approval from the Caption Repair thread. |
| 13 | %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900 |
| 14 | ---- |
| 15 | |
| 16 | !!In General: |
| 17 | * {{Rotoscoping}} and MotionCapture both tend to fall under this category since the two techniques require tracing over live-action (2D in the former's case and 3D in the latter's case) to make the characters move and[=/=]or look realistic. Unless the characters in question are stylized or are fully detailed (such as including proper shading, textures, and outlining), there's pretty much no avoiding falling into this trope when using either of the two. |
| 18 | * Due to limitations in either the technology, budget, or both, 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 relatively bare minimum. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | %%!!Creators: |
| 21 | %%* Speaking of stop-motion: Creator/JanSvankmajer's way of animating otherwise lifeless objects is chillingly uncanny. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | !!Studios: |
| 24 | * ''Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon'': |
| 25 | ** This trope goes back as far as Disney's ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' film (and earlier if you count the WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies short "The Goddess of Spring"). In the original, Snow White is {{Rotoscop|ing}}ed, while other characters are not. As a result, she is the only one in the movie who looks unnatural. Ironically, she is the only detail of this ground-breaking film that looks old-fashioned even though rotoscoping was considered cutting edge technology at the time. The Seven Dwarfs are recognizable instantly, but Snow White fades into the background when she isn't singing or dancing. [[SatelliteLoveInterest Snow White's Prince]], by the same technique, manages to be even more of a blank than Snow White, partly because he wouldn't have [[FlatCharacter a personality]] if you gave him a rocket-powered step-ladder. |
| 26 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': |
| 27 | *** Princess Jasmine's facial expressions fall a bit into the Uncanny area at times. The slight squints or raised eyebrow movements on her character were subtle and naturally hard to get right. |
| 28 | *** 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]]. |
| 29 | ** 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 fairy, and supposed to look inhuman. |
| 30 | ** Graphic artist Jirka Väätäinen made [[http://www.behance.net/gallery/Envisioning-Disney-Characters-in-Real-Life/2072296 realistic renderings to most of the Disney Princesses]], as well as Ursula. While the former could be considered pretty and/or cute as easily as they would creepy, Ursula (appropriately enough) looks way too ugly. |
| 31 | ** 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.]] ''WesternAnimation/TheGoddessOfSpring'' 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.]] |
| 32 | ** 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 [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4nHfxJkHbU here]]. |
| 33 | ** Many of the human characters except for Penny in ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'' have a pinched, waxen look to their faces ranging from slightly weird to just plain creepy, making them look more like plastic dolls. |
| 34 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'': The way Quasimodo is made to look UglyCute without subverting the original premise seems to be due a to clever, deliberate {{aversion}}: Draw all the characters in a fairly realistic way, draw Quasimodo as very deformed in the same realistic way, but make him so deformed that, since he's still animated rather than real, he's left on the far side of the valley... except in-universe, of course. |
| 35 | *** On the other hand, the [[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects CGI background crowd]] looks somewhat weird in comparison to the traditional animation most of the film uses. |
| 36 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' as well as the original shorts it was comprised of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir4Zm5KVe7Q#t=2m5s has the winking Pooh doll at the very end]], having a live-action stuffed animal winking with a very obviously animated eyelid, making the whole thing surreal. |
| 37 | ** Rapunzel from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' and especially Anna and Elsa from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' have invoked this reaction. Their large eyes and barbie-doll complexion and thin proportions either make them [[{{moe}} incredibly adorable]] or awfully horrifying. The latter two are infamous for invoking this reaction when images of their designs were leaked. Fans were rabid and thought they looked absolutely ''terrible''. The designs were later revised, and when they were shown animated, most warmed up to the sisters, though many still consider them creepy. |
| 38 | * Creator/DreamWorksAnimation: |
| 39 | ** Up to 2006, the studio's animation was pretty infamous for this. This is very clear for [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTZW-n7nGofDOwdwIpGZxsH91wDsbbReT5weQ&usqp=CAU the characters in]] ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}''. |
| 40 | ** ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' |
| 41 | *** For the [[WesternAnimation/Shrek1 first film]], the producers intentionally dialled down the realism of Fiona's skin, because the animators reportedly felt a bit like they were animating a corpse. Despite this, she still looks rather... off thanks to the technology constraints of the time period. This also applies to most of the other human characters in the film. |
| 42 | ** 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'' 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. |
| 43 | ** The characters on ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'', particularly in the case of main character Oscar having the face of Creator/WillSmith... [[InkSuitActor on the body of a cartoon fish]]. This was one of the biggest points of criticism towards the movie. |
| 44 | ** The human characters from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', due to the extreme detail rendered into their skin. |
| 45 | * Creator/{{Pixar}}: |
| 46 | ** Pixar has this for the human characters in its early films (from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' to ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''), but they worked around it by avoiding direct shots of them, so a major reason for some strange settings was to feature characters who would look less odd as CG characters. The human cast of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' are probably the most realistic, but they avoided the Valley by having cartoonish proportions. In ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' they try to avoid it, but there are some people who found the live-action scenes deeply disturbing. The CG background and cheap props only make it worse, particularly in comparison to the detailed post-apocalyptic wasteland (which possibly explains why they've never done it again since). They managed to avert it by the time ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' came out. |
| 47 | ** 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. |
| 48 | ** Merida from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' has come under fire for having a bizarrely shaped head and rather beady eyes. The other characters are less stylized. |
| 49 | ** The animation in some of their later films, like ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', is ''so'' realistic and hyper-detailed it can cause this reaction in some viewers. ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodDinosaur'' in particular got a handful of complaints for having dinosaurs and humans with cartoony proportions interacting in virtually photorealistic environments. |
| 50 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' seemed to be fond of this trope: |
| 51 | *** The skeletons having normal eyes in their sockets falls into this for some. Though they would probably look a lot creepier without them. |
| 52 | *** Héctor in particular, since the way he walks and his torn clothes sometimes make him look like an actual zombie. |
| 53 | *** Ernesto is considerably more human-looking than the usual cartoonish skeletons, which just serves to highlight his undead nature. |
| 54 | *** Miguel's skeleton transformation due to staying in the Land of the Dead for far too long. Though played for humor at first, it can get rather disturbing after it takes further effect, especially when it's 95% complete prior to getting sent home with Imelda and Héctor’s blessing. |
| 55 | *** Some people think that Mamá Coco's skin is way too realistic, to the point it looks kind of unsettling and almost gross. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | !!Movies: |
| 58 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin2011'': While it mostly averts it by having its characters more stylized and cartoonish, Tintin himself has a more realistic face, and is thus more off-putting for not looking fully life-like. |
| 59 | * ''Animal Kingdom: Let's Go Ape'': Being an animated film that uses motion capture, the apes can look creepy. [[http://www.timeout.com/london/film/animal-kingdom-lets-go-ape As this review points out]], they have "weirdly humanoid figures" and "recognisably human faces". |
| 60 | * Mostly averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'' since everything is motion-captured in real-time, and the character design and graphics are similar to those from a modern video game. Most of the extras however (where they didn't bother to Mo-Cap the faces) tend to fall squarely in the middle of the Valley. |
| 61 | * ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAsTheIslandPrincess'': Given that it's a straight-to-DVD ''Barbie'' movie, the animation isn't going to be Oscar-worthy; the designs for the animal characters, however, haven't aged especially well; the worst of them is Ro's elephant friend Tika; she has ''huge'' glassy human-like eyes, human-like teeth and big, thick eyelashes. |
| 62 | * The ''WesternAnimation/{{Bionicle}}'' movies mostly avoid this as they feature inhuman-looking, semi-robotic beings. Two odd examples stand out though. In ''Mask of Light'', Tahu's (supposedly metal) mask wobbles like flesh as he dives into a chasm, making it look like he wears exposed tendons and veins over his face. And in ''The Legend Reborn'', all the characters have not only rows of uniform, dirty, keyboard-like teeth, but a second layer of teeth over their regular teeth acting as faux-lips, as well as a prominent ear-to-ear jawline on their metal skull that renders almost all their expressions moot. When they emote or talk, it's like they have three stacks of jaws within each other, one of which is disturbingly human and [[https://biosector01.com/w/images/bs01/e/ea/TLR_Toa_Mata_Nui_and_Click.jpg none of which work convincingly]]. |
| 63 | * Darla Dimple from ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'' is a fine (if disgustingly cute) [[http://www.cdd4ever.com/Backlot03/CDDMSheets/DarlaMS01.gif 2D design]], but [[http://www.cdd4ever.com/Backlot03/Maquettes/DarlaTurnaround.jpg as a physical maquette]], not so much. |
| 64 | * ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol2009'', featuring Creator/JimCarrey as the voice of Scrooge and the three ghosts. The motion-capture and general animation style can make ''every'' character fall into this, but the Ghost of Christmas Past gets it the worst, especially when its face rapidly cycles between people Scrooge knows. |
| 65 | * The characters in ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' aren't nearly as appealing for the most part as the more cartoony ones in ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' because of this trope. The more subtle expressions (as opposed to the more convincing stylized ones) end up looking especially creepy sometimes. They were able to achieve these more subtle expressions by replacing the industry-standard replaceable heads with precision-crafted clockwork heads. However, not only did this make the animation process longer and harder, but it also caused one of the animators to have nightmares of resetting his own expressions through clockwork mechanisms. |
| 66 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Delgo}}'' suffers from this problem. The characters look like fusions between humans and turtles. The result is that they look like people with fat, squat chins, rounded craniums and sloped, nearly flat noses. This design didn't [[BoxOfficeBomb appeal to audiences]]. |
| 67 | * The use of puppets in ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'' could be considered this trope. Their highly detailed fur and eyes make their cartoonish movements come across as unsettling, and the close-ups of their faces in particular betray the fact that these puppets were ''not'' designed to pull off subtle facial expressions. Animation with animal characters generally avoids full-on front shots of the face due to the foreshortening of the muzzle looking somewhat strange from this angle (as opposed to the relatively flat faces of humans, which can be seen from this angle without features seeming altered). However, plenty of those shots are used in the movie, as they fit with Anderson's style of carefully composed, heavily symmetric shots. And some look creepy as cuss. |
| 68 | * ''Anime/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin'': |
| 69 | ** [[BoxOfficeBomb The failure of the movie]] was partially blamed on its characters being right in the Uncanny Valley. The rest of the blame could be chalked up to [[VideoGameMoviesSuck boredom]]. Somehow, the female lead, Aki Ross ended up being placed in a Maxim Magazine's "hottest women" list. Nice body aside, her skin looks like porcelain. Creepy. Especially given that "skin like porcelain" is supposed to be a compliment. |
| 70 | *** At the time of its release, the studio had hoped to use the Aki Ross "virtual actress" in other productions. This obviously never happened. Ironically, test footage for the movie, released several years before the finished movie, showed an early version of Aki that is somewhat more realistic yet at the same time less uncanny valley-esque. |
| 71 | ** Another factor contributing to the film's uncanniness is the motion. While the characters' faces are well-animated (if nonetheless off-putting), the movements of their bodies are stiff and awkward, with a relative absence of motion blur simultaneously causing them to appear unnaturally smooth and fluid. The high level of detail on the characters' faces also jars heavily with the relative lack of detail in their bodies/clothing. |
| 72 | * If ''The Spirits Within'''s CG is off-putting, then ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' is arguably even worse, especially since it's [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII beloved characters]], known for their stylized, action-figure-like appearances who are getting the uncanny treatment. |
| 73 | ** Cloud suffers from this rather badly, which is not surprising, as the animators have admitted that he was one of the most difficult to make look realistic. Granted, he does appear [[https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Final-Fantasy-FVII.png passable in]] [[https://gbhbl.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/cloud-cut.png some shots]], but for the most part, he just looks off due to his [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/b/b3/Cloud_Advent_Children.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080226224815 extremely]] [[https://thelifestream.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cloud-carries-denzel.png pale face]] and [[{{Bishonen}} angular features]] juxtaposed on a muscular body which [[https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Azy2LpXXXXauXVXXq6xXFXXXH/Free-Shipping-Cloud-Strife-Cosplay-Costume-from-Final-Fantasy-VII-Advent-Children-for-Halloween-and-Christmas.jpg doesn't quite]] [[http://backgroundsarchive.com/images/pub/33/33658q7bkp87tkh.jpg match them]]. There's also the [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c4/1e/33/c41e331780da15ae226d9ce95d4f705e.gif weird stiffness]] to Cloud's face where it remains completely static and unexpressive during the high-octane action scenes, and the frequent use of [[https://c.wallhere.com/photos/27/6c/movies_Final_Fantasy_Cloud_Strife_Final_Fantasy_VII_Advent_Children-230257.jpg!d extreme closeups]] certainly doesn't help matters. |
| 74 | ** Barret's face is [[https://rei.animecharactersdatabase.com/images/Finalfantasyadventchildren/Barret_Wallace.png also weird]]. While he's not quite a ScaryBlackMan, he's still quite off-putting due to his features being overly cartoonish, as if his model was created by someone who has never actually met a black person. |
| 75 | ** Cid Highwind, while not quite as bad as some of the other characters in the film, nonetheless slips into the valley due to his overly stiff cheek and eyebrow muscles that [[https://thumbs.gfycat.com/HollowBogusAndeancondor-size_restricted.gif don’t seem to gesticulate properly]]. |
| 76 | ** The kids are hideous little [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jisaEfAU__A/Tp5dcvF_NDI/AAAAAAAAAyI/MYAnpYnTSV8/s1600/ffac8_3.png doll-like freaks]]. |
| 77 | ** Yuffie's [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQViJ7iMv7m6SR_DC56ejZoaQlX1erVmk3Twg&usqp=CAU face]] is [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/18ccb1a284b3cd15023211bfa21b6b10/tumblr_myphpnmwtQ1r13r6do1_500.gif too doll-like for comfort]] and certainly doesn’t make her look like she's 19-years-old. |
| 78 | ** Reno’s eyes feel [[http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34900000/Turks-rufus-shinra-and-turks-34915983-500-350.jpg flat and lifeless]] and the lack of texture in his face is only made more apparent whenever his [[https://i.gifer.com/2KZX.gif incredibly detailed hands]] are in the same frame. He also occasionally [[https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/characters/15/39524.jpg sticks his CGI tongue out]], which is too much for comfort. |
| 79 | ** Rude manages to avoid this trope ''somewhat'', but this is due almost entirely to his eyes being [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/b/b0/Rude_advent_children.png/revision/latest?cb=20180722232809 hidden behind his sunglasses]] for the majority of his screen time. And surely enough, the few shots in which his eyes ''are'' visible [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/2/2d/Reno_and_Rude_AC.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180722232828 plunge him straight]] [[https://64-media-tumblr-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/w820/s/64.media.tumblr.com/a01fc751ab5d71a7b6cb98fc02e42829/38b9ddc18e58be9d-d6/s500x750/36944e7ce34ef8db828d6194eaef3e3ed00f1fe4.png into the valley]]. The fact that his bald head, chin and facial hair look almost like smooth plastic does not help matters. |
| 80 | ** Averted and then played straight with Aerith, who went through several changes during the production process as the designer (likely in some recognition of this trope) tried to make her as cute as possible. She turned out alright when [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iDDt7of-JfQ/S9b6nMTZ8HI/AAAAAAAAADQ/1YEi9T5V_og/s1600/aeris.jpg her face]] was finally revealed towards the end of the film. For the ''[[UpdatedReRelease Complete]]'' version however, they chose to update her skin and eyes with sharper graphics which if anything just [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8eAlXao-JLeo9PL54IEXfZY54dDaD5D1qQA&usqp=CAU makes her look weirder]]. They even had to remove the original end-credits scene of Aerith (in spirit form) hovering over Cloud's shoulder, since it looked ''too'' creepy otherwise. |
| 81 | ** Ironically, it is the characters who are ''supposed'' to be inhuman who end up looking the most natural: |
| 82 | *** [[https://thelifestream.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/kadaj-wicked-smile.png Kadaj]] and [[https://thelifestream.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/sephiroth-cold.png Sephiroth]] have green, cat-like eyes, but this somehow adds more soulfulness to their facial expressions, making them feel more lifelike and less like hollow-eyed puppets. This is especially notable in Sephiroth's case, since he rarely blinks and, according to the animators, doesn't even ''breathe''. |
| 83 | *** The same goes for Vincent, whose overt stylization consisting of [[http://giphygifs.s3.amazonaws.com/media/PeEALXIpYB5VC/giphy.gif deep red eyes and pale skin]] consistently reminds viewers that he is not human, thus making him look ”cooler” and less like a human with something gone horribly wrong. |
| 84 | ** Of all the human characters, only two manage to avoid falling victim to this trope--''for the most part'': |
| 85 | *** The first is [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/e/e2/Rufus.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090713181432 Rufus Shinra]], though this is largely due to [[https://ladygeekgirl.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/ffvii-advent-children-rufus-shinra.png?w=848 his face being covered]] throughout most of the film. |
| 86 | *** The other character is [[https://wallpaperset.com/w/full/e/b/5/534241.jpg Tifa]], who [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/c0/27/56c027900cfa9ff8ddeb390c7c9c287d.gif looks relatively similar]] to how she does in the games. Granted, there are [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSp1i8kZu1wlrDIom4AkfsKVasr0wPa1XPp1A&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]]. |
| 87 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Foodfight}}'': |
| 88 | ** Clipboard has a very disturbing walk, very disturbing facial expressions, and very disturbing everything else. Sure, there is a plot twist in that Clipboard turns out to be a [[spoiler:robot]], but it's still creepy. |
| 89 | ** Most of the human characters in the store look creepy as well, especially the woman and her baby. |
| 90 | ** The characters have an issue with unnatural body movements and dead-looking, glassy eyes. Both are actually due to the film being reworked on a shoestring budget after the original files were stolen. The initial trailer shows none of the awkward movements or creepy stares. |
| 91 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'': Many of the human characters are rotoscoped, whereas the monsters, aliens and other sentient beings are not, occasionally invoking this trope. Standout examples are the title character Harry Canyon [[https://paragraphfilmreviews.com/2016/10/26/heavy-metal/03-heavy-metal-harry-canyon-taxi-percy-rodriguez-john-candy-don-francks-richard-romanus-eugene-levy-joe-flaherty-harvey-atkin-susan-roman-richard-romanus-caroline-semple/ smiling]], and the [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YGVLM2i9n6o/S6aqHHLb_VI/AAAAAAAAFDo/S45x8YHJ7z4/s400/Untitled-9.jpg closeup shot]] of Captain Skip's terrified face being more unsettling than those of the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent creatures]] he encounters. |
| 92 | * ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' had a better frame rate than the shorts and series but the characters (particularly Jimmy and the adults) can still look off-putting. Their designs are plastic-like and the humans look more disturbing than the Yokians. |
| 93 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'': Bad [=Cop/Good=] Cop's [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSaRHwGsynzxs15_UCHcXBi7NYwI1nSJyJswZwTY1fFJdqv8wkT drawn-in-marker good face]] is pretty soulless looking, to the point that it looks less friendly than the Bad Cop face. |
| 94 | * The animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheLittlestLightOnTheChristmasTree'' has character designs that are trying to be so realistic that it turns out to be off-putting, including the [[CreepyCute titular christmas light]]. |
| 95 | * Creator/RalphBakshi’s ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'' infamously is absolutely swimming in this. Rather than kill all his animators by drawing everything, Bakshi instead made heavy use of {{Rotoscoping}} when it came to the characters and the results ([[http://www.rotoscopers.com/2014/04/10/20-unforgettable-moments-from-ralph-bakshis-the-lord-of-the-rings/ as shown here]]) range from genuinely effective, {{Narm}} to just creepy as all hell (Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and Legolas are frequent offenders). The main problem is that the characters tend to bob around and fidget in place to convey what they are feeling and it always looks off. Not to mention the clear limitations the Rotoscoping has, especially when it comes to animating the characters’ facial expressions that other traditionally animated films usually have an easier time with. Then there’s the residents of Bree, orcs, Nazgûl and Balrog who are obviously superimposed into the film. For the Nazgûl this works but in the case of the Bree folk [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5lJJr0lDQiQ&pp=ygUXQmFsc2hpIGxvdHIgaW5uIGF0IGJyZWU%3D it’s creepy as hell]] and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kylnv0eTsGc&pp=ygUOdW5zY2FyeSBiYWxyb2c%3D hilariously]] NightmareRetardant for the Balrog when reasonably it should be the other way around. Ironically Gollum since he’s so inhuman therefore more cartoonishly stylised is one of the characters least creepy to look at. |
| 96 | * ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aS5W___Ezk all over this]]. After all, Robert Zemeckis is involved with this one. Quite a few websites have noted that the humans look a lot more creepy than the aliens. |
| 97 | * ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'', while being motion capture, avoids making the characters look unintentionally creepy via StylisticSuck that makes the textures more plastic looking as well as having a disproportioned, cartoony character design. 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 any creepiness suits it. |
| 98 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': |
| 99 | ** Usually the ones quoted for this trope are the HalloweenTown citizens, but a lot of fans think the elves are creepier, mainly because they're too cheerful. And the ''human children'' are creepier than most things hanging around Halloween Town, anyway. |
| 100 | ** Jack and Sally crossover FanArt drawn realistically has Sally usually look okay, but ''there's a reason why Jack is a'' '''''cartoony''''' ''skeleton.'' |
| 101 | * Blue Sky's film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'' can be unnerving to some. The CGI animation is a little ''too'' good at mimicking the art style used in the comic and specials, making everything look like so many colored balloons glued together. There's the fact that they gave the characters realistic hair and skin textures, which can be jarring, and everyone keeps the little dot BlackBeadEyes they had in the comics, making them look like black-eyed porcelain dolls. Snoopy in the trailer can be particularly unsettling due to having realistic fur and a real leather dog collar which doesn't sit very well with his exaggerated cartoony shape and design. Not only that, but the movement very closely mimics the choppy, rough movement in the original cartoon specials, which can be quite off-putting to a lot of viewers. |
| 102 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'', although more successful, is notorious for this trope. Many reviewers commented on the zombie-like appearance of the adult cast. Especially the ones voiced by Creator/TomHanks. The Cartoon Brew blog nailed it: "This holiday season, give your family nightmares!" |
| 103 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'': Beans in general. Rather than resembling a real desert iguana, she looks like a cross between a little girl's doll, an alien, and something almost equine. It's the lizard variant of UncannyValley. |
| 104 | * 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 Spirits Within-esque]] that the zombies and monsters come as more natural as a result. |
| 105 | ** Leon's face changes throughout all three movies. In ''Degeneration'' Leon visually looks like his [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4 version]], but his [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/09/5c/0d095c4bec99d4fa121da069b1bde143.png face]] however looks notably ''different'' from the other characters, also unlike in the games Leon is pretty [[PerpetualFrowner stone faced here]] and barely makes any expression, thus he stands out like a sore thumb. In ''Damnation'' Leon's face looks much better, it’s still weird enough that it takes some getting used to, while the other characters look more natural. In ''Vendetta'' Leon looks the best of the whole trilogy except for [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/73/20/c2/7320c2ef3c9779ab6f928d6ddfac2866.png some shots]]. |
| 106 | ** Ada and Claire surprisingly look fine, Claire in particular actually ironically [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTHt6ABr7JFg1hPQNHqHTfeVjJYQgCOkwGbVmQhEOfM0DZeeRJO resembles her American voice actor]]. |
| 107 | ** However Chris, on the other hand, is just [[https://media.giphy.com/media/l4FGALgTZFq6mQ53O/giphy.gif off-putting]] and Rebecca may be even [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTabzUbgbwWt8VZyHoxI3cOevZDRTZDukte5A&usqp=CAU worse]]. |
| 108 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'': |
| 109 | ** Not in the film itself, but the music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acUqPKHG4JQ Squeeze Me]] features Sponge-ified versions of N.E.R.D. mixing cutout photos and 2D animation. The result is... unsettling. |
| 110 | ** The very detailed images of [=SpongeBob=] and Plankton in the time travel parts have a bit of an uncanny vibe to them, in the midst of an already weird sequence. |
| 111 | ** Sandy's superhero form is that of a realistic squirrel. Not so bad on the show (where it's either a still image or a puppet), but here... |
| 112 | * ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'': The faces are detailed and expressive but still somewhat cartoony, meaning some of the expressions look off. |
| 113 | * ''WesternAnimation/TitanicTheLegendGoesOn'' has the audacity to rip off numerous Disney and Don Bluth character designs, but does it so incompetently that when the designs aren't just plain OffModel, they're downright unsettling. There's something rather unpleasant about the human faces in the movie--when they're not crudely stylized, they're instead vaguely realistic. The problem is that when they address the camera in a scene, the low quality of the art and animation gives them a sort of floppy, choppy feeling that is definitely inhuman. This is not helped by the artists doing such a lackluster job with the faces, which resulted in many of the cast having FishEyes. |
| 114 | * BKN Animation's 2008 film ''What's the Matter With the Hatter?'' seems like your average cheap mid-to-late 2000s direct-to-video children's CGI movie. Then you realize that ''almost everything is [[CelShading cel-shaded]]''. Alice stares at you with wide, soulless eyes, her mouth movements are erratic, and the Cheshire Cat...!! |
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