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...is a weblog about the liberal arts 2.0 edited by Jason Kottke since March 1998 (archives). You can read about me and kottke.org here. If you've got questions, concerns, or interesting links, send them along.

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David Gallagher dings Beowulf for using digital

David Gallagher dings Beowulf for using digital actors, resulting in an uncanny valley problem for the movie.

It's impossible to watch "Beowulf" without sensing that the "actors" are being pushed around by invisible forces, not living and breathing on their own.

I noticed the same thing when I saw the trailer in the theater a few weeks ago. I'm stunned that the filmmakers thought it was OK that the whole thing seems soulless and constantly reminds people that, hey, this is fake, you're watching a movie! It's a real testament to Pixar that they're able to stop short of the uncanny valley (they're still obviously cartoons) and still imbue their characters with life and emotion (see Anton Ego's revelation in Ratatouille).

Update: I forgot that Zemeckis and company did the creepy Polar Express as well.

By Jason Kottke  •  Nov 15, 2007  •  beowulf   davidgallagher   movies   Pixar   polarexpress   robertzemeckis   uncanny valley

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