Tintin & the Uncanny Valley

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

This send-up says it all, from boingboing (http://boingboing.net/2011/11/16/tom-the-dancing-bug-billy-da.html/tom-the-dancing-bug-93)

http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1063cbCOMIC-bd-uncanny-valley.jpg

While I understand why Spielberg might want to tackle this problem--he's always been interested in cinematic challenges--I don't understand why he chose a cartoon-based character like Tintin to do it.

[FanboyStranger]

Why is Blake Griffin living in the Uncanny Valley?

[Donald M.]

This send-up says it all.

I wouldn't call that a send-up, I'd call it a straightforward illustrated description of the term "Uncanny Valley" containing no semblance of or recognizable attempt at humor.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Okay, maybe "send-up" was a poor word choice--although I did find this strip funny and I did think "Billy Dare" was intended as a parody of Tintin. Anyway, my reason for posting it was not for its merit as a "send-up" or not, but because it explains much better than I could what the "uncanny valley" is, and it uses on point visuals to boot. That was the thing I wanted to address: the oddity of Spielberg choosing to do Tintin in MoCap and the apparent inability of the film makers to see how creepy it looks.

[carabas]

Okay, maybe "send-up" was a poor word choice--although I did find this strip funny and I did think "Billy Dare" was intended as a parody of Tintin.Tintin is not the Belgian comic I was thinking of when reading that.

Looks nothing like tintin for one thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jommeke

[Donald M.]

Okay, maybe "send-up" was a poor word choice--although I did find this strip funny

Fair enough. Comedy isn't universal, but the whole thing's a little too on the nose to come across as very funny to me.

[Kees_L]

Tintin is not the Belgian comic I was thinking of when reading that.

Looks nothing like tintin for one thing.

Much agreed.

Hergé's Tintin is a totally different approach to comic book stylisation than either Alex Raymond, Lou Fine or even Will Eisner, in that it seeks to impress not solely based on ink or shading, but through shapes both as color more rather.

Also one can note that any architecture or vehicles both as any scenical perspectives will be realistical, but any of the people or animals will be more stylised - so they may be more 'characterisable' for the artist (being solely Hergé himself) - a stylised characterisableness present in other works from before the 1950s, such as Little Nemo in Slumberland or Caniff or Eisner for example.

But the intricate fusion of realistical and modern settings with any stylisations, plus the blended usage of colors - in such a particular palette, will be quite uncanny and unique to Hergé and his Tintin.

I haven't seen the movie, but it seems to me Spielberg saw a chance for himself to finally and ultimately introduce the USA to Tintin.
Whether he succeeded I leave up to you, but the Tintin books cannot be recommended enough for what they are: the first European comic book and also one of the first comic books of all time, to merit.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Okay, I wanted to start a topic about the uncanny valley, but I guess everybody wants to talk about something else. Oh well, you can't control the way threads go. Better luck next time, I hope.

[Donald M.]

Okay, I wanted to start a topic about the uncanny valley, but I guess everybody wants to talk about something else. Oh well, you can't control the way threads go. Better luck next time, I hope.

Well, there is a TV/Film board. This would have been just as/more appropriate there and possibly more likely to garner the response you were looking for.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I wouldn't call that a send-up, I'd call it a straightforward illustrated description of the term "Uncanny Valley" containing no semblance of or recognizable attempt at humor.

Wha?
It's not that funny in the valley, but the lead up made me giggle, and the last panel is pretty funny.
Then again, I was already laughing from the thread title when I started reading it.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

While I understand why Spielberg might want to tackle this problem--he's always been interested in cinematic challenges--I don't understand why he chose a cartoon-based character like Tintin to do it.

He's a Tintin fan.
Much like Bark's Duck books, Tintin influenced the Indiana Jones films.
I think he's just working on a dream project.
I read a review saying it misses the charm of the books on every level, which is odd.
Spielberg, Jackson and a script by Stephen Moffat - that's a hell of a pedigree for a film.

As for why this Zemickis-like motion capture eye-sore that they keep going back to for no returns, I read an article which had an on-set visit - basically the set/crew was the director, DOP/Camera, and the actors and a green screen.
Cutting out all the other people being around and logistics of filmmaking is a filmmakers dream come true.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I put the "uncanny valley" here because it crosses over with several different media. Since this topic is sort of about Tintin, I could have put it on the classic comics forum. But in this topic I wanted to talk about something more philosophical--what makes us human and how we see our world.

The idea about the uncanny valley came out of robotics. The observation being that robots become more attractive to us as we make them more human until they reach the uncanny valley, where they appear so human that it's creepy.

Animation encounters the same problem. And it must be well-known to Spielberg. I doubt in our lifetime it can be overcome. The solution is to dial back the uncanny resemblance to humans. Instead of making Tintin and crew 95% human in appearance, they should have made them 85% human--then I think they would have appeared cute instead of creepy.

The interesting thing is that we can anthropomorphize all kinds of things and they seem really cute to us. We like to put faces on things. An electrical outlet looks like a face. Marcel the Shell with Shoes is amusing. So we like something the more human it seems--until it gets to a point where it freaks us out.

[Eumenides]

I saw the movie a month or so ago and I certainly didn't find the figures creepy.

[carabas]

Likewise, I've never been affected by this supposed 'uncanny valley' thing. I just don't see it.

[Athena Bast]

I put the "uncanny valley" here because it crosses over with several different media. Since this topic is sort of about Tintin, I could have put it on the classic comics forum. But in this topic I wanted to talk about something more philosophical--what makes us human and how we see our world.

The idea about the uncanny valley came out of robotics. The observation being that robots become more attractive to us as we make them more human until they reach the uncanny valley, where they appear so human that it's creepy.

Animation encounters the same problem. And it must be well-known to Spielberg. I doubt in our lifetime it can be overcome. The solution is to dial back the uncanny resemblance to humans. Instead of making Tintin and crew 95% human in appearance, they should have made them 85% human--then I think they would have appeared cute instead of creepy.

The interesting thing is that we can anthropomorphize all kinds of things and they seem really cute to us. We like to put faces on things. An electrical outlet looks like a face. Marcel the Shell with Shoes is amusing. So we like something the more human it seems--until it gets to a point where it freaks us out.

From the clips I've seen, the only one that seems to visit the uncanny valley is Tintin himself. The other characters are closer to the safe cartoony mountain.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Likewise, I've never been affected by this supposed 'uncanny valley' thing. I just don't see it.

Did you enjoy Polar Express?

I don't know how much people actually get creeped out by the Uncanny Valley, but generally we don't like looking at animations/creations that look that way, in a way we don't with 2D animation.
We're more likely to accept/like a anthropomorphized object/animation than we are an almost, but not quite, realistic animation of a human.

I think it comes down to this - we all hate uggos.

[The Cool Thatguy]

http://www.cracked.com/blog/whats-really-delaying-spielbergs-tin-tin-movie-racism/

After reading that, I don't know if I can look at Tintin without thinking about it...

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

This Tintin fan/Guardian columnist wasn't impressed. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/oct/18/how-could-do-this-tintin) He seems to find the visuals the least creepy part.
I also link to it for the irony of him declaring it rape, in honor of the South Park joke... somewhat oblivious to it's over use across the internet.
You gotta love when cultural commentators show themselves up as having no real idea of the culture around them.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

The Polar Express really creeped me out. I rather regretted spending my money to see it in the theatre. It felt like a bunch of adults had put together this movie with no real appreciation for the wonderment of childhood.

On top of the MoCap that never let me get into the movie and feel empathy for the characters, I found the whole portrait of the North Pole didn't work for me. As kids we build up our own idea of Santa's workshop and this just felt wrong to me.

Contrast this with Elf. That movie really seemed to tap into the shared ideal vision that North American kids have of the North Pole.

[Libaax]

This Tintin fan/Guardian columnist wasn't impressed. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/oct/18/how-could-do-this-tintin) He seems to find the visuals the least creepy part.
I also link to it for the irony of him declaring it rape, in honor of the South Park joke... somewhat oblivious to it's over use across the internet.
You gotta love when cultural commentators show themselves up as having no real idea of the culture around them.

Tintin was also my childhood hero and i dont agree with that guy. Sure Speilberg film was not as realistic but the adventure feeling, the characters was captured really well. You can see people made the film are fans or atleast the director is. The love for the characters is clear to people who have read the comics and admire Tintin. You can call it a rape only if you expect a complete copy of herge art,mind. You cant copy someone like that.

Sure it was more american,british in style but there were clear signs of the real Tintin, Haddock etc

It became the only film i have seen twice in the cinema and i look forward to the sequel. Tintin is THE adventure hero and he deserve to biggest in film medium too.