In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the more they unsettle humans. His theory became the Uncanny Valley, and science has been evaluating it – and what makes something creepy - in recent years.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know - The Uncanny Valley
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the fascinating concept of the uncanny valley, exploring why things that look almost—but not quite—human tend to creep us out. Starting with a 1970 essay by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori that remained largely unknown until its 2005 translation, the guys explain how this theory has influenced everything from robot design to Hollywood's CGI disasters, examining why movies like The Polar Express and Final Fantasy fell flat and what makes certain creations unsettling despite (or because of) their lifelike qualities.
Movies Discussed
A Christmas Carol
"A Christmas Carol did not do very well either. So yeah, I think it definitely bore the brunt of its predecessors as well. — Another Robert Zemeckis motion-capture film discussed as a box office failure due to uncanny valley effects."
— Josh
Beowulf
"he also had a part in the Beowulf movie in 2007 that was a huge bomb — Discussed as another Robert Zemeckis motion-capture film that fell into the uncanny valley."
— Josh
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Bloom County
"Do you know that comic strip Bloom County? Well, you know, I'm a huge, huge lifelong Bloom County fan. — Referenced as the source material for Mars Needs Moms, a children's book by Berkeley Breathed."
— Josh
Fatal Attraction
"although I will say in fatal attraction the the scene where she is sitting there clicking the light on and off listening to madam butterfly that was that was kind of creepy — Referenced as an example of a genuinely creepy scene in film."
— Chuck
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
"one of the first big photo-real computer animated movies was Final Fantasy Colon, The Spirits Within — Discussed as an early example of photo-realistic CGI that fell into the uncanny valley and was a box office bomb."
— Josh
Frozen
"like say the characters in Moana or Frozen, Pixar characters, that kind of thing, where they look like they're supposed to be human — Used as examples of animated characters with exaggerated human features that avoid the uncanny valley."
— Josh
GoodFellas
"I think of the wig salesman and good fellas. Yeah, Mori, an old Jewish guy. Whoever came here was like, give me money. And Ray Leode is just in there laughing — Referenced as a comedic comparison when discussing the pronunciation of 'Mori'."
— Josh
Hey Dude
"Hey Dude, the 90s called, David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — Referenced in promotional material for a podcast about 90s nostalgia featuring cast members from the show."
Mars Needs Moms
"What about this Mars Needs Moms? I had never, ever heard of that movie, and so I went and watched the trailer — Discussed as the worst example of uncanny valley in CGI, based on a Berkeley Breathed children's book."
— Josh
Moana
"like say the characters in Moana or Frozen, Pixar characters, that kind of thing, where they look like they're supposed to be human — Used as examples of animated characters with exaggerated human features that avoid the uncanny valley."
— Josh
Psycho
"Norman Bates was in a taxidermy for a reason in psycho. Right. It was unsettling. — Referenced as an example of how taxidermy is associated with creepiness in popular culture."
— Josh
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
"in Rogue One, they completely bring back to life Grand Moth Tarkin, who was played by the deceased Peter Cushing — Discussed as an example of uncanny valley effects created by resurrecting Peter Cushing as a CGI character."
— Josh
The Adventures of Tintin
"And then did you see the Adventures of Tintin? Yeah, I really liked Tintin, though. — Discussed as a Spielberg film that successfully overcame the uncanny valley through good storytelling."
— Chuck
The Jetsons
"Some of them like the clunky Jetson style robots. Shh, you're like Rosie. — Referenced as an example of non-realistic robot design with Rosie the robot."
— Josh
The Polar Express
"you had the Polar Express, which became, I think, even more famous than Final Fantasy as far as the Uncanny Valley goes — Discussed as a prominent example of uncanny valley effects in motion-capture animated film."
— Josh
Tin Toy
"Pixar had their very first short film actually, it's called Tin Toy, it's a little five minute short — Discussed as Pixar's early animated short that preceded Toy Story and demonstrated uncanny valley effects."
— Josh
Tomb Raider
"and then there's this one kind of chubby guy in Mars. The chubby guy looked pretty good, actually, I thought. I think this was a victim. Lara Croft is kind of hot. — Video game character referenced in discussion of attractive CGI characters."
— Chuck
Toy Story
"it's called Tin Toy, it's a little five minute short, and they showed it to test audiences and they made the mistake of making the baby, Billy, look too realistic and everyone loved Tin Toy and everyone hated Billy — Pixar's early short film Tin Toy is discussed as a precursor to Toy Story that taught lessons about the uncanny valley."
— Josh
Village of the Damned
"David Germain of the Associated Press compared the kids in this heartwarming family Christmas movie to the children from Village of the Damned — Referenced as a comparison to describe how creepy the children in Polar Express looked to critics."
— Josh
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