Too-realistic animation can creep us out

     BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Computer animation¹（动画） has a problem: When it gets too realistic, it starts creeping people out.

    Most recently, moviegoers complained about the near-realistic depiction² of humans in Disney's 3D flick³ "Mars Needs Moms."A theory called the "uncanny valley" says people tend to feel attracted to inanimate objects with human traits, the way a teddy bear or a rag doll seems cute. People's affection grows as an object looks more human. But if it becomes too human-looking, people suddenly become repulsed⁴.

    Instead of seeing what is similar, we notice the flaws, and the motionless eyes or awkward movements suddenly make the viewer uncomfortable.

    "Mars" may have plunged⁵ to the bottom of this valley of fear. "People always comment on things feeling strangely dead around the eyes," says Chuck Sheetz, an animation director of "The Simpsons" and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, the United States. "If it gets too literal, it starts to feel false or has a strange effect."Skin texture⁶ that's slightly off really leaves people unsettled, says Patrick Markey, a psychologist and director of Villanova University's Interpersonal Research Laboratory.

    The near-realistic animation championed by producer Robert Zemeckis uses motion-capture technology, where actors are covered with dots and skin suits and have their performances captured on computer. The dots provide the frame, and the rest is filled in with computerized graphics⁷.

    "Mars" creates humans that are more realistic and detailed⁸ than Zemeckis' earlier attempts in "Beowulf" and "The Polar Express" - both criticized for inviting⁹ this discomfort¹⁰. The greater detail might have made things worse.

    Doug McGoldrick, who took his two daughters to see the movie, says the faces of the main characters "were just wrong." Their foreheads were lifeless and plastic-looking, "like they had way too much botox," says the 41-year-old photographer in a Chicago suburb.

    Marc Kelley, a 32-year-old pastor¹¹ in Allegan, Michigan, who went with his two young children, says he found the renditions of characters "all annoying in their own way."Indeed, when the mother of the main character Milo mentions the word "zombies" at the start of the movie, it conjures¹² up a feeling that the characters themselves are undead.

    Animation experts say the key to success is to be only authentic¹³ enough to tug¹⁴ at the viewer's heart strings¹⁵.

    The best example was "Avatar," the 2009 blockbuster that made US$2.8 billion worldwide. The humanoid, but blue-bodied Na'vi were alien enough not to trigger the inner rejection¹⁶ mechanism¹⁷.

    "My personal opinion is try to stay away from photo-real with a human," says Greg Philyaw, business development head at Giant Studios, which captured the performance of human actors for their digital re-creation in "Avatar." "Subconsciously¹⁸ you know what you're looking at isn't quite right."The Walt Disney Co, which declined comment, plans to shut the Zemeckis-run company ImageMovers Digital, which made "Mars," to cut costs. Disney also nixed a plan to fund and distribute Zemeckis' "Yellow Submarine," a half-finished work he is now free to shop to other studios. Zemeckis declined comment.

    "Mars" had an estimated US$150 million budget, but has brought in just US$34 million globally since its March 11 opening.

    To be fair, there were other problems besides being visually unnerving. For one, it appeared to be marketed at young boys who are interested in science fiction but also are closely attached to their mothers. Some young children also got scared about the plot involving mommy abduction.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

2 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

3 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

4 repulsed   

v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝

参考例句：

• I was repulsed by the horrible smell. 这种可怕的气味让我恶心。
• At the first brush,the enemy was repulsed. 敌人在第一次交火时就被击退了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

6 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

7 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

10 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

11 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

12 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

13 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

14 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

15 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

16 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

17 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

18 subconsciously   

ad.下意识地，潜意识地

参考例句：

• In choosing a partner we are subconsciously assessing their evolutionary fitness to be a mother of children or father provider and protector. 在选择伴侣的时候，我们会在潜意识里衡量对方将来是否会是称职的母亲或者父亲，是否会是合格的一家之主。
• Lao Yang thought as he subconsciously tightened his grasp on the rifle. 他下意识地攥紧枪把想。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译