The Uncanny Valley

When a Computer Graphic (CG) character’s appearance becomes to near to a real human being, this can give the perceiver a feeling of unease or uncanny. This phenomenon is first described by Masahiro Mori and it is called the uncanny valley. In some movies the creators have tried to make the characters near human-like. These characters have received negative reviews referring to the uncanny valley. Especially the eyes are getting negative attention. To see what the influences of the eyes of a CG-character are, this thesis studies oculesics, the role of the eyes in nonverbal communication. Here, we look at the facial expression of emotion with references to the Facial Action Coding System of Ekman and Friesen. Also the movements of the eyes, pupil dilation and blinking rate are discussed. In the end we compare the differences in oculesics between the characters in the movies The Polar Express (2004) and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011).