Realistic 3D CGI: is it the worst thing since jello?

The animations industry briefly experimented with realistic 3D CGI in the mid 2000s, the most well known examples of this are The Polar Express (2003) and Beowulf (2007). It's a weird sub-genre, both movies were solidly average but the style of animation has died out for features. I'm okay with that. Realistic CGI lands theses films pretty heavily within the uncanny valley, especially for the older of the two movies. The movements of the characters are weightless and awkward, and there is absolutely no emotion behind their eyes. The whole experiment sort of reminds me of the equally as short-lived series of rotoscoped animated movies in the late 70s like the original Lord of the Rings (1978). The Realistic CGI does allow for some amazing set pieces and lighting, but falls short in the movement department.

In western cinema, this method of animation only seems to be prevalent in video game cinematic trailers or cutscenes. Is it only because the amount of polish necessary for realistic 3D animation restricts it to short videos? Or maybe because we are used to seeing video game characters with less than realistic movement so the cinematics feel like a step up? Is it that realistic 3D animation is just an awkward compromise between live action CGI and traditional animation? Whatever it is, I don't think we are going to see a resurgence of realistic 3D animated features outside of Japanese produced sci-fi films.

Comments

  1. Rose PinnisiDecember 17, 2018 at 7:07 PM

    Japanese produced sci-fi films are a good thing to bring up...
    Why isn't Advent Children terrible? It's exactly the same weird kind of vaguely realistic CGI. And yet it doesn't bother me at all.
    Is that because it's going for a more anime-style look, so it's slightly unreal anyway? The faces are very pointed and so on... and yet it looks way more realistic to me than Polar Express. Something to think about.

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