Even Monkeys Shun the Uncanny Valley

Kevin points out an interesting study that might have something to say to animation producers.

Apparently, monkey's don't like the Uncanny Valley, either. As the study summary states,

In the experiments, the monkeys, which normally coo and smack their lips to engage each other, quickly avert their glances and are frightened when confronted by the close-to-real images. When asked to peer at the less close-to-real faces and real faces, however, they viewed them more often and for longer periods ...

The summary goes on:

Movie-goers may not be familiar with the term, but they understand that it is far easier to love the out-of-proportion cartoon figures in the “The Incredibles,” for example, than it is to embrace the more realistic-looking characters in “The Polar Express.”

Ah. Now I know why Snow White's Prince and the Fleischer's Gulliver make my skin crawl.

You can check out Kevin's full post on the study here.