Elvish remedy for the uncanny valley : theoretical framework for character design and development

Abstract

As technology evolved, its user reliance increased in many domains as it provided a range of new opportunities in the process of creativity and design. The notion concerning whether these advancements are improvements or not, is debatable since they gave certain results but were also the reason behind the emergence of a new problematic. In the field of animation, it is not strange to see the re-occurring term “The Uncanny Valley” in critiques of realistically animated films. This term was proposed by Dr. Masahiro Mori to describe a drop in likeness of realistically rendered characters after they exceed a certain level of realism. This phenomenon prevents the audience to empathize with the presented characters and therefore causing realistically animated film to fail in the Box Office. Despite all the research undertaken on the subject and the improvements in technology, the problem persists. This research aims at exploring new approaches to resolving this problem in the character design process, a procedure designers follow to create functional characters within a presented world. The results will present a new theoretical framework that will serve as a guide for the character design process for creating realistic characters that would meet the expectations of its viewers.