I think there's a bit of an "uncanny valley" thing going on here. I'm struck by how the solid black pupils in the rough are so much warmer and more appealing than the blue irises in the final. But of course it would be really weird for Pinocchio to lose his irises when he turns into a real boy, since he had them as a puppet. The more realistic eye treatment works better on his wooden puppet face, but on his human face the eyes push us towards the uncanny valley of being TOO realistic.
Hence the sense of disappointment I've felt ever since a kid when Pinocchio is transformed.
November 01, 2007 12:36 PM
[Image]Click to enlarge. Will Finn published a rough of what he says is an early version Pinocchio as a real boy. I've placed it next to a frame from the film that seems to be the closest to the pose. The differences are not all that striking. The shape of the nose is definitely different, as are the pupils. The cheek and jaw line in the rough is softer and more appealing than in the final frame.
Beyond that, though, there's not much difference outside of what a clean-up artist would normally do to a rough. Will mentions how doughy the hands look in the rough, but except for getting rid of fingernails and slimming down the right thumb, the finished frame doesn't change the hands significantly.
There's not a lot more to say about this, but I do think the direct visual comparison is interesting.
posted by Mark Mayerson at 10:35 AM on Oct 31, 2007
"Pinocchio Part 31B"
1 Comment -
I think there's a bit of an "uncanny valley" thing going on here. I'm struck by how the solid black pupils in the rough are so much warmer and more appealing than the blue irises in the final. But of course it would be really weird for Pinocchio to lose his irises when he turns into a real boy, since he had them as a puppet. The more realistic eye treatment works better on his wooden puppet face, but on his human face the eyes push us towards the uncanny valley of being TOO realistic.
Hence the sense of disappointment I've felt ever since a kid when Pinocchio is transformed.
November 01, 2007 12:36 PM