Even simple animated characters can convey a compelling illusion of believability, and stir empathy in audiences. In fact, it seems that the simpler and more abstract is the character, the easier it is to convey a compelling illusion of believability. This talk will show how procedural animation can be used to explore this perceptual space, and will look at some challenging questions raised by the human mind's ability to empathize with simple animated characters.
Background readings: