Correction: the character "Ratboy Genius" is the yellow rat character, NOT the pale skinned rat character who sings the song i showed, that is actually "Little King John", the arch nemesis and antagonist of Ratboy Genius. Thanks for correcting me in the comments guys.
Little fun fact about AMF as a company. Most people know them for the automated bowling systems they made, but they also built nuclear reactors and Harley Davidson motorcycles for a time
As an animator myself, I'd like to weigh in on this conversation from a technical standpoint; You mentioned these animations have a "dream-like quality" to them, and I agree. Not only are they weird scenarios, but alot of the AMF one's in particular have very slow movements and all feel kinda floaty, which reminds me of dreams where you are trying to run but are barely moving. The slow movement result's from of a lack of easing! Easing is one of the 12 principles of animation, and it really boils down to the speed at which a character moves. Alot of these characters move at different speeds from each other in the same clip, eg, the pins walking very slowly and the ball quickly appearing out of nowhere at 9:22. The animation directly afterwards this also shows the lack of easing, in the motion of the orange pin "walking" into the jail cell. It kinda feels like it's being pulled in there against it's will and the immediate stop rather than a slow out of that motion also adds to the awkwardness. You did touch on this in the video, but another aspect that adds to the uncanny feeling of the jail cell animation in particular is the other characters in the scene aren't moving at all. Even the main character stands there motionless after it is pulled into the cell, rather than reacting or acknowledging the other pins in the cell. If you watch a Pixar film, the characters never outright STOP in the middle of a scene. Even if it's just small things, like their eyes moving or them repositioning themselves while standing off to the side in a scene, it is very important for the audience to feel the character is alive. Living people don't just STOP, so neither should these 3D characters. In fact, it's pretty much impossible to not move when you try to stay still as you can. Its just something to keep in mind. I think this lack of polish is a time saving effort from the artists responsible for these animations. 3D models take hours to make, and then rigging them up for animation takes even longer. I can see the use of time saving measures here; such as repeating keyframes rather than setting new ones, adding a spline for a character rather than animating a walk cycle, and also just disregarding/ making the most simple rigs possible. I hope this was interesting, I enjoyed your video and i'm glad to see you talking about these animations, they're technically flawed, but so nostalgic to me too :))
Brilliant video, I never realised just how similar bowling animations are to the vast array of weird animations, would have loved Foodfight to get a mention but everything included was interesting and I can't wait for your next video
I find bowling animations to be a more interesting topic from a business/industry perspective to be honest. Like, why are corporations green lighting this kind of content, what is the rationale for choosing something so weird, and does including so weird of animations actually make customers want to come back to bowl more? Maybe some of the history behind who actually made the bowling animations for AMF and others would be interesting too. But rhetorically, this is a great start of the topic of something that I'm sure goes even deeper than anyone expects.
I thought I was getting a history lesson in where did those weird bowling animations came from, but I got a video essay explaining the appeal of weird animations. Nothing wrong with that, but I would much rather know where did those animations come from, and who made them, rather than some overthinking analysis on why weird animations are appealing
Nice video, and Bowling anims are really weird indeed. But I am actually interested in just why huge companies like Brunswick seemingly only invest 50 ct in their bowling animations. They sometimes look like they are done using an Amiga computer and a bit of Deluxe Paint. Just why can't they be better?
I'm glad Nicholas Fedorov came up, back in the day I loved his stuff, I was like distraught when he disappeared. Every halloween I end up making some reference to Platonic Hydrocarbon Law and no one gets it. It's sad.
There’s something forever so weirdly nostalgic about animations like these for me. I don’t know where it comes from, what could possibly bring it on. I never spent a lot of of time bowling, the amount of times I’ve been bowling I could probably count on 1 hand, and yet these animations somehow seem to just resonate with you, like their so weird they’re just permanently etched into your brain.
I have a cousin who works at Brunswick in Muskegon, MI. He usually paints the markings on the wood on the lanes, but his first project was working on the Frameworx animations. He made the 1995 and 99 sets, but he was never brought back for later systems.
This is awesome!! I was already subscribed to PilotRedSun before I saw this video, and I'm so happy the algorithm threw this video at me. PilotRedSun is most memorable to me because their video 'Not so fast'. It was surreal, fascinating, and artistic all at the same time. Like I want a full length movie from them.
I dunno if it fits necessarily into the video topic but I'd say Jack Stauber inspires a similar uncanny feeling to that of Pilot and Nick !! Awesome video btw, I've always had a fascination for weird uncanny content like this so getting to learn more about it this way is neat !! I also found some cool new stuff to check out through your vid, I can't believe I've never heard of Nicholas till now . His work is right up my alley
Man I really hope the guys from Corridor Crew come across this video and it prompts them make a challenge for making these uncanny weird bowling animations.
I remember going bowling with my family as a kid and the bowling animations the place used didn't use sound (it had ones like the orange pins going in the jail cell or the dragon eating your ball). For me, seeing them would just give a form of nostalgia no matter how bad or uncanny they were, like watching the older Veggietales movies. It's is less scary when you have seen them so much or grew up with them. the animations in the Fears to Fathom game are also more on the uncanny valley spectrum of animation
I feel like the AI upscaling of the animations shown in the video can add to the uncanniness because of how janky it can look and how it looks both high and low quality at the same time.
This is the most mesmerized my cat has ever been while watching TH-cam. Not even bird & squirrel videos can keep his attention. I can’t tell if he finds this very interesting or if it’s so scary he can’t look away.
i might be going crazy. this video says it was published 6 days ago, but i swear i remember watching this a few months to a year ago, and when i started the video it was already partway through.
Bro this video had some insane editing and visuals that made this an amazing watch, glad your getting more appreciation from your recent works. Your awesome dude
Xploshi is another animator that could definitely fit into this uncanny triangle. Her works are similar to pilotredsun's, except they drift into a comedically horrific corner as the video goes on. Many of the videos are parodies of other properties, but there are some really good original works too. Definitely check her out if the animations in this video scratch an itch for you
This was a neat video that explained why the animations are weird. I was hoping it would go into why the animations exist. Why do all the bowling alleys have this similar aesthetic? Did they all contract the animations from the same company? Is it a cultural thing? Are they all copying one influential company?
I love watching these after I take my turn. They’re so odd but they fit the fun nostalgic vibe in Just the right way and they’re hilarious to watch. I would be really sad if they ever went away. Brunswick was the one I grew up with, I didn’t know it had a name lol
Well that's a cool video but I kinda was expecting the history and studio making the bowling animations and the story behind them and who works there etc
what a video. found this in my recommended feed and really glad i watched it. incredible editing, love the way you talked about and around this idea. ive heard of some of the artists you mentioned and never heard of the others. definitely have to do a deep dive on nicholas federov's work, really captivating stuff
Pilotredsun music, huh? Nice taste. Also it makes me happy that the comment section cares enough about RBG to point out the difference between him and LKJ
I love that this was recommended to me However I left it unwatched for a few days and I might regret watching this in the middle of the night before sleeping..
This is a great video explaining how the uncanny valley work. All of the editing and explaining was on point But I’m curious as to why bowling alleys use uncanny animations to begin with.
Bowling animations were liminal before we all knew that word. Also I think a bowling alley with cell shades animations would look badass and stand out from the rest
The Ratboy Genius channel was actually created by a guy named Ryan Dorin. According to the Ratboy Genius Wikipedia (Yes, this is a thing, don't question it), he's a musician, sound designer, and actor, among other things. In doing more research, there appears to be a bit of a cult following surrounding his Ratboy Genius media. You can actually find some fanart from people floating around the internet. Now, as for PilotRedSun, I feel the need to mention how it feels like this is an early version of the Weirdcore aesthetic. I've never heard of this guy before, but his work seriously does scream "Weirdcore".
imo most of it has to do with the effort/budget put into the model artwork vs the effort put into rigging & actually moving the characters around. you see semi-realistic characters & objects being moved around with really simplistic trajectories etc.
Interesting analysis, but I was definitely hoping for more of an explanation of WHY they are actually weird. Like more about how they were developed / why DON'T they look like the nicer animations shown.
You know what... I kinda dont want those janky animations to change, it's part of the appeal of bowling for me, striking a pin and laughing with my mate at the haos unfolding on the score screen.
It’s 2am and the 4th of July I am very lit, after a long night I look for something to keep me entertained as I snack… I think the first 60 seconds has granted me enlightenment or my brain is very damaged
Correction: the character "Ratboy Genius" is the yellow rat character, NOT the pale skinned rat character who sings the song i showed, that is actually "Little King John", the arch nemesis and antagonist of Ratboy Genius. Thanks for correcting me in the comments guys.
Potato knishes! Potato knishes! I love potato knishes!
Thank god you corrected that! I almost took it out in my special needs son! Smh!
@@LimeLoaf you should do that anyway
@@Raichu159 This is why you're better than pikachu
thanks I was so sad when you said "this is ratboy genius" and played little king john's song
They look like every Pixar storyboard “here’s what the idea looked like before millions of dollars was poured into it”
that intro scratches an itch
Your name is so silly I love it
It went on way too damn long.
@@WobblesandBeanTo each their own
2012?
The bowling cinematic universe
Little fun fact about AMF as a company. Most people know them for the automated bowling systems they made, but they also built nuclear reactors and Harley Davidson motorcycles for a time
They also made the CIA deer gun. A single shot 9mm pistol that the CIA planned on giving to Vietnamese civilians to be used to kill VietKong.
Just one of those companies I guess… kinda like Yamaha, building stuff like motorcycles and outboard motors to audio speakers, pianos and drum sets.
Good to know
Makes me think of Shinra from FFVII. They also had energy reactors, vehicle manufacturing and silly early 3D presentations lol
They did whaaat?!
As an animator myself, I'd like to weigh in on this conversation from a technical standpoint;
You mentioned these animations have a "dream-like quality" to them, and I agree. Not only are they weird scenarios, but alot of the AMF one's in particular have very slow movements and all feel kinda floaty, which reminds me of dreams where you are trying to run but are barely moving.
The slow movement result's from of a lack of easing!
Easing is one of the 12 principles of animation, and it really boils down to the speed at which a character moves.
Alot of these characters move at different speeds from each other in the same clip, eg, the pins walking very slowly and the ball quickly appearing out of nowhere at 9:22.
The animation directly afterwards this also shows the lack of easing, in the motion of the orange pin "walking" into the jail cell. It kinda feels like it's being pulled in there against it's will and the immediate stop rather than a slow out of that motion also adds to the awkwardness.
You did touch on this in the video, but another aspect that adds to the uncanny feeling of the jail cell animation in particular is the other characters in the scene aren't moving at all. Even the main character stands there motionless after it is pulled into the cell, rather than reacting or acknowledging the other pins in the cell. If you watch a Pixar film, the characters never outright STOP in the middle of a scene.
Even if it's just small things, like their eyes moving or them repositioning themselves while standing off to the side in a scene, it is very important for the audience to feel the character is alive. Living people don't just STOP, so neither should these 3D characters. In fact, it's pretty much impossible to not move when you try to stay still as you can. Its just something to keep in mind.
I think this lack of polish is a time saving effort from the artists responsible for these animations.
3D models take hours to make, and then rigging them up for animation takes even longer. I can see the use of time saving measures here; such as repeating keyframes rather than setting new ones, adding a spline for a character rather than animating a walk cycle, and also just disregarding/ making the most simple rigs possible.
I hope this was interesting, I enjoyed your video and i'm glad to see you talking about these animations, they're technically flawed, but so nostalgic to me too :))
Thank you for the comment it's very interesting
Yea
Brilliant video, I never realised just how similar bowling animations are to the vast array of weird animations, would have loved Foodfight to get a mention but everything included was interesting and I can't wait for your next video
I find bowling animations to be a more interesting topic from a business/industry perspective to be honest. Like, why are corporations green lighting this kind of content, what is the rationale for choosing something so weird, and does including so weird of animations actually make customers want to come back to bowl more? Maybe some of the history behind who actually made the bowling animations for AMF and others would be interesting too. But rhetorically, this is a great start of the topic of something that I'm sure goes even deeper than anyone expects.
I thought I was getting a history lesson in where did those weird bowling animations came from, but I got a video essay explaining the appeal of weird animations. Nothing wrong with that, but I would much rather know where did those animations come from, and who made them, rather than some overthinking analysis on why weird animations are appealing
I was notified of this video by someone on discord. Very much appreciated and well researched. I appreciate your kind words.
YOOOO IT'S THE MAN HIMSELF :0
I never expected this video to get around rat boy genius and crude animation in general
Nice video, and Bowling anims are really weird indeed. But I am actually interested in just why huge companies like Brunswick seemingly only invest 50 ct in their bowling animations. They sometimes look like they are done using an Amiga computer and a bit of Deluxe Paint. Just why can't they be better?
Smirkin" Turkey is the greatest band name I've heard in a long time
Theres a few russian cartoons that used to be on карусель that share these qualities of animation as well. They are kinda weird but nostalgic.
how you intro'd this video had me hooked, and the rest of the ways you broke down the science of specific animations was fascinating.
anyone know the exact prs track at 3:14?
it seems to be a slowed edit of fleece snowkbs
I'm glad Nicholas Fedorov came up, back in the day I loved his stuff, I was like distraught when he disappeared. Every halloween I end up making some reference to Platonic Hydrocarbon Law and no one gets it. It's sad.
This video is super well made, dunno how this doesn't have more views on it. You honestly really deserve more
This is amazing... i can feel the uncanniness coming inside me
The uncanniness is coming in your valley.
There’s something forever so weirdly nostalgic about animations like these for me. I don’t know where it comes from, what could possibly bring it on. I never spent a lot of of time bowling, the amount of times I’ve been bowling I could probably count on 1 hand, and yet these animations somehow seem to just resonate with you, like their so weird they’re just permanently etched into your brain.
It's so interesting because I've never seen any of these animations
So there must be different ones in different regions
Sometimes I just feel like one of those simple 3D emojis. Nice video!
I have a cousin who works at Brunswick in Muskegon, MI. He usually paints the markings on the wood on the lanes, but his first project was working on the Frameworx animations. He made the 1995 and 99 sets, but he was never brought back for later systems.
This is awesome!! I was already subscribed to PilotRedSun before I saw this video, and I'm so happy the algorithm threw this video at me. PilotRedSun is most memorable to me because their video 'Not so fast'. It was surreal, fascinating, and artistic all at the same time. Like I want a full length movie from them.
I'll be honest, I can't hear "bowling alley [screen] animation" anymore without thinking about that *one* twitter animation
I dunno if it fits necessarily into the video topic but I'd say Jack Stauber inspires a similar uncanny feeling to that of Pilot and Nick !!
Awesome video btw, I've always had a fascination for weird uncanny content like this so getting to learn more about it this way is neat !! I also found some cool new stuff to check out through your vid, I can't believe I've never heard of Nicholas till now . His work is right up my alley
Bowling animations gove off the vibe of the amazing digital circus. Like when we look away and the lights turn off theyre all deeply scared and tired
"The Jimmy Neutron Happy Family Hour" is peak weird animation for me. Great video btw!!!
Man I really hope the guys from Corridor Crew come across this video and it prompts them make a challenge for making these uncanny weird bowling animations.
As someone who used to go bowling once a week, I had no idea there was more than a handful of bowling animations...
this video was such a mood at 2 AM.
I've always felt a strange uncanny and creepiness with crude 3d animation, this video has helped me realize why.
thank you for resparking my interest in uncanny/unnatural/off putting videos/music/art. amazing video!
None of the bowling alleys I went to growing up had these. This is like a fever dream. Thanks for showing me what I missed out on lol.
I hope they never change these, you can’t play bowling without these
Fantastic delve into a niche that I didn't even know that I was interested in. Hope to see more kinds of videos from this channel. Great job, man. 🙂
Fitting use of pilotredsun's music, considering his style is peak absurd and uncanney valley.
I remember going bowling with my family as a kid and the bowling animations the place used didn't use sound (it had ones like the orange pins going in the jail cell or the dragon eating your ball). For me, seeing them would just give a form of nostalgia no matter how bad or uncanny they were, like watching the older Veggietales movies. It's is less scary when you have seen them so much or grew up with them. the animations in the Fears to Fathom game are also more on the uncanny valley spectrum of animation
Think I've watched this like five times. Genuinely enjoyed this trip through funny little creations
Thank you so much for referencing artists in the same uncanny vein. I have a lot of interesting things to watch now :)
I feel like the AI upscaling of the animations shown in the video can add to the uncanniness because of how janky it can look and how it looks both high and low quality at the same time.
Great video, love the ones that talk about these weird ass questions you always have in the back of your mind.
I remember chadtronic reacting to these videos a long time ago, brings back some memories.
Great video, i remembered how much i've loved PilotRedSun's music
We used to have a vhs of all the animations at my dad's cousins bowling alleys. Those have probably never even been seen outside those alleys.
This answers what makes them weird, but not why they were made that way
Man you brought so much back with ratboy genius. Potato knishes was such a core part of my personality.
This is the most mesmerized my cat has ever been while watching TH-cam. Not even bird & squirrel videos can keep his attention. I can’t tell if he finds this very interesting or if it’s so scary he can’t look away.
Don't forget about the fake and just as uncanny NSFW bowling animations
Finally someone remembers the ones that went viral on Twitter a couple years ago
I wanted to forget...
im gonna learn animation and start making more bowling animations, this is so fucking cool to me, these videos scratch a weird itch in my brain
The Brunswick ones are what I grew up with and they have this low fps crust and it just adds so much to the effect. They have so much character.
The overdriven sound of the microfone makes it even more uncanny to watch before sleep.
i might be going crazy. this video says it was published 6 days ago, but i swear i remember watching this a few months to a year ago, and when i started the video it was already partway through.
always used to look at the animations at a kid and felt uncanny and oddly nostalgic
Bro this video had some insane editing and visuals that made this an amazing watch, glad your getting more appreciation from your recent works. Your awesome dude
Xploshi is another animator that could definitely fit into this uncanny triangle. Her works are similar to pilotredsun's, except they drift into a comedically horrific corner as the video goes on. Many of the videos are parodies of other properties, but there are some really good original works too. Definitely check her out if the animations in this video scratch an itch for you
This was a neat video that explained why the animations are weird. I was hoping it would go into why the animations exist. Why do all the bowling alleys have this similar aesthetic? Did they all contract the animations from the same company? Is it a cultural thing? Are they all copying one influential company?
I had no idea that I needed this video, but... I am grateful for it. Great work!
The only bowling alley I've ever played at has the Brunswick animations but I had no idea for the last 15 years that they had sound
The freakin smirks on the escapee pins 😂😂😂 i love it
I’m a simple person, I see a new creator that does incredibly specific videos and I subscribe, keep up the good work!
That opening slapped 👏
I love watching these after I take my turn. They’re so odd but they fit the fun nostalgic vibe in Just the right way and they’re hilarious to watch. I would be really sad if they ever went away. Brunswick was the one I grew up with, I didn’t know it had a name lol
Well that's a cool video but I kinda was expecting the history and studio making the bowling animations and the story behind them and who works there etc
what a video. found this in my recommended feed and really glad i watched it. incredible editing, love the way you talked about and around this idea. ive heard of some of the artists you mentioned and never heard of the others. definitely have to do a deep dive on nicholas federov's work, really captivating stuff
first thing I noticed about the mouse is how both use the same cheese model
Pilotredsun music, huh? Nice taste. Also it makes me happy that the comment section cares enough about RBG to point out the difference between him and LKJ
LSD dream... Emulator (Vsauce theme starts playing)
They all look like they’re animated in the old “kahoots” animation software we had on our computers in the school computer lab. (Same era as kidpix)
i wish that weird dvd movie “caught between worlds” was included, it’s genuine insanity
These are the types of animations that actually give me nightmares...
I love that this was recommended to me
However I left it unwatched for a few days and I might regret watching this in the middle of the night before sleeping..
This is a great video explaining how the uncanny valley work. All of the editing and explaining was on point
But I’m curious as to why bowling alleys use uncanny animations to begin with.
I’m so glad TH-cam keeps recommending gems like these
Bowling animations were liminal before we all knew that word. Also I think a bowling alley with cell shades animations would look badass and stand out from the rest
I've never heard of bowling animations... just a digital screen showing our names and scores...
A almost 40 min video on bowling animations? I didn’t think that was possible😂
Never made the connection but yeah, Catchphrase definitely gives off bowling alley animation vibes.
I was always under the impression that it was just one guy making all these animations, and that it was just the style they were used to
The Ratboy Genius channel was actually created by a guy named Ryan Dorin. According to the Ratboy Genius Wikipedia (Yes, this is a thing, don't question it), he's a musician, sound designer, and actor, among other things. In doing more research, there appears to be a bit of a cult following surrounding his Ratboy Genius media. You can actually find some fanart from people floating around the internet. Now, as for PilotRedSun, I feel the need to mention how it feels like this is an early version of the Weirdcore aesthetic. I've never heard of this guy before, but his work seriously does scream "Weirdcore".
Can’t believe this guy said these animations aren’t old
imo most of it has to do with the effort/budget put into the model artwork vs the effort put into rigging & actually moving the characters around. you see semi-realistic characters & objects being moved around with really simplistic trajectories etc.
Interesting analysis, but I was definitely hoping for more of an explanation of WHY they are actually weird. Like more about how they were developed / why DON'T they look like the nicer animations shown.
snl did a skit on this but they only parodied the weird premises, not the surrealism. I feel like they could’ve really dived into that
You tricked me 😂 I love it. Thanks for baiting me into finding new animations. You got past my filter
I hope there is a part 2 of this eventually. If there is one, please, mention Eastern Mind and VLIF. They'd fit like a glove in a video like this.
Watching LGR and seeing the AMF bowling ball makes me think, I've always wondered what the mascot of Snood does during its downtime.
pioletredsons’s animations remind me of jack stauber claymation/animations. i always suggest stauber’s animations
this was a fantastic video. thank you for making it
I was thinking of the animation Val Val Val during this video, I think it could be a good example of all three uncanny aspects.
Alas…the feeling of an instant subscribe….algorithm doing something right
Love the pilotredsun art style
You know what... I kinda dont want those janky animations to change, it's part of the appeal of bowling for me, striking a pin and laughing with my mate at the haos unfolding on the score screen.
That transition into talking about LSD Dream Emulator was some Vsauce shit lmao.
It’s 2am and the 4th of July I am very lit, after a long night I look for something to keep me entertained as I snack… I think the first 60 seconds has granted me enlightenment or my brain is very damaged
I'm surprised Pamtri didn't come up. Love that channel.
Santiago.
@pamtri is also a masterful example of the uncanny valley of animation
been waiting for this video all my life. Who makes the bowling animations tho?
A lot of these animations, I had never seen before. I feel as though I've been inteoduced to a whole new world. Exhilarating🎉
This is finally the yourube video I hve been searching for! W video!!
Been waiting for someone to make something like this
The internet and animations from this time are peak nostalgia