The concept of robots as a personal human aim, or as a simulation of man is a staple of the science fiction genre, used in such films and animations as “Bladerunner” and Japanese anime series “Ghost in the Shell” which deals with the issues of robots replicating human activities in a post-cyberpunk setting. “…It is most often nothing other than an unbounded projection of the real world of production. But is not qualitatively different from it. Mechanical or energetic extensions, speed, and power increase to the nth power, but the schemas and the scenarios are those mechanics, metallurgy etc. Projected hypostasis of the robot (to the limited universe of the preindustrial era, utopia opposed to ideal, alternative universe of production, science fiction adds the multiplication of its own possibilities.”) Baudrillard (2006, p.122) What Baudrillard comments upon is the concept of robots almost being part of a utopian human existence, in which cyborgs and replicants of human beings would be a faster, durable, powerful version. It is a reflection on what I believe to be humankind’s desire to push science and manufacturing to the expectations of the hyperreal version explored in film and animation. For example, the cyborg character of “Ghost In the Shell” adopts the role of the police force, an occupation ideal for the enhanced speed and power the artificial life she possesses.
In contrast to the crime fighting hero robots, “Bladerunner” adopts the concepts of robots (replicants) being humanlike enough to avoid the Uncanny Valley and become almost undetectable from real human beings, with the potential to harm the human race and hunted by the “Blade runners.”
“We can no longer imagine any other universe: the grace of transcendence was taken away from us in that respect too. Classical science fiction was that of an expanding universe, besides, it forged a path its path in the narratives of spatial exploration, counterparts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.” Baudrillard (2006, p.123) What Baudrillard explains is our vision of the future of technology is restrained to just one concept, and as a result we are unable to imagine a future with machines and computer becoming more advanced, a utopian vision of what the world is supposed to be like. This is shown is “Bladerunner,” a neo-city set in the future, which echoes what life used to be like- the film-noir detective offices, the neon product advertisements. This is similar to issues that animation is faced with for the future. Animation originated as an interpretation of real life, and not a simulation of it. Movements of characters were an exaggerated version of their real life counterparts. Lister supports this, “the hyperrealism of early animated films and shorts in the 1930s was introduced for reasons that were economic as much as aesthetic.” Lister and Dovey (2003, p.144) Early animation were not concerned with becoming photorealistic or true to life, partly for the reason that technology was not advanced enough, and tools such as the line test were designed more for their ability to process an animation faster.
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