The notion that computer graphics can recreate 'photorealistic' reality had been an ongoing fetish in the industry since its inception a generation ago. And in spite of its use, or more likely because of it, it is largely perceived as a sterile, impersonal, crass, perhaps even menacing medium. Why?

Part of the answer, in my opinion, is that CG artists are not yet exploring another sort of realism that CGI can show--the realism of human thoughts, emotions, and psychological nuances. What I'm interested in is not achieving 'photorealism' per se, but coopting elements of photorealism to recreate the realism of the complex, chaotic, conflicted, sometimes mundane and always glorious mess that we call "human nature". How can one capture that mathematically?

I will show examples of how "Psychorealism" has been explored in animation, including my short films "the end" and "Bingo". I will talk a bit about the emerging animation form of the 'animated documentary', and my current project, an animated documentary "Ryan", based on the life of the Canadian animator Ryan Larkin.