Oups' Cartoon Craziness

I know for a fact that I’m not the only person on Earth who’s always harbored secret dreams of starring in my own cartoon adventure. The idea of bopping funny-looking animals on the head, or being bopped myself until I’m flat as a coin and then springing back to normal size–that stuff would be more insane that going out to a nightclub in the real world and doing tequila shots.

It’s not entirely the full effect, but a team of three artists are bringing us that experience halfway with their novel Oups interactive video installation project. A participant gets in front of a screen, and through pre-programmed animation that’s divided into three layers, follows the person’s movements and becomes the star of the show. The sample videos on their site show people strapped to rockets, being electrocuted or chased by spacecraft. The artists just closed their requests to designers to help add to the Oups library, and will be showing some of those submitted in the showcase at Sao Paulo’s and Rio de Janeiro’s animation fest, Anima Mundi 2008, happening at the end of this month. I’d take this over a free open bar any day.