There’s a trick computer games do to create a 3D effect. They take a 2D map and characters and rotate the image until a corner of the rectangle points at you. It’s a way to suggest a depth in perception that isn’t there and is sometimes called two-and-a-half-D or fake 3D.
This is the trick that the pixel artists have brought to these nostalgic and animated maps. Could these have been some of the best movies from the 80s?
Ghostbusters
It’s good to see Slimer and Peter Venkman going about their daily routine in the Ghostbusters headquarters. That old firehouse is simply something else! The building is still standing and got a $6 million make-over approved in 2016.
Back to the Future
Doc’s garage is central to Back to the Future. Where else would you park a DeLorean DMC-12?
E.T.
Elliot’s bedroom is full of all sorts of geeky goodies. A certain bald alien happens to be chief among them.
Millennium Falcon
I’d expect to see Han or Chewbacca roaming around the Millennium Falcon. The suggestion is that this is Millennium Falcon from Return of the Jedi and therefore that would make the little figure Luke Skywalker.
Karate Kid
A map of Mr Miyagi’s garden? A stretch as far as mapping goes… but absolutely on the button if we’re going for nostalgia. I imagine animating pixel art is as repetitive as learning wash-on wash-off at times!
The Breakfast Club
The library from Shermer High School. Is this an example of neon strips used right? We’ve progressed since then and now have multi-coloured light strips with their own IP address and the ability to react to Alexa or Google Home commands.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
A second garage… but it’s hard to do a tour of iconic 80s movies without featuring Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
These cute maps come from a rather strange place. They’re from a blog post on the Angie’s List website. If you need some help doing up your home then Angie’s List helps out and I think the goal of these animated maps is to appeal to geeks and encourage to do exactly that.
