http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9D_P0d_Oc

I don't know the correct word for what I don't like about some of the animations I've seen so far.

Overdone charm/character?

Theres an animation where an alchemist tastes samples his creation, and his facial expression and mannerisms look like something from a pixar childrens movie.

I've seen this same style of animation for facial expressions and mannerisms in the wildstar footage too, and they look silly and out of place.

Well they may look in place for wildstar because it seems everything about that game got stolen from a pixar movie including art and dialogue.

The sampling animation wasn't the only concerning thing. Other animations look steriotypical and overdone, like they're trying WAY too hard to convey what they're doing, again like a pixar cartoon animation.

The man shopping for bread, standing perfectly straight, thumb and index finger on chin. Animation to convey he is making a decision. We can't see his facial expression, but if its as overdone as the other facial expressions, then its very cartoonish. Overdone and unnatural.

The dark elf female hunched over the mixing desk, then looking over quickly to read the book, the speed at which she looks at the book is jerky/unnatural/exaggerated. Being hunched over the bowl like she has no idea wtf she is doing, like a child watching mom bake something for the first time.

The man who is standing and writing, stares forward blankly, then up at the ceiling. Unnatural/cartoony. People don't move like that.

This is important because these are the kinds of things that contribute to how a game world feels. Little things like how your character runs and jumps.

I am a TES fan and while I can't speak for everyone, TES to me is a serious world, not a light hearted place. And when I see facial expressions and mannerisms like I've seen in a pixar film, that makes the world seem less like a TES world, and more like a pixar world.

Like the guy sampling his alchemy, I'm tempted to ask him where to train my dragon.

Hope this makes sense. Basically the overexaggerated and unnatural facial expressions and mannerisms, do not want.

The expressions are overdone. At least film some REAL normal real people, how the move, how they do things.

Have 10 people at your studio grind up some herbs and film it, following a recipe you made up, and I'll bet 5 out of 10 do it a similar way. Make your animation like that.

In fact do this for all your animations. Film 10 real people doing things, find the most common expressions, movements, and mannerisms and model after those.

For a shopping animation, have a value puzzle with 5 different items of different weights and prices, and have people pick out the best value. Record this, and use the more common behaviors as your animation.

Do this for all your animations. Make them feel realistic and natural.