Astonishing 3D cat billboard stuns pedestrians (and the internet)

We've seen plenty of traffic-stopping billboard ads over the years, but this might just be the most incredible example yet. A giant 3D cat has appeared in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and it looks like, well, a giant, real cat.

Spanning three floors, the billboard across from Shinjuku Station features a curved display which allows it to create the realistic 3D effect. We've seen 3D billboards before, but the Shinjuku cat, rendered in full 4K, might just be the best yet. (Check out the best 4K monitors if you don't have three floors of screen space available at home).

According to Time Out Tokyo, the giant cat awakes at 7am every morning, and heads to bed at 1am. It appears in-between ads throughout the day to meow at pedestrians. And if you're curious to see whether the cat's around right now, Cross Shinjuku Vision, the company behind the giant advertising space, has set up a handy livestream (below). 

While the effect is no doubt stunning in real life, it's also impressive how well it translates to video. Internet users have been blown away by the ad, with many pointing out that we seem to be edging closer to the world of sci-fi movies such as Blade Runner and Back to the Future. As one Reddit user puts it, "Imagine getting out of prison after 20 years and you see this on your drive home."

So, if you're a dab hand at 3D modelling software and have some spare yen behind the sofa (we doubt advertising space like this comes cheap), why not have it projected at 154.7 squared for the delight of the pedestrians of Shinjuku? Nissan might want to give it a look – the giant 3D cat puts the car manufacturer's recent 3D billboard in London to shame. 

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