Britney Spears has gone two-dimensional.
Although she's supposedly busy whipping herself into camera-ready shape for an upcoming video, the 26-year-old pop tart has opted to skip a step and order up an animated version of her sleek self instead.
Photos released Tuesday by Jive Records depict Spears in anime superhero mode, replete with long blond tresses and an angular jaw. In two of the shots, the singer is suited up in different futuristic, body-hugging outfits.
Another is a hazy close-up of cartoon-Spears' face, while a fourth is a shot of a skyscraper with the word "Victory" printed vertically on its side, flanked by what looks like the moon.
Jive would not comment on where the pictures came from, but Britain's Sun tabloid is reporting that they're stills from Spears' video for the upcoming single "Break the Ice," off of 2007's Blackout, and that the "Toxic" chanteuse came up with the idea.
Fans of the singer can catch the animated version of Spears for themselves when the video debuts Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. PT on the Website blackoutball.com. The site was specially designed to serve as a virtual black tie premiere party for the "Break the Ice" segment.
As far as her fans previously knew, Spears has been logging numerous hours in a North Hollywood dance studio rehearsing routines for her "Hot as Ice" video, having enlisted a couple of top L.A.-area choreographers to help her bust a move, not to mention bust out of her slump.
While Blackout has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, Spears' attempt to recreate the "Gimme More" magic onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards did not go over well, with critics slamming every aspect of her performance, from her outfit to her attitude.
Friends of Spears have said that she is finally serious about a comeback, now that the drama surrounding her physical and mental health, her parents, her driving record and her children has somewhat settled down.
(Originally published Mar. 11, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. PT.)