:Animatronics

Before electronics, animatronics were simply puppets made to work with clockwork. These are known today as automata. For most of human history, it has not been possible to create a moving figure resembling a person that was not directly puppeted by another person.

In the renaissance era, the first clockwork automated humanoid figures were created.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-03 |title=Automaton {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/automaton#:~:text=Accounts%20of%20automatons%20in%20China,Hydraulic%20Elegancies%E2%80%9D)%20was%20published. |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=History of Automata |url=https://themadmuseum.co.uk/history-of-automata/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=The Mechanical Art & Design Museum |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Early Humanoid Robots |url=https://cyberneticzoo.com/robot-time-line/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=cyberneticzoo.com |language=en-US}} These were complex with many movements, however the figures were extremely large as they contained large cam shaft mechanisms in the base with the introduction of electricity. The mechanisms to create a humanoid figure got smaller and smaller, however very few of the created figures looked human.

The first audio animatronic to convincingly imitate a human was Walt Disney's Abraham Lincoln attraction at the Illinois State Pavilion of the 1964 New York World's Fair. This marked a change in the industry, as computers were a pivotal part in creating the figure.

• {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1939}}|event=Sparko, The Robot Dog, and Elektro, performs in front of the public. Both were manufactured by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Elektro was one of the first robots, using basic sensors and tube logic to receive commands and roughly know when it crashed into a wall. It could blow up balloons, smoke cigarettes, synthesize text, and move its legs and arms. In 1939, Elektro received a pet, and the first mainstream animatronic, Sparko.{{cite web | title=Sparko the Robot Dog | website=cyberneticzoo.com | date=2009-12-22 | url=https://cyberneticzoo.com/robots/1940-sparko-the-robot-dog-american/ | access-date=2024-05-28 | archive-date=2024-03-31 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331054043/https://cyberneticzoo.com/robots/1940-sparko-the-robot-dog-american/ | url-status=live }} However, unlike Elektro, Sparko had no built-in computer and was not remote controlled, instead using an external computer controlled by an operator. Unlike many depictions of robots in that time, Sparko represented a living animal, and thus became the very first modern day animatronic character,{{cite web|title=Robots: Electro and Sparko|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102693533|access-date=7 August 2023|archive-date=7 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807100833/https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102693533|url-status=live}} along with an unnamed horse which was reported to gallop realistically. The animatronic galloping horse was also on display at the 1939 New York World's Fair, in a different exhibit than Sparko's.{{cite journal|title=A Mechanical Horse Gallops Realistically|journal=Popular Science|date=Jan 1939|volume=134|issue=1|page=117|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hCkDAAAAMBAJ&q=1939+worlds+fair+mechanical+horse+gallops+realistically&pg=PA117|access-date=10 August 2014|last1=Corporation|first1=Bonnier|archive-date=9 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010353/https://books.google.com/books?id=hCkDAAAAMBAJ&q=1939+worlds+fair+mechanical+horse+gallops+realistically&pg=PA117#v=snippet&q=1939%20worlds%20fair%20mechanical%20horse%20gallops%20realistically&f=false|url-status=live}}|end_date={{end date|1939}}}}
• {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1961}}|event=Heinrich Ernst develops the MH-1, a computer-operated mechanical hand.{{Cite book|doi=10.1145/1460833.1460839|hdl=1721.1/15735|chapter=MH-1, a computer-operated mechanical hand|title=Proceedings of the May 1-3, 1962, spring joint computer conference on - AIEE-IRE '62 (Spring)|pages=39|year=1962|last1=Ernst|first1=Heinrich A|s2cid=18024020|chapter-url=http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/15735/2/09275630-MIT.pdf|access-date=2018-08-07|archive-date=2024-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010352/http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/15735/2/09275630-MIT.pdf|url-status=live}}}}
• {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1961}}|event=Walt Disney coins the term "Audio-Animatronics" and his WED Enterprises team begins developing modern animatronic technology.{{cite book|last1=Ayala|first1=Alfredo Medina|title=Advances in New Technologies, Interactive Interfaces, and Communicability First International Conference Papers|volume=6616|pages=8–15|location=Huerta Grande, Argentina|date=22 October 2010|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|isbn=978-3-642-20809-6|edition=1st|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-20810-2_2|chapter=Autonomatronics TM|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science}}}}
• {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1963}}|event=The first Audio-Animatronics created by Disney, the Enchanted Tiki Birds of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, debut at Disneyland.}}{{Cite web |title=Famous Animatronics |url=https://roborobotics.com/Animatronics/famous-animatronics.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=roborobotics.com |archive-date=2024-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528153534/https://roborobotics.com/Animatronics/famous-animatronics.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=The Early Days of Audio-Animatronics© {{!}} The Walt Disney Family Museum |url=https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/early-days-audio-animatronicsc |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=www.waltdisney.org |archive-date=2024-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603022104/https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/early-days-audio-animatronicsc |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2021-12-11 |title=The Oldest Audio-Animatronics in Disneyland |url=https://www.thedisneyclassics.com/blog/audio-animatronics-disneyland |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Disney Classics |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528153534/https://www.thedisneyclassics.com/blog/audio-animatronics-disneyland |url-status=live }}
• 1964: In the film Mary Poppins, animatronic birds are the first animatronics featured in a motion picture. The first animatronic figure of a person, that of Abraham Lincoln, is created by Disney for its Abraham Lincoln attraction at the Illinois State Pavilion of the 1964 New York World's Fair.
• 1971: Walt Disney World opens with the Country Bear Jamboree and Mickey Mouse Revue attractions, containing 24 and 81 Audio-Animatronics, respectively.
• 1977: Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre opens under Warner Communications as the first restaurant with animatronics as an attraction in San Jose, California, created by Nolan Bushnell and designed by Harold Goldbrandsen.{{Cite web |title=Calkins: Yes, he had his 80th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. And it made all the sense in the world. |url=https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/42986/calkins-chuck-e-cheese-80th-birthday |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News {{!}} Daily Memphian |language=en}} Bushnell, hoping to expand Pizza Time Theatre into a chain, purchased all assets from the uninterested Warner for $500,000 by 1978.
• 1977: John Wardley debuts "Charlie Plucket" Animatronic on BBC's Tomorrow's World.
• 1978: AVG Technologies is founded by Alvaro Villa, former head of electronic animation research and development for the Walt Disney Company.
• 1980: ShowBiz Pizza Place debuts The Rock-afire Explosion, an animatronic band manufactured by Aaron Fechter's Creative Engineering Inc. (CEI) to directly compete with Chuck E. Cheese.{{Cite web |title=History Page - The Rock-afire Explosion |url=https://www.showbizpizza.com/rae/history/index.html |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.showbizpizza.com}} CEI's preceding animatronic bands, the Wolf Pack 5 and the Hard Luck Bears, solidify their presence in numerous amusement parks around the world.{{Cite web |title=CEI Entertainment |url=https://showbizpizza.com/info/promo/cei/cei_1980promo.pdf |access-date=May 25, 2025 |website=showbizpizza.com}}
• 1981: Efteling renovates its Sprookjesbos walk through ride, adding 92 animatronics.
• 1982: Ben Franklin is the first animatronic figure to walk up a set of stairs.
• 1982: Daniel and the Dixie Diggers, the first animatronic band from Sally Industries of Jacksonville, Florida, debuts at the Mark Twain's Riverboat Playhouse in Kendall, Florida.
• 1982: David L. Brown establishes the first Bullwinkle's Family Food N' Fun Restaurant in Santa Clara, California, with prototype animatronics provided by Fred Hope's The Only Animated Display & Design Company.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq0EsGgO2Nk/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.instagram.com}} AVG Technologies supplied further animatronics for the chain starting in 1983, and later by [http://www.dreamation.com/index.htm Dreamation] in 1998.
• 1982: The first Celebration Station opens with a W.O.O.F. Radio animatronic show by Creative Presentations, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois. Celebration Station later opened locations with Sally Corporation's Daniel and the Dixie Diggers with Jethro P. Hogg starting in 1991, along with a retrofit of the latter known as The Rockin' Rascals for Knoxville, Tennessee by 1993.
• 1982: Warner Communications, five years after losing ownership of Pizza Time Theatre, creates the Gadgets chain of restaurants (initially named "Gizmos"). These featured Sammy Sands, an animatronic pianist, and the Looney Tunes Revue, both manufactured by Advanced Animations of Southbury, Connecticut.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxvoo5CzzI0 |title=Failed Animatronic Restaurants- Looney Tunes Revue at Gadgets |date=2024-02-25 |last=TPMvids |access-date=2025-04-17 |via=YouTube}} More than satisfied by the results of the two productions, Warner purchased Advanced Animations from founders Bob Marquis and Dan Long, renaming the company to Warner Technologies, Inc. under their leisure division.{{Cite web |title=Advanced Animations - |url=https://darkridedatabase.com/company/advanced-animations/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250318102538/https://darkridedatabase.com/company/advanced-animations/ |archive-date=2025-03-18 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=darkridedatabase.com |language=en-US}} Along with Sammy Sands and the Looney Tunes Revue for Gadgets, Warner Technologies continued manufacturing shows for other clients, most notably the Electric Mice Orchestra.{{Cite book |last=Advanced Animations Inc. |url=https://archive.org/details/emo-pamphlet |title=Electric Mouse Orchestra Pamphlet 1983 |date=1983}}
• 1986: Warner Communications sells Advanced Animations back to Bob Marquis and Dan Long, relocating to Stockbridge, Vermont. Shortly after, VP Productions (later [https://www.vpanimations.com/ VP Animations, LLC.]) forms in Watertown, Connecticut by previous Advanced Animations alumni, including Scott Pokorak. VP would become known for their work in producing animatronics for Dandy Bear in Florida and Stew Leonard's across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. They also created the Rockin' Rollin' 50's Show along with Mick Jaguar and the Sly Cats for a handful of smaller venues.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=ZYPFVA1v0DKRRGXR&v=i__E3E1y4dk&feature=youtu.be |title=Brercast episode 1 with David Masse and Scott Pokorak |date=2020-06-08 |last=Brercast |access-date=2025-04-17 |via=YouTube}}
• 1987: Stew Leonard's in Norwalk, Connecticut implements the Farm Fresh Five animatronic band, initially manufactured by Advanced Animations. More animatronics were added to Norwalk and locations afterward, such as the Hank and Beau characters by Sally Industries.
• 1989: The second generation of Disney's generic animatronics, the "A-100", portraying the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz is developed for The Great Movie Ride attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
• 1990: ShowBiz Pizza begins to convert the Rock-afire Explosion into "Chuck E. Cheese & Munch's Make Believe Band" and cuts ties with CEI.
• 1997: Garner Holt Productions begins supplying a 32 movement Chuck E. Cheese animatronic for Chuck E. Cheese's "Studio C" stages. To cut manufacturing and maintenance costs, this number was reduced to 16 movements starting in 2002.
• 1998: Tiger Electronics begins selling Furby, an animatronic pet that speaks over 800 English and "Furbish" phrases and can react to its environment.
• 1999: AVG manufactures approximately 140 animatronics for Universal Islands of Adventure. These were for the Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, The Cat in the Hat, and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges attractions.
• 2001: The largest animatronic figure ever built was the Spinosaurus for Steven Spielberg's franchise Jurassic Park.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
• 2005: Engineered Arts produces the first version of their animatronic actor, RoboThespian.
• October 31, 2008 – July 1, 2009: The Abraham Lincoln animatronic character is upgraded to incorporate new technology at The Hall of Presidents.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
• 2019: Disney releases a number of new characters based on their third-generation platform "A-1000".{{Cite web |date=2015-04-27 |title=Sixty Years of Innovation: Audio-Animatronics Technology Begins at Disneyland Park |url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/04/sixty-years-of-innovation-audio-animatronics-technology-begins-at-disneyland-park/ |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Disney Parks Blog |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010422/https://disneyparksblog.com/ |url-status=dead }}

There are quite a few ways to build an animatronic, however most follow this basic structure:

An animatronics character is typically designed to be as realistic as possible and thus, is built similarly to how it would be in real life. The framework of the figure is like the "skeleton". Joints, motors, and actuators act as the "muscles". Connecting all the electrical components together are wires, such as the "nervous system" of a real animal or person.{{cite book |author=Wise, Edwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=txgzjp1mYWUC |title=Animatronics: A Guide to Animated Holiday Displays |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2000 |isbn=978-0790612195 |page=9 |access-date=2016-02-22 |archive-date=2024-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010857/https://books.google.com/books?id=txgzjp1mYWUC |url-status=live }} Steel, aluminum, plastic, and wood are all commonly used in building animatronics but each has its best purpose. The relative strength, as well as the weight of the material itself, should be considered when determining the most appropriate material to use. The cost of the material may also be a concern. Several materials are commonly used in the fabrication of an animatronics figure's exterior. Dependent on the particular circumstances, the best material will be used to produce the most lifelike form. For example, "eyes" and "teeth" are commonly made completely out of acrylic.{{cite web |last1=Buffington |first1=Jack |title=Arvid's Eyes |url=http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/eye.html |access-date=9 August 2014 |publisher=Buffington Effects |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129220702/http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/eye.html |url-status=live }}

One method of constructing animatronics can be found in the Chuck E. Cheese's Studio C animatronic by Garner Holt Productions, made of latex rubber, metal, and plastic, supported by an internal skeleton.{{Cite web |date=April 2000 |title=Chuck E. Cheese Studio C Maintenance Manual |url=https://archive.org/details/studio-c-technical-manual |access-date=August 1, 2024 |website=Internet Archive}} On the other end of the spectrum, an all-metal bunyip animatronic in Australia uses water to actuate the creature's mouth.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-08 |title=the bunyip {{!}} murray bridge tourism |url=https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au/tourism/things-to-see-and-do/family-activities-and-attractions/bunyip |website=Murray Bridge Tourism |access-date=2024-05-27 |archive-date=2024-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527162912/https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au/tourism/things-to-see-and-do/family-activities-and-attractions/bunyip |url-status=live }}

• Latex: White latex is commonly used as a general material because it has a high level of elasticity. It is also pre-vulcanized, making it easy and fast to apply.{{cite book|last1=James|first1=Thurston|title=The prop builder's molding & casting handbook|date=1997|publisher=Betterway Books|location=Cincinnati|isbn=978-1-55870-128-1|page=51|edition=6. pr.}} Latex is produced in several grades. Grade 74 is a popular form of latex that dries rapidly and can be applied very thick, making it ideal for developing molds. Foam latex is a lightweight, soft form of latex which is used in masks and facial prosthetics to change a person's outward appearance, and in animatronics to create a realistic "skin".{{cite web|last1=Buffington|first1=Jack|title=Skin and Molds|url=http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/molds.html|publisher=BuffingtonFX|access-date=2014-08-09|archive-date=2015-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195050/http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/animatronics/molds.html|url-status=live}} The Wizard of Oz was one of the first films to make extensive use of foam latex prosthetics in the 1930s.{{Cite book|title = Special Effects: An Introduction to Movie Magic|last = Miller|first = Ron|publisher = Twenty-First Century Books|year = 2006}}
• Silicone: Disney has a research team devoted to improving and developing better methods of creating more lifelike animatronics exteriors with silicone.{{cite web|last1=Chan|first1=Normal|title=Synthetic Skin For Animatronic Robots Gets More Realistic|url=http://www.tested.com/tech/robots/198315-synthetic-skin-for-animatronic-robots-gets-more-realistic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812200316/http://www.tested.com/tech/robots/198315-synthetic-skin-for-animatronic-robots-gets-more-realistic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 12, 2014|publisher=Whalerock Industries|access-date=9 August 2014|date=15 August 2012}} RTV silicone (room temperature vulcanization silicone) is used primarily as a molding material as it is very easy to use but is relatively expensive. Few other materials stick to it, making molds easy to separate.{{cite book|last1=Baygan|first1=Lee|title=Techniques of three-dimensional makeup|date=1988|publisher=Watson-Guptill|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-8230-5261-5|page=100}}{{cite book|last1=James|first1=Thurston|title=The prop builder's molding & casting handbook|date=1997|publisher=Betterway Books|location=Cincinnati|isbn=978-1-55870-128-1|page=55|edition=6. pr.}} Bubbles are removed from silicone by pouring the liquid material in a thin stream or processing in a vacuum chamber prior to use. Fumed silica is used as a bulking agent for thicker coatings of the material.{{cite book|last1=Whelan|first1=Tony|title=Polymer Technology Dictionary|date=1994|pages=144–168|doi=10.1007/978-94-011-1292-5_8|publisher=Springer Netherlands|chapter=F|isbn=978-94-010-4564-3}}
• Polyurethane: Polyurethane rubber is a more cost effective material to use in place of silicone. Polyurethane comes in various levels of hardness which are measured on the Shore scale. Rigid polyurethane foam is used in prototyping because it can be milled and shaped in high density. Flexible polyurethane foam is often used in the actual building of the final animatronic figure because it is flexible and bonds well with latex.
• Plaster: As a commonplace construction and home decorating material, plaster is widely available. Its rigidity limits its use in molds, and plaster molds are unsuitable when undercuts are present. This may make plaster far more difficult to use than softer materials like latex or silicone.

Pneumatic actuators can be used for small animatronics but are not powerful enough for large designs and must be supplemented with hydraulics. To create more realistic movement in large figures, an analog system is generally used to give the figures a full range of fluid motion rather than simple two position movements.{{cite journal|last1=Kornbluh|first1=Roy D|last2=Pelrine|first2=Ron|last3=Qibing|first3=Pei|last4=Heydt|first4=Richard|last5=Stanford|first5=Scott|last6=Oh|first6=Seajin|last7=Eckerle|first7=Joseph|title=Electroelastomers: applications of dielectric elastomer transducers for actuation, generation, and smart structures|journal=Smart Structures and Material|date=July 9, 2002|volume=Applications of Smart Structures Technologies|issue=254|pages=254|doi=10.1117/12.475072|url=http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=883273|ref=SPIE 4698|series=Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies|bibcode=2002SPIE.4698..254K|s2cid=110672457|url-access=subscription}}

Mimicking the often-subtle displays of humans and other living creatures, and the associated movement is a challenging task when developing animatronics. One of the most common emotional models is the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) developed by Ekman and Friesen.{{cite book|last1=Ekman|first1=Paul|last2=Friesen|first2=Wallace V.|title=Unmasking the face : a guide to recognizing emotions from facial clues|date=1975|publisher=Prentice-Hall|location=Englewood Cliffs, N. J.|isbn=9780139381751|edition=2. [pr.]|url=http://ohycirac.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/unmasking-the-face-a-guide-to-recognizing-emotions-from-facial-clues.pdf|access-date=13 October 2014|archive-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107232859/http://ohycirac.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/unmasking-the-face-a-guide-to-recognizing-emotions-from-facial-clues.pdf|url-status=live}} FACS defines that through facial expression, humans can recognize six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise. Another theory is that of Ortony, Clore, and Collins, or the OCC model{{cite journal |last1=Ortony |first1=Andrew |last2=Clore |first2=Gerald L. |last3=Collins |first3=Allan |date=1988 |title=The Cognitive Structure of Emotions |url=http://www.cogsci.northwestern.edu/courses/cg207/readings/Cognitive_Structure_of_Emotions_exerpt.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Cambridge University Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123055038/http://www.cogsci.northwestern.edu/courses/cg207/readings/Cognitive_Structure_of_Emotions_exerpt.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-23}} which defines 22 different emotional categories.{{cite journal|last1=Ribeiro|first1=Tiago|last2=Paiva|first2=Ana|title=The Illusion of Robotic Life|url=http://gaips.inesc-id.pt/~apaiva/Ana_Paiva_Site_2/Home_files/IllusionRoboticLive-HRI2012.pdf|access-date=9 August 2014|publisher=INESC-ID|location=Porto Salvo, Portugal|archive-date=9 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809183642/http://gaips.inesc-id.pt/~apaiva/Ana_Paiva_Site_2/Home_files/IllusionRoboticLive-HRI2012.pdf|url-status=live}}

In 2020 Disney revealed its new animatronics robot that can breathe, move its eyes very much like humans, and identify people around it in order to select "an appropriate" response, as opposed to previous Disney animatronics that were used in purely scripted, non-interactive situations, like theme park rides.{{cite web |title=Disney's new robot has a creepily human gaze |format=Video |website=CNN |date=2 November 2020 |access-date=4 Nov 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/02/disney-lifelike-robot-no-skin-orig.cnn-business/video/playlists/stories-worth-watching/ |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103231636/https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/02/disney-lifelike-robot-no-skin-orig.cnn-business/video/playlists/stories-worth-watching/ |url-status=live }}

Animatronics has been developed as a career which combines the disciplines of mechanical engineering, casting/sculpting, control technologies, electrical/electronic systems, radio control and airbrushing.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Some colleges and universities do offer degree programs in animatronics. Individuals interested in animatronics typically earn a degree in robotics which closely relate to the specializations needed in animatronics engineering.{{cite web|title=Animatronics Degree Programs with Career Information|url=http://educationcareerarticles.com/education-articles/majors-overview/animatronics-degree-programs-with-career-information/|website=Education Career Articles|access-date=6 August 2014|date=25 March 2013|archive-date=4 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704035551/http://educationcareerarticles.com/education-articles/majors-overview/animatronics-degree-programs-with-career-information/|url-status=live}}

Students achieving a bachelor's degree in robotics commonly complete courses in:

• Mechanical engineering
• Industrial robotics
• Mechatronics systems
• Modeling of robotics systems
• Robotics engineering
• Foundational theory of robotics
• Introduction to robotics{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Animatronic characters appear in both films and video games, most notably in horror genre and survival horror video games that generally features possessed animatronics as antagonists.{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/fnaf-five-nights-freddys-horror-franchise-popular-why/ | title=Why Five Nights at Freddy's is So Popular | website=Screen Rant | date=22 September 2020 | access-date=2 May 2022 | archive-date=25 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925070105/https://screenrant.com/fnaf-five-nights-freddys-horror-franchise-popular-why/ | url-status=live }}

The film industry has been a driving force revolutionizing the technology used to develop animatronics.{{cite web |date=2013-02-13 |title=How do they do that? With animatronics! |url=http://animatronicrobotics.com/blog/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213082029/http://animatronicrobotics.com/blog/ |archive-date=2017-12-13 |access-date=9 August 2014 |publisher=Custom Entertainment Solutions}} Animatronics are used in situations where a creature does not exist, the action is too risky or costly to use real actors or animals, or the action could never be obtained with a living person or animal. Its main advantage over CGI and stop motion is that the simulated creature has a physical presence moving in front of the camera in real time. The technology behind animatronics has become more advanced and sophisticated over the years, making the puppets even more lifelike.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-28 |title=Animatronics Through the Ages |url=https://ejunkieblog.com/2023/10/28/animatronics-through-the-ages/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=Entertainment Junkie Blog |language=en}}

Animatronics were first introduced by Disney in the 1964 film Mary Poppins which featured an animatronic bird. Since then, animatronics have been used extensively in such movies as Jaws and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.{{cite web |title=The Real History of Animatronics |url=http://roborobotics.com/Animatronics/history-of-animatronics.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063925/http://roborobotics.com/Animatronics/history-of-animatronics.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=August 4, 2014 |publisher=Rogers Studios}}

Directors such as Steven Spielberg and Jim Henson have been pioneers in using animatronics in the film industry. Two films directed by Henson, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, showcased groundbreaking puppets designed by Brian Froud and created by the then-recently established Creature Shop in London.

The 1993 film Jurassic Park, directed by Spielberg, used a combination of computer-generated imagery in conjunction with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs built by Stan Winston and his team. Winston's animatronic "T. rex" stood almost {{convert|20|ft|m}},{{Cite magazine |last1=Stack |first1=Tim |last2=Staskiewicz |first2=Keith |date=2013-04-04 |title=Welcome to 'Jurassic Park': An oral history |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/04/04/jurassic-park-oral-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010420/https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/ |archive-date=2024-08-09 |access-date=2014-09-29 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

{{convert|40|ft|m}} in length{{cite magazine |author=Corliss, Richard |author-link=Richard Corliss |date=26 April 1993 |title=Behind the Magic of Jurassic Park |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978307,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828060406/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978307,00.html |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=26 January 2007 |magazine=time}} and even the largest animatronics weighing {{convert|9000|lb|kg}} were able to perfectly recreate the appearance and natural movement on screen of a full-sized Tyrannosaurus rex.{{cite journal |last1=Magid |first1=Ron |date=June 1993 |title=Effects Team Brings Dinosaurs Back from Extinction |url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1252749871/effects-team-brings-dinosaurs-back-from-extinction |url-status=dead |journal=American Cinematographer |volume=74 |issue=6 |pages=46–52 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624024053/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1252749871/effects-team-brings-dinosaurs-back-from-extinction |archive-date=24 June 2017 |access-date=21 October 2014 |quote=But this system achieved its most remarkable results in Jurassic Park's star attraction, a 40-foot-long, 9000-pound animatronic machine that perfectly recreated the appearance and fluid motion of a full-sized Tyrannosaurus rex.}}

Jack Horner called it "the closest I've ever been to a live dinosaur". Critics referred to Spielberg's dinosaurs as breathtakingly and terrifyingly realistic.{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Matt |date=2012-04-05 |title=Why Jurassic Park was meant to be seen in 3D |url=http://theweek.com/article/index/242345/why-jurassic-park-was-meant-to-be-seen-in-3d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801093208/http://theweek.com/article/index/242345/why-jurassic-park-was-meant-to-be-seen-in-3d |archive-date=2014-08-01 |access-date=21 October 2014 |publisher=THE WEEK Publications, Inc |quote=Spielberg's dinosaurs were breathtakingly — and terrifyingly — realistic.}}{{cite journal |last1=Neale |first1=Beren |date=17 September 2014 |title=How Jurassic Park made cinematic history |url=http://www.creativebloq.com/3d/how-jurassic-park-made-cinematic-history-91412988 |url-status=live |journal=3D World |issue=182 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018060112/http://www.creativebloq.com/3d/how-jurassic-park-made-cinematic-history-91412988 |archive-date=18 October 2014 |access-date=21 October 2014 |quote=Seeing Jurassic Park made me realise that my destiny was in digital}}

The 1999 BBC miniseries Walking with Dinosaurs was produced using a combination of about 80% CGI and 20% animatronic models.{{cite book |last1=von Stamm |first1=Bettina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IlC7bN94zWgC&pg=PA34 |title=Managing Innovation, Design and Creativity |date=19 May 2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470510667 |edition=2nd |access-date=5 August 2014}} The quality of computer imagery of the day was good, but animatronics were still better at distance shots, as well as closeups of the dinosaurs. Animatronics for the series were designed by British animatronics firm Crawley Creatures. The show was followed up in 2007 with a live adaptation of the series, Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular.{{Cite web |title=Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular – Theatrecrafts.com |url=https://www.theatrecrafts.com/pages/home/shows/walking-dinosaurs-arena-spectacular/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |language=en-GB}}

Geoff Peterson is an animatronic human skeleton that serves as the sidekick on the late-night talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Often referred to as a "robot skeleton", Peterson is a radio-controlled animatronic robot puppet designed and built by Grant Imahara of MythBusters.{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Erin |date=2 April 2010 |title=Craig Ferguson's New Mythbuster Robot Sidekick: Exclusive Pics |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/mythbusters/projects/4350887 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809010358/https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a5473/4350887/ |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=29 July 2010 |work=Popular Mechanics}}

• The Banana Splits Movie, a 2019 American comedy horror film starring Dani Kind, Steve Lund, Sara Canning, and the voice of Eric Bauza, follows a young boy and his family who, as a birthday present, attend a live taping of a successful children's television series featuring Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky, four goofy-like animatronic characters. However, their new software updates go haywire upon learning the upcoming cancellation of their show and the characters start a killing spree that the crew and audience must survive. It is a horror reimagining of the 1968-1970 Hanna-Barbera's television series of the same name.{{Cite AV media |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheBananaSplits |title=The Banana Splits |access-date=2025-01-16 |via=tvtropes.org}}
• Willy's Wonderland, a 2021 American action comedy horror film starring Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, David Sheftell and Beth Grant, follows a quiet drifter who is tricked into cleaning up a once-successful abandoned family entertainment center while battling the restaurant's eight murderous animatronic characters (possessed by souls of cannibalistic serial killers) with the aid of a teenager and her friends.{{cite web |last=C |first=Mark |date=February 25, 2021 |title=WILLY'S WONDERLAND Interview: Director Kevin Lewis On Casting Nicolas Cage, Possible Sequel, & More |url=https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/willys-wonderland-interview-director-kevin-lewis-on-casting-nicolas-cage-possible-sequel-more-a182708 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305233047/https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/willys-wonderland-interview-director-kevin-lewis-on-casting-nicolas-cage-possible-sequel-more-a182708 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |access-date=March 3, 2021 |website=ComicBookMovie.com}}
• Five Nights at Freddy’s, a 2023 American supernatural horror film starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard, follows a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister who is suggested by his career counselor to take up a night shift job at a once-successful abandoned family entertainment center, while keeping an eye on the restaurant's four murderous animatronic characters Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy (possessed by the spirits of five missing dead children) while trying to figure out unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before. It is based on the Five Nights at Freddy's video game series created by Scott Cawthon.{{cite web |date=October 29, 2023 |title=FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S Racing Towards $130M Global Opening Weekend |url=https://comicbookmovie.com/video-games/five-nights-at-freddys-racing-towards-130m-global-opening-weekend-a207510 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031104342/https://comicbookmovie.com/video-games/five-nights-at-freddys-racing-towards-130m-global-opening-weekend-a207510 |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |website=ComicBookMovie.com}}

• The Hug, a 2018 horror short film directed by Jack Bishop and Justin Nijm, and starring Nick Armstrong and Roman George, follows a bratty birthday boy at Pandory's Pan Pizza Palace, a ShowBiz Pizza Place-like restaurant, who has an awkward situation with Pandory the Panda, the pizzeria's giant panda animatronic mascot. It premiered at Hulu as part of its "Huluween" film competition.

• Regular Show features recurring antagonist The Capicola Gang, a trio of evil anthropomorphic animatronic animals from The Fun Fun Zone. They are the main antagonists in the episodes "Fuzzy Dice"{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} and "Steak Me Amadeus" and one of the members makes a cameo appearance as in "Can you Ear Me Now?"{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} They are a parody of the popular kids entertainment center Chuck E. Cheese.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
• Hoo-Ha's Jamboree, an animatronic band at Hoo-Ha Owl's Pizzamatronic Jamboree, and a parody of The Rock-afire Explosion of ShowBiz Pizza Place, which consist of Hoo-Ha the Owl (guitarist, and lead singer), Cheerleader (banjoist), Beaver (guitarist), Rat in a Barrel (two same animatronics sit on either side of the stage), Cowboy Frog (bongo player), and Will E. Badger (opening act) are the secondary antagonists in the Gravity Falls episodes "Soos and the Real Girl",{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} "Weirdmageddon Part 1",{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} and "Weirdmageddon 2: Escape From Reality".{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The British advertisement campaign for Cadbury Schweppes titled Gorilla featured an actor inside a gorilla suit with an animatronically animated face.

The Slowskys was an advertising campaign for Comcast Cable's Xfinity broadband Internet service. The ad features two animatronic turtles, and it won the gold Effie Award in 2007.{{cite web |title=2007 Gold Effie Winner — Comcast "The Slowskys" |url=http://s3.amazonaws.com/effie_assets/2007/1897/2007_1897_pdf_1.pdf |access-date=7 August 2014 |website=Amazon Web Service}}

File:Five Night at Freddys Cosplayer VA Comicon November 2023.jpg Glamrock Freddy cosplayer at Comic-Con in November 2023]]

• Five Nights at Freddy's (commonly known as FNaF), a horror video game series, features various animatronic entertainers as antagonists who try to kill the player character. In the first game of the series, the animatronics' violent attitude towards humans explained as faulty programming. However as the series continues, their behavor is linked to the murders of children by William Afton, one of the founders of the in-game restaurant and the series' overarching villain. Afton would go on to possess an animatronic of his own after his death.{{cite web |url=http://indiegamemag.com/igm-interviews-scott-cawthon-five-nights-at-freddys/ |title=IGM Interviews – Scott Cawthon (Five Nights at Freddy's) |work=IGM |access-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124085955/http://indiegamemag.com/igm-interviews-scott-cawthon-five-nights-at-freddys/ |archive-date=January 24, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite news|last=Oxford|first=Nadia|date=June 29, 2018|title=Murder, Dysfunctional Families, and Purple Guys: The Larger Story Behind the Five Nights at Freddy's Games [Updated for Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator and UCN]|work=USGamer|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/murder-ghosts-and-revenge-the-larger-story-behind-the-five-nights-at-freddys-games-06-2018|url-status=live|access-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114210648/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/murder-ghosts-and-revenge-the-larger-story-behind-the-five-nights-at-freddys-games-06-2018|archive-date=November 14, 2020}} Since the original game, Five Nights at Freddy's has evolved into a large media franchise comprising various sequels, spin-offs, a novel trilogy,{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/14/10110096/five-nights-at-freddys-novel-kindle-hardcover-release |title=Five Nights at Freddy's novel hits stores next year |last1=Frank |first1=Allegra |date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |website=Polygon |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810052449/https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/14/10110096/five-nights-at-freddys-novel-kindle-hardcover-release |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-18-five-nights-at-freddys-creator-releases-spin-off-novel |title=Five Nights at Freddy's creator releases spin-off novel |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |work=Eurogamer |date=December 17, 2015 |access-date=December 17, 2015 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810012313/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-18-five-nights-at-freddys-creator-releases-spin-off-novel |url-status=live }} an anthology series of short stories,{{Cite book|last1=Cawthon|first1=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LqdDwAAQBAJ|title=Into the Pit (Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #1)|last2=Cooper|first2=Elley|date=2019-12-26|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|isbn=978-1-338-62696-4|access-date=September 28, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327123327/https://books.google.com/books?id=4LqdDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|last1=Cawthon|first1=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=47udDwAAQBAJ&q=fazbear+frights+2|title=Fetch (Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #2)|last2=West|first2=Carly Anne|last3=Waggener|first3=Andrea|date=2020-03-03|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|isbn=978-1-338-62697-1|access-date=November 11, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327123335/https://books.google.com/books?id=47udDwAAQBAJ&q=fazbear+frights+2|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|last1=Cawthon|first1=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MgrbDwAAQBAJ&q=fazbear+frights+3|title=1:35AM (Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #3)|last2=Waggener|first2=Andrea|last3=Cooper|first3=Elley|date=2020-05-05|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|isbn=978-1-338-62698-8|access-date=November 11, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327123328/https://books.google.com/books?id=MgrbDwAAQBAJ&q=fazbear+frights+3|url-status=live}} and a film adaptation.{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/five-nights-at-freddys-movie-filming-date/|title=Five Nights at Freddy's Movie Gets Filming Date|date=November 20, 2020|author=Aaron Perine|website=Comic Book|access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120220754/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/five-nights-at-freddys-movie-filming-date/|url-status=live}}

Some examples of animatronic toys include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1rcLXvE5M TJ Bearytails], Big Mouth Billy Bass, FurReal, Kota the triceratops, Pleo, WowWee Alive Chimpanzee, Microsoft Actimates, and Furby. Well-known brands include Cuddle Barn, PBC International, Telco, Sound N Light, Iwaya Corporation, Nika International, Gemmy Industries, Tickle Me Elmo, Chantilly Lane and Dan Dee.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

• Automaton
• Robotic performance art
• Uncanny valley

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