Animatronics is the use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets to make them appear to be alive. They were first perfected by Walt Disney Imagineering and used at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for the The Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. Animatronics are mainly used in moviemaking, but also in theme parks and other forms of entertainment. Its main advantages to CGI and stop motion is that it is not a simulation of reality, but are physical objects moving in real time in front of the camera. The technology behind animatronics has become more advanced and sophisticated over the years, making the puppets even more realistic and lifelike.
Sally Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida is one of the leaders in Animatronics for the Theme park industry. They have been building amazingly realistic humans and animals for over 32 years. Lifeformations in Bowling Green, Ohio is another company who specializes in Animatronics.
Animatronics for film and television productions are used to perform action on camera in situations where the action involves creatures that do 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. The application of animatronics today includes computer controlled as well as radio and manually controlled devices. The actuation of specific movements can be obtained with electric motors, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders and cable driven mechanisms. The type of mechanism employed is dictated by the character parameters, specific movement requirements and the project constraints. The technology has advanced to the point that animatronic puppets can be made indiscernible from their living counterparts. The animatronic horse built by Mark Rappaport, Creature Effects, Inc. for the film The Last Samurai is a good example of this form of animatronic puppet.Animal Makers has been designing, creating, and performing animatronic animals since 1979. The world's first animatronic co-star appeared in television on Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the form of an animatronic cat named Salem.
