Editing Animatronics (section)

{{Short description|Mechatronic puppets}}
{{redirect|Animatronic|another use|Animatronic (album)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Chuck E. Cheese animatronic, Laguna Hills, CA.jpg|thumb|Animatronic figure of [[Chuck E. Cheese (character)|Chuck E. Cheese]] in operation at the Laguna Hills, California [[Chuck E. Cheese]] location, September 14, 2017]]
[[File:Tyrannosaurus NHM London.ogv|thumb|''[[Tyrannosaurus]]'' at London's [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]]]]

An '''animatronic''' is a [[puppet]] controlled electronically to move in a fluent way.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-30 |title=Definition of ANIMATRONIC |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animatronic |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> Animatronics are the modern adaptation of the [[automaton]] and are often used for the portrayal of characters in [[film]]s, [[video game]]s and in [[theme park]] attractions.

Animatronics are a multidisciplinary field integrating [[puppetry]], [[anatomy]] and [[mechatronics]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-22 |title=Axtell Hands-Free Animatronics {{!}} Axtell Expressions |url=https://axtell.com/animatronics/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Animatronic Puppets |url=https://roborobotics.com/Animatronics/animatronic-characters/amimatronic-puppets.html |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=roborobotics.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stan Winston School of Character Arts |url=https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/animatronic-character-creation-organic-mechanics-part-one |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.stanwinstonschool.com}}</ref> Animatronic figures can be implemented with both computer and human control, including [[teleoperation]]. Motion [[actuators]] are often used to imitate muscle movements and create realistic motions. Figures are usually encased in body shells and flexible skins made of hard or soft plastic materials and finished with colors, hair, feathers and other components to make them more lifelike. Animatronics stem from a long tradition of mechanical [[Automaton|automata]] powered by [[hydraulics]], [[pneumatics]] and [[clockwork]].

Before the term "animatronics" became common, they were usually referred to as "[[robots]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=animatronic {{!}} Etymology of animatronic by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/animatronic |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref> Since then, robots have become known as more practical programmable machines that do not necessarily resemble living creatures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-07 |title=Definition of ROBOT |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/robot |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> Robots (or other artificial beings) designed to convincingly resemble humans are known as "[[Android (robot)|androids]]". The term ''animatronics'' is a [[portmanteau]] of ''animate'' and ''electronics''. The term ''[[Audio-Animatronics]]'' was coined by [[Walt Disney]] in 1961<ref>{{Cite web |title=AUDIO-ANIMATRONICS Trademark of Disney Enterprises, Inc. - Registration Number 0828370 - Serial Number 72192128 :: Justia Trademarks |url=https://trademarks.justia.com/721/92/audio-animatronics-72192128.html |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=trademarks.justia.com |language=en}}</ref> when he started developing professional animatronics for entertainment and film.[[File:West Edmonton Mall-Fire Dragon.jpg|thumb|An animatronic fire-breathing dragon, suspended above the concourse at Scotiabank Theatre in [[West Edmonton Mall]], Alberta, Canada.]]
[[File:Говорящее дерево в Эфтелинге.jpg|thumb|The Fairy Tale Tree in the [[Efteling]].]]