Editing Animatronics (section)

== In popular culture ==
Animatronic characters appear in both [[film]]s and [[video game]]s, most notably in [[horror film|horror genre]] and [[Survival horror|survival horror video games]] that generally features [[Spirit possession|possessed]] animatronics as antagonists.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

=== In films ===
The film industry has been a driving force revolutionizing the technology used to develop animatronics.<ref name="ces-blog">{{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}}</ref> 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 [[Computer-generated imagery|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 [[puppet]]s even more lifelike.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

Animatronics were first introduced by Disney in the 1964 film [[Mary Poppins (film)|''Mary Poppins'']] which featured an animatronic bird. Since then, animatronics have been used extensively in such movies as [[Jaws (film)|''Jaws'']] and ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]].''<ref name="realhistory">{{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}}</ref>

Directors such as [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Jim Henson]] have been pioneers in using animatronics in the film industry; a film co-directed by the latter, ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'', showcased groundbreaking puppets designed by [[Brian Froud]] and created by Henson's then recently established [[Jim Henson's Creature Shop|Creature Shop]] in London.

The 1993 film ''[[Jurassic Park (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}},<ref name="EW2013">{{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]]}}</ref>
{{convert|40|ft|m}} in length<ref name="magic">{{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 (magazine)|time]]}}</ref> 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|Tyrannosaurus rex]]''.<ref name="magid">{{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''.}}</ref>

[[Jack Horner (paleontologist)|Jack Horner]] called it "the closest I've ever been to a live dinosaur".<ref name="magic" /> Critics referred to Spielberg's dinosaurs as breathtakingly and terrifyingly realistic.<ref name="cohen">{{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.}}</ref><ref name="neale">{{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}}</ref>

The 1999 BBC miniseries ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs]]'' was produced using a combination of about 80% [[computer generated imagery|CGI]] and 20% animatronic models.<ref name="inno">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="inno" /> Animatronics for the series were designed by British animatronics firm Crawley Creatures.<ref name="inno" /> The show was followed up in 2007 with a live adaptation of the series, ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs#The Arena Spectacular|Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular]]''.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

[[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]]''.<ref name="Myth Busters">{{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}}</ref>

=== Films focusing on animatronics ===
* ''[[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 television|live taping]] of a successful [[children's television series]] featuring Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky, four goofy-like animatronic characters. However, their new [[Patch (computing)|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 [[The Banana Splits|1968-1970 Hanna-Barbera's television series of the same name]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheBananaSplits |title=The Banana Splits |access-date=2025-01-16 |via=tvtropes.org}}</ref>
* ''[[Willy's Wonderland]]'', a 2021 American [[Action film|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 [[Human cannibalism|cannibalistic]] [[serial killer]]s) with the aid of a teenager and her friends.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
* [[Five Nights at Freddy's (film)|''Five Nights at Freddy’s'']], a 2023 American [[supernatural horror film|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 counseling|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 [[Ghost|spirits]] of five missing dead [[children]]) while trying to figure out unsolved [[Kidnapping|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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

=== Short films ===
* ''[[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.

=== Television ===
* The Capicola Gang, a trio of evil [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] animatronic animals from The Fun Fun Zone, consisting of Dominic (a robot [[bear]], although listed in the credits as Main Bear), who is based on [[List of The Godfather characters#Vito Corleone|Vito Corleone]] from ''[[The Godfather]]'', Louie (a robot [[beaver]]), and Amelia (a robot [[duck]], although listed in the credits as Duck Lady), are the main antagonists in the ''[[Regular Show]]'' episodes "Fuzzy Dice"{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} and "Steak Me Amadeus".{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The Capicola Gang Leader had a [[cameo appearance]] as an incriminating witness in "Can you Ear Me Now?"{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} where he testified in court against Mordecai and Rigby. They share a resemblance to the characters from the popular game series ''[[Five Nights at Freddy's]]'' and 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 drum|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}}

=== Advertising ===
The British advertisement campaign for [[Cadbury Schweppes]] titled [[Gorilla (advertisement)|''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 provider|Internet service]]. The ad features two animatronic turtles, and it won the gold Effie Award in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=2007 Gold Effie Winner&nbsp;— 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}}</ref>

=== Video games ===
[[File:Five Night at Freddys Cosplayer VA Comicon November 2023.jpg|thumb|[[Five Nights at Freddy's]] 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, who is typically a nighttime security guard or employee at one of the facilities (usually a pizzeria) where the animatronics reside. In the first game of the series [[Five Nights at Freddy's (video game)|''Five Nights at Freddy's'']], the animatronics' violent attitude towards humans at night is explained away as faulty programming, which causes them to mistake the protagonist for an endoskeleton without a character suit on—which goes against the establishment's rules. As a result, the animatronics try to "forcefully stuff" the player character into a suit, resulting in their death. However, the games feature a deep lore (gradually revealed through various [[minigame]]s and [[Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs]]) which reveals that many of the animatronics are actually haunted by the spirits of children whose deaths are somehow connected to the fictional restaurant franchise "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza". At least six of these children were murdered by [[Five Nights at Freddy's#Characters|William Afton]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-05-27|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Five Nights at Freddy's#Characters|reason= The anchor (Characters) [[Special:Diff/1185334385|has been deleted]].|diff_id=1185334385}} ({{aka}} "The Purple Guy"), one of the co-founders of the original restaurant and the series' overarching villain, who would go on to possess an animatronic of his own after his death.<ref name="IGM2">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> Since the original game, ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' has evolved into a large media franchise comprising various sequels, prequels and spin-offs, fan games, a novel trilogy,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3373639/five-nights-at-freddys-the-silver-eyes-is-already-out/ |title='Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes' is Out Now – Bloody Disgusting! |website=bloody-disgusting.com |date=18 December 2015 |access-date=May 18, 2017 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810050855/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3373639/five-nights-at-freddys-the-silver-eyes-is-already-out/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{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 (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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/29307/20170207/five-nights-freddy-s-twisted-ones-book-will-scare-charlie.htm |title='Five Nights At Freddy's: The Twisted Ones' Book Will Scare You With Charlie's Nightmares |last=Trish |first=Gerone |date=February 7, 2017 |work=Auto World News |access-date=August 3, 2017 |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915160336/http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/29307/20170207/five-nights-freddy-s-twisted-ones-book-will-scare-charlie.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/five-nights-freddys-fourth-closet-plot-description-reveal-837237|title=Amazon reveals plot for third 'Five Nights At Freddy's' book|date=March 8, 2018|work=Newsweek|access-date=March 10, 2018|archive-date=March 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309001112/http://www.newsweek.com/five-nights-freddys-fourth-closet-plot-description-reveal-837237|url-status=live}}</ref> and an anthology series of short stories.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cawthon|first=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHzTDwAAQBAJ|title=Bunny Call (Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #5)|date=2020-09-01|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|isbn=978-1-338-62700-8|access-date=September 28, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327123339/https://books.google.com/books?id=XHzTDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> A film adaptation [[Five Nights at Freddy's (film)|''Five Nights at Freddy's'']] was released on October 27, 2023.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

=== Toys ===
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]], [[ActiMates|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}}