Editing Animatronics (section)

=== 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>