Latest news with #animatronic
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Disney Parks Animatronics, Rated Yearbook-Style
Walt Disney is just the latest animatronic to be featured in Disney Parks' experiences and attractions. The figure debuted for Disneyland's 70th birthday at the Main Street Opera House, headlining a new show. In Walt Disney – A Magical Life, you can come face-to-face with the man behind the name, programmed to present his history as Imagineering's latest tech feat. The figure joins the legacy of Disney's contribution to theme park advancements, combining animation and robotics for his animatronics, which started with a bird and now bears the face of its creator. And he's not the only memorable animatronic to grace Disney Parks with his presence. Here are some other notable entries, with yearbook-style superlatives to explain the impressions they make. He's always getting unsuspecting tourists to do coaxium runs for him on the Millennium Falcon. If you're not careful, you'll land on the First Order's suspect list. And unfortunately, if that happens, Hondo might be MIA, just as his animatronic so often is. And only after they try to follow you home first, like the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Dr. Jones spends the entire ride complaining that he has to save our skins; it's glorious. Plus he's the original stuntronic, always having to dangle in front of that incoming boulder. The lore behind her soft-serve-ice-cream-looking hair of yesteryear haunts the internet; we're glad she was able to get her look fixed. Seeing Tiana in her mother's fashions and iconic 1920s New Orleans textiles and textures makes this our pick for best dressed. That goes for the rest of the characters too, especially once the ride gets to its showstopping finale. That Figment, always up to some nonsense, but at least he's full of imagination and lots of surprising sights and smells to discover. It's no contest; being able to meet and greet an interactive Baby Yoda who makes the noises makes us want to protect him at all costs too. Yeah—more like succeeding in leading the animatronic uprising for having to sing that earworm of a song for 70 years. Geoffrey Rush's iconic performance as Captain Barbossa also got its own animatronic inside Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean and fits right in so well, many don't realize he's being featured. The real pirate's pirate, our apple-a-day king—he's just missing the monkey, Jack. That's one very realistic animatronic. And like in the Avatar movies, it sees you. They're the OG blueprint of the animatronics, so we'll allow it for another 70 years at least. Spidey does the flips in one of the most thrilling moments at Avengers Campus, where the 'struntronic' flies through the sky before an actor takes over the performance! Even more excitingly, sometimes the robot webslinger misses. This goat is the 'GOAT' 🐐 #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld #BigThunderMountain #GoatTrick #Goat #Rollercoaster #Coaster #Disney100 ♬ original sound – Disney Parks Not only is it still proudly perched in its spot, it provides the distraction to make the coaster all the more thrilling. Never forget to look at the goat and lock in. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Chuck E. Cheese Is Growing Up and is Launching Acades For Adults — GeekTyrant
Chuck E. Cheese is no longer just for kids' birthday parties and awkward pizza parties. The iconic animatronic rat and his crew are stepping into the adult world with Chuck's Arcade, a brand-new spinoff designed specifically for grownups. The company is starting with ten Chuck's Arcade locations across the U.S., including St. Petersburg, FL; Trumbull, CT; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK; Victor, NY; Buford, GA; El Paso, TX; Nashua and Salem, NH; and St. Louis, MO. Each site is designed to be a nostalgia-fueled, game-heavy hangout spot. This isn't just a half-hearted attempt at reinvention either. Chuck E. Cheese is leaning all the way in. According to the official release, Chuck's Arcade will 'combine classic games and the hottest new games alongside iconic animatronic characters,' and serve as 'a new destination where nostalgia meets the future.' 'Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it's in our DNA,' said David McKillips, CEO of Chuck E. Cheese. 'Thanks to the expertise of our talented technicians and the successful transformation of almost 500 fun centers worldwide, we've built the operational and creative foundation to take our brand beyond our traditional four walls. 'Chuck's Arcade is a natural evolution — an opportunity to extend our arcade legacy into new formats that engage both lifelong fans and a new generation through a curated mix of retro classics and cutting-edge experiences.' Each Chuck's Arcade will even be 'overseen' by one of the animatronic band members, and select spots will feature exclusive retro merch, including old-school logo apparel, collectible toys, novelty candy, and prize redemption items. It's part of a bigger strategy to tap into the millennial and Gen Z nostalgia economy. If you grew up feeding tokens into arcade games as a kid while your slice of pizza cooled, Chuck's Arcade wants you back. So, while Chuck E. Cheese may have started as the go-to spot for birthday chaos, it's evolving, just like its audience. Now the question is can an animatronic rat still party when the crowd's ordering craft beer and chasing high scores on a Dance Dance Revolution machine? We're about to find out. Via: Nerdist
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jurassic Quest brings life-sized dinosaurs to Tampa fairgrounds this weekend
The Brief Jurassic Quest, the nation's largest dinosaur experience, is now open at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The exhibit features more than 80 life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs. The event runs through Sunday, July 20. TAMPA - A prehistoric adventure has arrived in Tampa as Jurassic Quest opens at the Florida State Fairgrounds this weekend. The nationally touring exhibit is known as the largest and most realistic dinosaur experience in North America, featuring more than 80 life-sized, roaring, moving animatronic dinosaurs, from the towering T-Rex to the spiky Stegosaurus. "We're super-excited to bring you our live animatronic dinosaurs," said Brainy Beth, a Dinosaur Trainer with Jurassic Quest. "You will be able to walk through our dinosaurs, say hello to prehistoric creatures that are the accurate sizes and have an absolute blast while doing it." In addition to the massive creatures, Jurassic Quest includes interactive shows, fossil digs, science stations, and a soft-play area called "Triceratots" designed for younger dino fans. Families can also enjoy baby dino encounters and dinosaur rides. For more information, click here. The Source FOX 13 special project's photographer Mike Hughes gathered the information for this story. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Disney adults left horrified over latest addition to Disneyland: 'Who did this?'
Disneyland visitors have been left horrified after the unveiling of a new hyper–realistic animatronic figure of Walt Disney. The robot is part of a brand new exhibit titled Walt Disney – A Magical Life - created to celebrate the life of the man who dreamed up the Happiest Place on Earth. Set to open on July 17 - the exact date Disneyland first opened in 1955 - the Disneyland Opera House on Main Street, USA, will transform into Walt's studio office. The experience features the Mickey Mouse creator walking around his personal study while addressing the crowd in a sharp gray suit and tie. Tom Fitzgerald - Senior Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering - said everyone took 'great care' when crafting Walt's animatronic. 'We've created so many Audio-Animatronics figures over the years, from pirates to presidents, but to create a figure of Walt Disney is an honor and a challenge,' he said, per The Walt Disney Company. 'How can we create a lifelike impression of Walt Disney, with the nuances that made him unique in person? 'The twinkle in the eye, his expressive face — those eyebrows — and the way he used his hands to punctuate his thoughts and ideas?' Fitzgerald continued, saying that the Imagineers 'worked closely with the Walt Disney Archives to ensure we had the details as accurate as possible.' 'We scoured through his speeches and documents to find the words that would bring him to life in a way that would feel as if we dropped into his office for a chat,' he added. 'Our hope is that the end result will give guests the best sense of Walt and his engaging and warm personality.' Despite the attention to detail the Imagineers put into the robot, Disney adults feared the animatronic looked 'nothing' like the iconic man. One person said: 'They have to copy Walt Disney from Orlando's Madame Tussauds, that one is much better!' 'I thought it'd look better to be honest...' another reflected. Someone else questioned: 'They could have done better with the face. Who made this?' 'Looks like it was made by someone who was working from a rough description of what Walt looked like,' a commenter observed. Other comments read: 'Walt is having a terrible allergic reaction to shellfish, apparently,' and 'That looks very unlike Walt. Redo, please!' 'I like the idea of the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic, however, the face is off,' someone wrote. 'I can't put my finger on it. It's something to do with how the eyes are, like, too close, maybe. Or maybe the face is too square-like? Something is off.' Despite the backlash, a few people were in awe at the technology. 'This is mind blowing!!' a user said, while another wrote, 'Woah, this is incredible.' Someone shared: 'Holy hell, that's an animatronic?! Looks real enough to fool me.' Another post showed the life-sized Walt standing from a leaning position, moving his arms and legs, and speaking to the crowd. More praised the robot, saying: 'The clothes even fit like a human fit. Impressive,' and 'The gestures and motions are by far the most natural looking I've ever seen. Daily Mail has contacted Disneyland for comment. Last month, Disney revamped the Donald Trump animatronic after outcry that he looked like a woman. The animatronic political attraction in Magic Kingdom discreetly opened its doors in June after being closed for five months. It shuttered on January 20 after Trump was inaugurated into his second term. The display shuts down after every presidential transition so Disney can update the show. Disney World did not announce the well-known display's sudden reopening - leaving both guests and employees confused. Other than Trump's animatronic having a speaking role, no major changes have been made to the mechanized performance.
Geek Tyrant
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
First Look Photo and Video of Disneyland's Upcoming Attraction Featuring Animatronic Walt Disney — GeekTyrant
Disney has released a first look at a new attraction coming to Disneyland park that will be a show akin to 'Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,' but this one will feature Walt Disney himself, and the animatronic they created is pretty incredible. The show utilizes archival voice recordings to have Walt tell his story to guests in his own words. The figure itself is modeled after how Walt Disney would've appeared in 1963. This time in his life was chosen due to the many exciting projects he had in development at that point, including 'Mary Poppins,' the 1964 New York World's Fair, and planning for Walt Disney World and EPCOT. The new show will open to all guests later this week, on Thursday, July 17 — the 70th anniversary date for Disneyland. It was first announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in 2024 and was previously scheduled to open on May 16, but was delayed by two months. Check out the clip below, and let us know if you're looking forward to seeing the attraction in person on your next visit to Disneyland. via: WDWNT
