A world
Over recent years, the use of animatronics has not only come to dominate the global film industry. Theme park operators, too, have long been making use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets and installations in order to bolster their operations. Now, as technological innovations continue to open new doors for the animatronics industry, InterPark speaks to Bill Butler, creative development manager for Garner Holt Productions, who says the sector is set to be taken to previously unseen levels of sophistication
IP: How important are animatronic installations in the wider context of the attractions industry? What benefits do they bring to the operator? BB: Animatronics still represent the most engaging single piece of storytelling technology in theme parks and other venues nearly 50 years after their introduction. Even in the earliest proto-theme parks - world’s fairs - mechanical
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figures were a special novelty and proved their ability to draw an audience. Before that, early clockwork figures - automatons - were widely used by leading magicians. The illusion of
life, especially human life, was deeply compelling. Animatronics’ most immediate benefit to the operator is this attention-grabbing sense of added value. A Caribbean town besieged by a band of “high-resolution projected” marauders is no match for an attraction featuring dimensional animatronic pirates.
IP: Do you feel animatronic solutions are versatile enough to fit anywhere within a park, or are they best suited to certain types of ride/attraction?
BB: Animatronics have had clear success in large-scale story or environ-
mentally driven attractions in many types of park - Disney’s continued use of them is testament to this truth. Audiences continually respond very positively to animatronics in attractions, even those with simpler movements. The unconscious attraction to dimensional, tactile objects like animatronics will forever give them an edge over other means in
attractions. This is born out in attractions that supplement film with dimensional figures. Certainly, there are some attractions that do not and would not benefit from animatronics: midway-style iron rides, most roller coasters and attractions where an outdoor journey trumps sights in tightly controlled indoor set environments. That said, the clever use of animatronics will always add a sense of show to most types of ride. A key figure placed in a show scene in the slower parts of a roller coaster, or a figure used in conjunction with other media will synergise a scene. However, the use of animatronics must always come with a caveat. Improper maintenance will be quickly spotted by guests and their experience will suffer greatly. A malfunctioning or poorly kept animatronic will be remembered above other elements in even the greatest attraction. This has kept many operators from investing in them in the first place - a poor show decision, but ultimately
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