Animatronics www.parkworld-online.com


When technology meets art


Visually captivating and technologically progressive, animatronics have been fascinating theme park guests with their lifelike appearances and movements since 1955, when Disneyland California featured Auto-Animatronic jungle animals as part of the theming for its Jungle Cruise boat ride.


B


ut with virtual reality the current ‘tech du jour’ for creating immersive environments in theme parks and attractions, how can animatronics, with their


production costs and physical permanence, remain relevant? Park World discussed the benefits of this thematic fusion of art and technology with some of the major players in animatronics today


Realism and surrealism Animatronics provide irreplaceable nuances of movement and life for ride theming – whether the aim of the design is authenticity or fantasy. The theming at Dutch theme park Efteling’s family dark ride


attraction ‘Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy’ revolves around the interplay of reality, dream and fantasy. Animatronics form a key part of the ride’s theming, explains Coen Bertens, the park’s director of operations, where it is used to enhance the story-telling. “Animatronics fit in well with Efteling’s creative heritage and rich tradition of story-telling. At Efteling, we love authentic, traditional ‘dark ride effects’, which include life- like characters. Projection cannot match the tangibility and authenticity of animatronics.” The tangible nature of animatronics at Symbolica turns the


visitor experience into a way to meet the character in real life and forge a real relationship with them, Bertens maintains. “It is here that our visitors fall in love with our characters and their stories because they come close to them and become a part of their world.” John Wood, CEO at animatronics production specialist Sally Corp. agrees. “Animatronic figures are the most reliable


MARCH 2018


actors we can find in the business… they are often considered the stars of the show. They provide character, personality and a first-person perspective to the story.” Ignacio Porritt, of theming engineering firm


Rocas & Design, expressed a similar view whilst telling Park World about the company’s development of several animatronics for the ‘How to train your dragon’, island area in Heide Park, Germany. “The role of animatronics in this attraction is fundamental, since they contribute to improve the experience…The incorporation of animatronics gives a greater realism, a better experience, and therefore, in the medium-long term, an increase in revenue for operators. Over the last five years, we have been able to create animatronics who interact with park visitors, expel fire through their mouths or project images from one of their arms. All this strengthens the proposal of each park.”


Special effects Integrating special effects with animatronics both enhances production values and ensures projects are memorable for visitors. “A perfect example of this is the integration of the chaos canon with our Joker,” says Wood, discussing the animatronic Joker and Cyborg characters designed for Sally Corp. dark ride ‘Justice League: Battle For Metropolis’. The figures have been recognized industry wide for their quality and entertainment value – Sally Corp. won the IAAPA Impact Award in 2015 for their work, and John believes the ride features some of Sally’s best work. “The Joker greets you, blasts you with his laughing gas and then the real fire upon your departure. It is extremely memorable and effective. The challenges of creating these iconic figures to the satisfaction


Continued on page 34 Continued on page 36 33 35


Above: The main animatronic characters for Symbolica were designed by Garner Holt Productions, whilst smaller characters such as ‘Nikkelen Nelissen’ (pictured) were built by Efteling’s own in-house team.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64