For more than 50 years, Orlando theme parks have featured mechanical birds, bears and princesses chirping, growling and singing. The animatronics trend shows no signs of slowing down, with new figures appearing in new locations at Walt Disney World and a slew of life-like characters in the Epic Universe.
Additions range from Walt Disney’s electronic version planned for Magic Kingdom to the creepy Frankenstein Monster figure that debuted at Epic in May.
“People still enjoy seeing heroes, villains and more come to life,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. “I think this is one of those areas that continues to evolve, but I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.”
Brian Ott, an executive at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Show Systems studio, said technological advances could improve the illusion of figures.
“The way we can simulate it, the way we can design it, the way we can produce this content in such a stylish way, like it’s moving like a character that everyone sees and recognizes in the movies… I think that’s the real appeal. ‘Wow, not only did I see Elsa riding the vehicle, it felt like it was Elsa, moving and performing and looking at me,'” Ott said.
Disney World’s next new animatronic is Cheetah character Benjamin Clawhauser, who is part of the “Zootopia: Better Zoo Gather” show starting November 7 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
“You’ll see something new and unique in that appearance,” Ott said.
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Other planned characters include Buddy, a support bot included in the ongoing update for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom. Scooter and other Muppets re-theming the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Frozen Ever After figure facelift at Epcot. And Walt Disney himself joined in at the beginning of Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom.
They follow the first of Walt Disney’s signature animatronics, which debuted this summer at Disneyland in California.
“I think this brings a lot of life to the animatronics at the highest level,” Speigel said.
scary, scary numbers
Universal Orlando has installed animatronics in Epic Universe’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment rides and more.
“Everyone is living a normal life, and some people are looking for inspiration,” said Gregory Hall, assistant director of creative design at Universal Creative. “We have an opportunity to bring new technology and use it for good, to entertain and inspire people.”
The Monsters Unchained vehicle is filled with actionable figures, including Dracula, the Mummy, and the creatures from the Black Lagoon.
The pre-show for Unchained features a crowd-pleasing scene featuring new character Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster strutting around the room. Hall said it was a moment that drew applause from Epic’s visitors.
“This was the first time I had made a figure on this scale,” Hall said. “And he’s right next door to Victoria, but they’re using completely different technology.”
Another big animatronic project is Erumpent, the assault beast featured in the Harry Potter and the Ministry vehicle.
“What we’re really thinking about is, how can we get the fastest, smoothest movement to move something this huge,” said Anisha Vyas, project director at Universal Creative. “It needs to be really intuitive. It needs to move really fast. It needs to move really fluid,” she said. “It’s not hard to make it move and stop. Is it difficult to make it look beautiful, gorgeous, and real?”
This action must then be repeated for each passenger’s luggage.
“We make sure every guest has the same experience,” says Vyas.
Did it all start with birds?
The seeds of Disney animatronics (the company trademarked the term audio-animatronics in the 1960s) can be traced back to Walt and Lillian Disney’s purchase of miniature caged bird ornaments that they tweeted. That eventually led to magical Tiki Room attractions like the Magic Kingdom, which opened with the park in 1971.
Animatronics received a big boost from Disney’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” developed by Disney for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Guests watched the fake former president give a speech, which Speigel witnessed on a high school trip.
“I remember when he put his arms on the chair and stood up and spoke, everyone in the audience just gasped,” he said.
Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, said 1960s technology helped elevate the show. Otherwise, he says, it might be quickly forgotten.
“The fact that it was just a robot and not a human was appealing,” Rogers said.
waiting for walt
Fast forward to 2025 and Walt Disney Animatronics are installed at Disneyland. “Walt Disney – Magical Life” will temporarily replace the Lincoln animatronic presentation there. Some fans have criticized the new figure’s appearance.
“From a distance, it looks OK,” said Jeremiah Good, Florida correspondent for LaughingPlace.com. “But the people who came to see the opening and were in the front row filming the whole thing looked nothing like Walt,” he said.
Good said critics have been more forgiving of the animatronic appearance of animated creatures rather than actual people. He is waiting for the Walt Disney figure who will join the Carousel of Progress next year.
“It’s supposed to be a little bit older of Walt, so it’ll be interesting to see,” Good said.
“I think there are some opportunities to bring some significance to Walt’s life,” said Imagineering’s Ott, noting that the Florida animatronics would explode briefly but more frequently at the Magic Kingdom than the California animatronics. “Also, I think there’s simply a logical problem with show times. If you just look at Disneyland’s show times, the frequency of their shows and the frequency of shows like Carousel of Progress that cycle.”
technical story
After passing through pneumatic and hydraulic stages, animatronics are now settling into an all-electric age with computerized programming.
Last year, Walt Disney Imagineering released an episode on YouTube called “We Call It Imagineering” to share its process with the public. This comes in advance of the debut of “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” figures, a re-themed version of Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
A big challenge was developing Louis, the trumpet-wielding crocodile, considered one of WDI’s biggest and most dynamic characters.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” lead illusion maker Sonny Chapman said in the episode, “so there’s all these layers, there’s fabric, and everything has to be in sync.” Louis’ big belly, upper body, and arms need to work with the costume while he bounces, looks happy, and blinks.
Imagineering has expanded into “stuntronics,” creating figures that can perform elaborate aerial acrobatics, such as a figure dressed as Spider-Man at Disney’s California Adventure theme park. The company is also developing the knee-length DBX droid, which debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.
“Robots are great because they’re not just robots, they’re animated and have stories,” Rogers said. “They express their emotions. They’re doing something. They get frustrated when they can’t do what they’re trying to do. … It’s really great.”
Animatronics have proven their staying power over generations.
“Many of our engineers went to school just to make animated figures. … That’s what they do,” Hall said. “They’ve been learning their whole lives, they’ve been building it their whole lives. It’s time for their generation to show how they can pass the baton to the next generation. This is one of those moments that’s even more important than just a (theme) park.”
Mr. Vyas points out its entertainment value.
“I think they bring so much life to the environment,” she said. “I really like that we stepped it up a notch in Epic Universe. I really think it took it to the next level.”
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
First published: October 18, 2025 7:05am EDT
