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Creation and early developmentAudio-Animatronics were originally a creation of Lee Adams, who started his career with Disney as an electrician at the Burbank studio and was one of Disney's original Imagineers. The first Disney Audio-Animatronic was the giant squid in the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was created by Adams. It was later changed, and turned into tentacles that were attached to pumps. When you push a pump, air fills the tentacles, making them go up. When air leaves the tentacles, it coils up.
Perhaps the most impressive of the early Audio-Animatronics efforts was The Enchanted Tiki Room, which opened in 1963 at Disneyland, where a room full of tropical creatures synchronize eye and facial action with a musical score entirely by electro-mechanical means. The "cast" of the musical revue used tones recorded on tape which vibrated a metal reed that closed a circuit to trigger a relay which sent a pulse of electricity to a mechanism that causes a pneumatic valve to move a part of the figure's body. The movements of the attraction's birds, flowers and tiki idols were triggered by sound, hence the audio prefix. Figures' movements had a neutral "natural resting position" that the limb/part would return to when there was no electric pulse. The animation was all on/off moves, such as an open/closed eye or beak. On/off movement was called a digital system. Other early examples were the Lincoln Exhibit presented at the State of Illinois Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Also at the fair were three other pavilions featuring Audio-Animatronics. They were Pepsi/UNICEF's "it's a small world", General Electric's Carousel of Progress, and Ford's Magic Skyway. Inner workings
Compliance is a new technology that gives the animatronic figures faster, more realistic motion. In the older figures, a fast limb movement would cause the figure to shake in a weird unnatural way. So, the movements had to be slowed. Speed was sacrificed to gain control. This was frustrating for animators who wanted some faster movements. The new compliance tech allows fast movements with control too. It works by allowing a limb to pass the point where it is commanded to stop, and slow to a stop, instead of an immediate stop (which caused the shaking). This absorbs shock, much like the shock absorbers on a car or the natural shock absorption in a living body. Variations of Audio-AnimatronicsThe technology of the AAs at the theme parks around the world vary in their sophistication. They range from the blinking and mouth movements at Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room to full body movement, from the mouth to the tip of the fingers at Stitch's Great Escape! at the Magic Kingdom. Current technologies have paved the way for more elaborate AA figures, such as the 'Ursula head' at Mermaid Lagoon Theater at Tokyo DisneySea, the Indiana Jones figures inside the Indy attractions at both Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea, the 'swordfighting' pirates inside Disneyland Paris’ version of Pirates of the Caribbean, the "lava/rock monster" inside Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea, the "Yeti" inside Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom, or the Roz figure in the Disney's California Adventure attraction "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!". In the case of the Roz figure, Disney makes the figure seemingly 'interact' with guests with help from an unseen ride operator who chooses pre-recorded messages for Roz to 'speak', thereby seeming to ‘react’ to individual guests' unique appearances/clothing. One of the newest figures comes with changes to the classic attraction, "Pirates of the Caribbean" at the two American resorts (Disneyland and Walt Disney World), both now featuring characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The Jack Sparrow figure is based on his portrayor Johnny Depp, even featuring his voice and facial mold. Disney attractions that have utilized Audio-AnimatronicsDisneyland ResortDisneylandImage:Jackhiding.jpg A closeup of Disneyland's newest audio-animatronic figure based on Johnny Depp's character Captain Jack Sparrow from the popular Pirates of the Caribbean movie series
Disney's California AdventureImage:DCA05 (9).jpg Closeup of an Audio-Animatronic at the Disney's California Adventure attraction, "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!"
Walt Disney World ResortThe Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney-MGM Studios
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Tokyo Disney ResortTokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea
Disneyland Resort ParisDisneyland Park
Hong Kong Disneyland ResortHong Kong Disneyland
Other uses of animatronic figuresAnimatronics also gained popularity in the 1980s through use at family entertainment centers such as Showbiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. They are also used in film and TV special effects. Several passengers and crew of a Pioneer Zephyr are represented in a display of this historic train at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Neatly dressed in the proper style of first class passengers of their era, one remarks upon the casual dress of the visitors.
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