Mechanical birds, bears, and princesses have chirped, growled, and sung in Orlando’s theme parks for more than 50 years. The animatronic trend shows no signs of fading, as new figures arrive in new places at Walt Disney World, while Epic Universe introduces batches of lifelike characters.
The additions range from a planned electronic version of Walt Disney at Magic Kingdom to a lumbering Frankenstein’s monster figure that debuted with Epic in May.
“People still enjoy seeing lifelike figures of their heroes, villains, and others come alive,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. “I think this is one area that continues to evolve, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.”
### Technological Advances Elevate the Experience
Technological advances are enabling the improved illusion of the figures, said Brian Orr, show systems studio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.
“The way that we can now simulate, design, and generate content for these figures — making them move and behave like the character that everyone sees and recognizes from the film — is really the appeal,” Orr explained. “It’s like, ‘Wow, not only did I see Elsa on the ride, but I felt like it was Elsa. It moved, performed, and looked at me.’”
The next new animatronic at Disney World will be Benjamin Clawhauser, a cheetah character part of the *Zootopia: Better Zoogether* show launching at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on November 7. “You will see something new and unique from that figure,” Orr teased.
### Tiki Birds, Big Al and Beyond: A Tour of 10 Disney World Animatronics
Other planned figures include Buddy, a support-bot, in the ongoing update for *Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin* at Magic Kingdom; Scooter and other Muppets in the retheming of *Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster* at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; facelifts for *Frozen Ever After* figures at Epcot; and the addition of Walt Disney himself at the beginning of *Carousel of Progress* at Magic Kingdom.
These arrivals come on the heels of the first animatronic representing Walt Disney, which debuted at Disneyland in California this summer.
“I think that has breathed a lot of life back into animatronics from the highest level,” Speigel said.
### Figures Frightening and Formidable
Universal Orlando installed animatronics inside Epic Universe’s *Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic*, the *Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment* ride, and other locations.
“Everyone has their normal lives that they’re going through, and that comes with people wanting to be transported,” said Gregory Hall, assistant director, creative design for Universal Creative. “We have the opportunity to bring new technology and use it for good — to entertain and inspire people.”
The *Monsters Unchained* ride features figures in action, including Dracula, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. A crowd-pleasing moment happens in the preshow with Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, who strides dramatically into the room, prompting applause from guests.
“That was the first time we made a figure on that scale walk,” Hall said. “And then he’s right next to Victoria, and they’re using extremely different technology.”
Another major animatronic project was the “erumpent,” a charging beast in the *Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry* ride.
“We’re really all about how we get the fastest, smoothest motion moving this giant thing,” said Anisha Vyas, director of projects for Universal Creative. “It needs to be visceral, move really fast and fluidly.”
“Getting it to move and stop is not hard. Getting it to look pretty, gorgeous, and realistic? That’s hard,” she added. The motion must also be repeated consistently for each group of passengers.
“We ensure every guest has the same experience,” Vyas said.
### It All Started with a Bird?
The seed for Disney’s animatronics — the company trademarked the term Audio-Animatronics in the 1960s — goes back to Walt and Lillian Disney’s purchase of a miniature caged-bird decoration that tweeted. This eventually led to the *Enchanted Tiki Room* attractions, such as the one at Magic Kingdom, which opened with the park in 1971.
Animatronics received a major boost from *Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln*, developed by Disney for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Guests watched the faux former president deliver a speech — and Speigel recalls witnessing this on a high school trip.
“When he put his arms on that chair and stood up to talk, the whole audience— I remember— just gasped,” he said.
The 1960s technology propelled the show’s status, said Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts. Without it, he thought the attraction might have been quickly forgotten.
“The fact that it was just a robot, not a human, was the charm,” Rogers said.
### Waiting for Walt
Fast forward to 2025 with the installation of the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland. *Walt Disney: A Magical Life* is temporarily replacing the Lincoln animatronic presentation there.
Some fans have criticized the appearance of the new figure. “It looks fine to me from a distance,” said Jeremiah Good, the Florida correspondent for LaughingPlace.com. “But people who were there for the opening and were in the front row filming every bit said it doesn’t look a thing like Walt.”
Critics are generally more forgiving of animatronics depicting animated characters rather than actual humans, Good noted. He looks forward to the Walt Disney figure slated to join *Carousel of Progress* next year.
“That one is supposed to be a little bit older Walt, so that’ll be interesting to see,” he said.
“I think there are some opportunities there for the point in Walt’s life,” said Imagineering’s Orr, who noted that Florida’s animatronic will be seen in shorter but more frequent bursts at Magic Kingdom than its California counterpart.
“I also think there are logistical differences in show run times. If you compare Disneyland’s frequency to something like *Carousel of Progress*, which cycles through more often, it changes how that figure is presented.”
### Tech Talk: From Pneumatics to Advanced Robotics
After pneumatic and hydraulic phases, animatronics are now settling into an all-electric era with computerized programming. Last year, Walt Disney Imagineering gave the public a peek into their process through an episode of *We Call It Imagineering* on YouTube. This preceded the debut of figures for *Tiana’s Bayou Adventure*, the retheming of Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
A significant challenge was creating Louis, the trumpet-toting alligator, one of WDI’s largest and most dynamic figures.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” said Sonny Chapman, principal illusion maker. “You have layers — fabric all has to be in sync.” Louis’ big belly, upper torso, and arms must work together with the costume, all while he bounces, looks happy, and blinks.
Imagineering has also expanded into “stuntronics,” creating figures capable of elaborate aerial acrobatics — including one dressed as Spider-Man at Disney California Adventure.
The company also developed knee-high DBX droids, which made appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.
“They’re wonderful not just because they’re robots, but because they are animated and written with stories,” Rogers said. “They express emotions. They do things. They get frustrated when they can’t do what they’re trying to do. That’s just wonderful.”
### A Multigenerational Legacy
Animatronics have proven their multigenerational staying power.
“A lot of our engineers went to school just to work on animated figures. That’s their passion,” Hall said. “They’re studying their whole lives, and now it’s time for their generation to show the next generation how to pass the baton. This moment is bigger than just [theme] parks.”
Vyas points to their entertainment value: “I just think they bring so much life to the environment. I absolutely love that at Epic Universe we’ve doubled down on that. I really think it just takes it to the next level.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/07/disney-parks-animatronics-2/
