Before animatronic props were introduced in movies, filmmakers relied on digital visual effects and editing. While visual effects and editing can help to produce some amazing movie scenes, neither of them is as good as using animatronic props in movies.
Animatronics uses robotic devices to copy the moves and the habits of living creatures like humans or other types of animals. They also use motion accumulators to get realistic muscle movement in the limbs of the body. This helps to create lifelike animations.
When it comes to controlling animatronics, it is easier than you would think. Animatronics can be controlled by a computer, or by a human with teleportation.
As you can see, there are lots of reasons why filmmakers now prefer to use animatronics in their movies. But what examples are there of animatronics being used? Here are just a few examples of animatronics being used in some of our favorite films:
1. Jurassic Dinosaurs
Almost everyone has seen an animatronic dinosaur in real life. In fact, animatronic dinosaurs can be found in lots of shopping malls, parks, and high schools in the U.S. But this is not the only place you can enjoy animatronic dinosaurs. You can also enjoy them in movies like Jurassic Park.
Animatronic Jurassic dinosaurs have been used in every Jurassic Park film so far. Since their introduction in the first Jurassic Park film, the standard of animatronics has improved considerably. This has helped to make the most recent film feel more realistic than ever before.
2. Godzilla
Godzilla is an imaginary monster that originated in a series of Japanese films. The character was first introduced onto our screens back in 1954 and has remained popular ever since. Dubbed the “King of the Monsters” Godzilla is an enormous, prehistoric sea monster empowered and awakened by nuclear radiation.
In the latest films, Godzilla looks almost lifelike, but how did the filmmakers manage this? It is simple really, they used animatronics. In fact, not only were animatronics used to control the movement of Godzilla’s face, but the film’s special effects crew also built a small-scale animatronic Godzilla for close-up scenes.
3. King Kong
King Kong is another great example of animatronics being used in movies. King Kong himself was created using animatronics. The King Kong animatronic was so lifelike that we could have easily been fooled into thinking it was a real gorilla.
4. E.T the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial movie has for many years now been seen as one of the greatest films of all time. But did you realize that this film used animatronics? Carlo Rambaldi designed the E.T. animatronics. He created four different E.T. heads, one of which was the main animatronic, and three others that showed different facial expressions. During the film, E.T.’s face was controlled by a team of puppeteers.
As you can see, there have been some amazing animatronics used in movies in the last few years. From the outstanding animatronics used in Jurassic Park to the lifelike animatronics used in the film Godzilla, which one is your favorite?
