Changes to DL Animatronic Characters

[Matthew D.]

Hi Everyone,

Haven’t seen much posted lately which inspires much spirited debate so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. Gone are the days of those menacing but magical Pirate figures sculpted and designed by Marc Davis.The detail devoted to the Pirates’ facial features and overall look, personally seems darkly enchanting.

However, currently there is a trend where Imagineering seems to be deferring to a projected image that is placed into a position of where the characters head should be such as what was done in Mickey/Minnie Runaway Railroad, parts of the Buzz Lightyear attraction, and many others. I much prefer the pure animatronics used throughout attractions such as the Tiki Room, Splash Mountain, etc than having these characters with tv images projected onto/into their faces. To me, it seems like a short cut/cop out. Wish Disney realized they had a winning recipe by sticking with pure animatronics vs going into video game format, such as exhibited with Toy Story Midway Mania. Or maybe I’m just a bitter, old, dinosaur who needs to evolve. Let me know your thoughts, thanks everyone.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

I much prefer the animatronic characters to projections, with a few exceptions and caveats.

Obviously the technology has evolved over the years and updates to original characters is appreciated on my end. I am still amazed by the President Lincoln animatronic for what it did when first unveiled.

But I do love me some Hat Box Ghost too and the Bride, those projections work for me real well and would not be possible with purely animatronic characters. I do see some function with the projections in being able to shift between scenes or emotions or even seasonal overlays. I like it in limited applications, but I still do prefer the original animatronics for the most part.

 

[Karin1984]

For me the problem with screens is... it's not really special. We watch movies and videos the entire time. It's everywhere. Why go into a ride to see something I can watch on Youtube? And to make it more cartoony removes the feeling of really being somewhere, what you can have with Pirates.

 

[Epicnemesis]

It’s like practical vs digital effects in movies. There is a time and place for each. An over reliance on either diminishes how immersive something is (whether we are talking a movie or attraction.)

Pirates would be a lot less charming with projections, but haunted mansion is enhanced with them.

 

[Kittyblue]

I much prefer the animatronics, it feels more immersive than going looking at projections.