Technological advances throughout the past few decades have given rise to impressively immersive animatronics, and popular theme parks such as Disney and Universal have been quick to implement them in their parks.
Not only that, but the recent push for high-quality animatronics and effects have started to reshape the industry as a whole. Today, we’ll be talking about some of the most impressive animatronics you can find at popular theme parks during your vacation!
1. T-Rex (Jurassic Park River Adventure, Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
The Jurassic Park River Adventure in Universal’s Islands of Adventure has become a classic water ride, perfect for cooling off in the Orlando heat. Guests travel through a leisure Jurassic Park experience, enjoying the sights of docile herbivores along the riverbank.
However, the boat is accidentally bumped off-course and taken into the containment area of numerous carnivores such as dilophosaurus and the velociraptors. As you prepare to be rescued by Jurassic Park employees, you come face-to-face with the tyrant king herself–the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
As your boat nears the big finale, Rexy emerges from a wall, shrouded in mist, and roaring at your approaching boat. Thankfully, you are rescued by the 80-foot drop right before her, but not before she leans down to snap at your heads as you go past! Although this is one of the oldest attractions on this list (and is definitely starting to show its age), coming so close to a massive T-rex animatronic is enough to give anyone the chills!
Over the years, the rex’s range of motion has become limited, but during the ride’s early years, the rex had an impressive range of motion and even came equipped with a moving tongue. Although the ride may not be as polished as some of the other, newer entries on this list, its lasting legacy is reason enough to include it here.
2. Yeti (Expedition Everest, Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
Expedition Everest was one of Disney’s most ambitious projects at the time of its development. For a time, it held the record of the world’s most expensive roller coaster with a hefty price tag of $100 million. The animatronic yeti that was created for this attraction had an incredible range of motion, with long arms that grabbed at passing riders as it swung from the wall. This version of the yeti was short lived, however, as it became apparent that the foundation on which the yeti stood was cracking under the strain of the heavy animatronic and its consistent movements.
Removing the yeti to repair the foundation beneath would prove to be an extensive and expensive undertaking. In order for the area to be reached, a large portion of the artificial mountain would have to be removed. After the heavy cost the ride took to build, Disney was not too keen on tearing it apart to fix the animatronic, and unfortunately to this day, the yeti has stayed in place, hidden by strobe light effects to give the impression of motion.
This effect has given the animatronic the nickname “Disco Yeti” by regulars in the Disney community. Maybe one day the yeti will be given its much-needed repair, but there have been very few developments hinting at this undertaking in the past few years.
3. Jaws (Universal Studios Florida)
The original Jaws ride in Universal Studios Florida featured an impressive animatronic shark and an array of special effects tied in to make the boat ride an immersive experience for park goers. In the original version of the ride, the animatronic shark would actually seemingly grab the front of the boat in its teeth and drag it. Another impressive scene later replaced the original ending (where the shark was shot by the skipper) by depicting the shark chomping down on a live wire and meeting a grisly end through electrocution.
Guests would then witness the fried corpse of the shark bobbing in the water before returning to the station. This frightening imagery has left a lasting impression on many visitors who had the opportunity to board this ride before it was eventually replaced by the Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley.
For those still eager to experience Jaws up close, Universal Studios Japan continues to operate the last existing incarnation of this ride.
Continue reading to see the infamous Indominus Rex, The Shaman of Songs and the seriously impressive Spider-Man stunt animatronic…
4. Indominus Rex (Jurassic World Adventure, Universal Studios Beijing)
Following the popularity of Jurassic World, fans have been eager to see how the new addition to the franchise would be incorporated in Universal theme parks. With the opening of Jurassic World – The Ride in Universal Studios Hollywood and Jurassic World Adventure in Universal Beijing, guests can actually have an up-close encounter with the aggressive Indominus Rex.
Although there’s technically two I-Rexes operating in Universal parks, we’ll be focusing on the one in Beijing for this section. In 2021, Universal Beijing introduced the Jurassic World Adventure as part of the park’s grand opening. This simulated dark ride took guests on a trip through Isla Nublar during the peak of Jurassic World’s popularity. Unlike the T-Rex animatronic mentioned before, the Indominus Rex is not entirely fixed to one spot.
In certain sections, it even appears as though the hybrid dinosaur is chasing the ride vehicle through the experience! The finale of the ride concludes with a showdown between the rexes, and the fluid and realistic motion of the I-Rex is truly captivating.
5. The Shaman of Songs (Na’vi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
The Shaman of Songs is an incredible animatronic featured in the Na’vi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This animatronic has been highly praised for its wide range of motion and smoothness during its performance, particularly in the hands and fingers.
The fluidity really gives the impression of life, and for many first-time visitors, a common mistake is believing the shaman is a live actor and not a startlingly realistic robot. Whether or not you are a fan of the Avatar franchise, you have to admit the shaman’s place on this list is well-deserved.
6. Spider-Man (around WEB SLINGERS attraction, Avengers Campus Disney’s California Adventure)
Arguably the most impressive technological feats on this list is a special Spider-Man stunt animatronic. This ambitious project started as nothing more than a few sticks tied together in a z-shape and flung from a swinging rope and developed into a complex stunt double able to flip and correct itself mid-air.
This incredible animatronic can be seen at the Avengers Campus in Disney’s California Adventure around the WEB SLINGERS attraction, and is used to complete outstanding and realistic-looking stunts high in the air without concern of human injuries.
This animatronic has become one of the crown achievements of recent robotics, and the title is well-deserved. Seeing this animatronic in action is truly mind-blowing, as can be seen in the YouTube video embedded above.
These are just a few examples of the impressive technology put to use in modern theme parks worldwide. As the popularity of immersive theme park attractions continues to grow, it’s very likely companies will continue to push the limits of robotics.
I can’t help but grow excited thinking about the future of animatronics at the parks–what do you hope to see in the future of robotics? Are there any animatronics we missed that deserve to make it onto this list? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
