Welcome to TPMvids Disney Beat where we talk
about all things Disney! If you’re new to the channel, hit that subscribe
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find us @TPMvideos. {Tiki Bird} A-a-audio animatronics? {Walt Disney} Right, audio animatronics. Since 1963, audio animatronics have been a
big part of the rides and attractions at the Disney theme parks. From A1 figures to the first A100 figure,
and now the A1000 figures of today, animatronic technology has made leaps and bounds. With more precision and life like movements,
we’re faced with some very impressive robotic figures. At all four Walt Disney World theme parks
in Florida you can find hundreds of animatronics but there are a select few that deserve the
spotlight. Many of these figures marked milestones for
their time, so today we’re gonna be counting down the Top 10 Most Impressive Animatronics
at Walt Disney World. Number 10
As you set sail on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom, the ride uses over 100 different
audio animatronics but a few figures stand out. Captain Jack Sparrow was added to the crew
of animatronics in 2006. Many people have been fooled thinking it’s
an actual actor since the figure perfectly captures Johnny Depp’s mannerisms and movements. He appears three times on the ride and although
these A-100 figures have been around almost 15 years, they never fail to impress. The newest audio animatronic is Redd who made
her debut in 2018 when Disney introduced the new auction scene. Compared to the old Redhead, this A-100 figure
is very fluid with a wider range of motion making her appear quite lifelike. {Redd} Drink up me hearties, yo-ho! She compliments the Auctioneer next door who’s
another A-100 figure. He was upgraded in the early 90s and there
was a time when he was one of, if not, THE most impressive figure at Walt Disney World. Animating 1 second of movement for an A-100
figure takes 8 hours to program, and that in itself is impressive. Just knowing the amount of hours that were
spent bringing these characters right to life. Number 9
In 2014 the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train debuted at Magic Kingdom, which features 7 state of
the art animatronics. With the 7 Dwarf figures, Walt Disney Imagineering
took audio animatronic technology to a new level calling them 3-D Audio Animatronics. The Dwarfs utilize projected faces, which
had been seen before with Buzz Lightyear in the 90s, but since then, technology advanced
allowing for much more precision in the animatronic animation. The projected faces allowed the squash and
stretch seen in film’s animation to come right to life in the animatronics. Every figure has multiple functions and the
fluidity of these animatronics is incredible. All of the the elements tied together really
brings these classic Disney characters to life. {Doc} Heigh-ho! Number 8
Racing into Disney’s Hollywood Studios you can find the impressive Lightning McQueen
in Lighting McQueen’s Racing Academy. This audio animatronic made his debut in March
of 2019 bringing this Pixar character to life in a way thats never been seen before at Walt
Disney World. {Lightning McQueen} That’s why I started
this racing academy, so I can pay it forward to all of you. The animators did a fantastic job with this
audio animatronic. He’s an extremely fluid figure. It’s like he literally jumped off the screen
right into the attraction. Now since he is a car his range of motion
in terms of functionality is sort of limited but what really makes this figure impressive
is his mouth. It looks like the animatronic has a physical
mouth that’s opening and closing, but it’s really just a clever rear projection. It allows these subtle nuanced mouth movements
that could only be achieved with a screen which in turn creates this lifelike character. {Lightning McQueen} Consider yourself honorary
members of my Lightning McQueen racing team. Now go out there and get your tires dirty! Ka-CHOW! Have a great drive everybody! It’s really something else seeing this audio
animatronic in person. Number 7
In 2019 Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge became home to the
big, gritty Ithorian Dok-Ondar who’s ready to barter with visitors. When it comes to advanced audio animatronic
figures, Disney delivered a highly impressive figure for a gift shop. {Dok-Ondar Mumbling} Although the Dok-Ondar is caged, you’re
able to get pretty close to see all the details especially on his face. Many electric actuators are at work that allow
the subtle movements of his eyes blinking to check and mouth ripples while he mumbles. {Dok-Ondar Mumbling} You’re convinced you’re faced with a living
breathing Ithorian and he’s actually quite large. {Dok-Ondar Mumbling..again} The figure doesn’t have as many movement
functions like other figures, but otherwise he’s still incredibly fluid and very impressive. Number 6
Next we’re gonna step right up and experience the sensational mr potato head animatronic
in the queue of Toy Story Mania. {Mr. Potato Head singing} Step right up and
take a ride. My toy friends are all inside! Standing approximately 5 feet tall, Mr. Potato
Head made his debut in May of 2008. The spud later disappeared for 2 1/2 years
in December of 2015 then made his grand return when Toy Story Land opened in June of 2018. Disney definitely updated the animatronic
during his hiatus because his range of motion is more fluid than its ever been. He looks great and this figure actually marks
a few audio animatronic milestones. Mr. Potato Head was one of the first audio
animatronics that actually moved its lips to form words and vowels, instead of just
opening and closing its mouth. He also has the most recorded dialogue of
any animatronic ever, with about 20 minutes worth. He’s also the first animatronic to remove
a piece of itself. Sometimes he removes his ear; this was groundbreaking
for an animatronic. Now just take note that you can only see Mr.
Potato Head in the standby queue. You won’t see him if you use Fastpass, but
if you ask me its worth it to do standby just so you can watch this incredible animatronic. {Mr. Potato Head} Folks I’ll give you a
hint…this is the part where you clap {light claps} {Mr. Potato Head} Thank you, thank you, hey
look a standing ovation. You shouldn’t have. Number 5
Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom is filled with many animatronics
but the true star is Ursula who stands 7 1/2 feet tall and 12 feet wide. {Ursula singing} I admit that in the past
I’ve been a nasty, they weren’t kidding when they called me, well, a Witch. She was first developed in 2011 for Ariels
Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure, then debuted at Magic Kingdom in 2012. At the time she was one of the largest animatronics
Walt Disney Imagineering had developed. Ursula has 33 different functions and when
you’re up close, you see the fluidly and precision of the movements. This includes her facial expressions, the
squash and stretch of her torso and the gestures of her tentacles. By using stretch velvet on her torso and a
flexible rubber on the rest of her body, the figure always keeps its shape. This allows the characterization traits from
the film to be brought right to life with this impressive animatronic. {Ursula singing} They come flocking to cauldron
crying spells Ursula please and I help them? Yes i do. Number 4
Over in world Showcase at Epcot the Norway pavilion is home to Frozen Ever After and
these audio animatronics are top notch. At the time in 2016, they were the most advanced
animatronics Disney had developed featuring the first all-electric figures, as opposed
to pneumatics or hydraulics. The Olaf animatronics as well as Elsa during
the the Let it Go sequence are ones to pay special attention to. Now although Olaf is small, he’s actually
one of the most complex figures due to his size. All the components that allow him to have
such life like movements needed to be crammed into a very small and compact space. {Olaf} For Sven and me and you. We’re going up to Elsa’s Ice Palace with
you These all electric figures allow for increased
fluidity. A great example is the Elsa animatronic, which
is so fluid that you could easily mistake her movements for digital animation. Combine this fluid movement from Disney Imagineering
with facial animation from Walt Disney studios and you’re faced with some very impressive
audio Animatronics. Number 3
Some of the newest Disney audio animatronics can be found on Rise of the Resistance in
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. The attraction features 65 robotic figures
to help tell this Star Wars Story and one of the first impressive figures you’ll see
is Lieutenant Beck. {Lieutenant Beck} Engage reports and hold
on recruits. All ships launch! If you grab a spot up front you can get really
close to this figure where you can see so many subtle movements from his eyes blinking
to his nostrils flaring. {Lieutenant Beck} We’re picking up an unusual
signal, are you spotting anything? Then once you’re on the physical ride, you’ll
get a chance to Kylo Ren and Hux. {Kylo-Ren} You will tell me the location of
your secret base. And then I will destroy you and the resistance. He demonstrates a high level of animatronic
fluidity and shows off some of the newest technology Disney has developed. To follow up the A100 figures, Imagineering
developed the humanoid A1000 figures. This completely replaced hydraulic actuators
with electric ones and added some custom elements as well. The rumour of one of the Kylo-Ren figures
being the Wicked Witch from the Great Movie ride isn’t true since Disney told media
outlets there are three humanoid A1000 figures. The two Kylos and Hux. The Wicked Witch was only an A100 figure,
but next we’re gonna talk about an animatronic that better shows off the nuances of the A1000
technology. Number 2
Over in Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run you can find Hondo Ohnaka in the pre show who
is also an A1000 animatronic. {Hondo} This is the group I’ve been waiting
for. Come in, come in! Standing 7 feet tall, Hondo was the first
humanoid A1000 figure to make its debut in the parks, not to mention that he’s one
of the most advanced figures Disney has developed to date. With a total of 51 functions including 10
in his head, Hondo moves in a hyper realistic manner. When you walk into the pre-show, if you didn’t
know he was an audio animatronic you’d be convinced it was an actor dressed as Hondo
Ohnaka. That is how detailed and fluid this animatronic
figure is. {Hondo} Today I am offering the opportunity
of a lifetime. I need flight crews to transport this valuable
merchandise across the galaxy. Even his knee bends as he turns and moves
creating the illusion that he’s walking. There’s always constant subtle movements. This impressive advanced technology really
opens up the possibilities of what animatronics will be able to achieve in future Disney attractions. {Hondo} Move along my friends. Listen carefully and remember, the better
you work together the more you earn. Number 1
Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom you can find the most impressive Audio animatronic
and that’s the Na’vi Shaman of Songs who can be found on Na’Vi River Journey in Pandora. The Na’vi Shaman made her debut in 2017
and although she’s no longer the most advanced figure in terms of robotic technology, she
still represents a huge achievement in animatronic functions. According to Walt Disney Imagineering, she
has the most functionality out of any animatronic they’ve produced. Her body alone has 39 functions and her face
has 42 separate functions which allows the character to embody these precise life like
expressions. She moves with such fluidity and ease you’re
just drawn to this character who is alive right in front of you. {Na’vi Shaman singing} Ma e wa. Ma e wa. Ma e wa. Truly it’s the most impressive animatronic
at Walt Disney World. {Na’vi Shaman} I look forward to seeing
you on Pandora. Wa-na-te-ka-me-a So what’s your favorite audio animatronic
at Walt Disney World? What are your thoughts on the animatronic
technology being introduced into the parks. I’d love to know! Leave a comment down below to start a conversation
and don’t forget to hit that like button if you enjoyed the video.
