20. Velociraptor
Debut: Jurassic World VelociCoaster (2021)
Location: Universal Islands of Adventure
Video: Captivity
1993’s Jurassic Park will probably always be considered among the greatest films of all time. Its 1997 and 2001 sequels? Not so much… But that all changed thanks to a major reboot. Set (and released) 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, 2015’s Jurassic World takes place in a new (but no less doomed) iteration of the prehistoric park. Rather than a boutique wildlife refuge for one-percenters, Jurassic World is a much more modern enterprise with “more teeth.” We’re talking a mass-market park of stadiums, monorails, a CityWalk shopping district, and mega thrill rides.
So even though Islands of Adventure’s Jurassic Park land is still technically themed to the original, literary park seen in the 1993 film, its skyline has a new entry: the 150-foot tall top hat of an Intamin multi-launch roller coaster that dives through the raptor paddock of Jurassic World, “joining the hunt” alongside the sequel trilogy’s all-female velociraptor quartet – Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo.
The ride’s fairly elaborate queue sends guests through the labyrinthine support facilities of the raptor exhibit they’re about to foolishly launch into, including a stop in a medical bay where two of the raptors we’ve seen on screen (Delta and Echo) are harnessed by the snout. They grunt, wince, snarl, bare their teeth, and rattle their cages in a staggeringly lifelike display that’s incredibly effective, and a real show-stopper. That makes sense – these dinosaurs were created by the Creature Technology Company, who also manufactured the figures in the jaw-dropping Jurassic World: The Exhibition.
19. Imhotep
Debut: Revenge of the Mummy (2004)
Location: Universal Studios Florida (exclusive)
Video: “I shall rule for all eternity!”
The queue for Orlando’s Modern Marvel: Revenge of the Mummy explores an ancient Egyptian tomb where the evil Imhotep and his curse await. According to the ride’s story, Imhotep is unstoppable… unless you can find the symbol of the Medjai, the ancient protectors of the Pharaoh who stand as the last guard between the mummified high priest and humanity. Shortly after boarding the ancient mine cars that travel into the tomb, guests get their first glimpse of just how serious Imhotep is about world domination. It seems that crew member Reggie has gone missing from Revenge of the Mummy… and you’re about to find him.
Reggie – wrapped in mummified dressings – is leaned in a sarcophagus. As the coaster slowly moves toward him, he stirs. “Are you insane?! Get out of here! The curse – it’s real! This whole place is a trap!” Just then, the massive stone sarcophagus next to Reggie bursts open as the half-decayed Imhotep jumps out. “Silence!” he screams, extending his hand to Reggie. Dust is sucked out of Reggie’s mouth and into Imhotep as Reggie slumps over, dead. “With your souls,” Imhotep laughs, gesturing at the car, “I shall rule for all eternity.” Any future dealings with the Mummy will be in the form of projections, fog, and audio, but that first encounter with the surprising Imhotep figure leaves quite a taste in your mouth. And yes, it’s the only animatronic we can think of that jumps.
18. C-3PO
Debut: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011)
Location: Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris
Video: “I am not programmed to fly these things!”
In our in-depth Lost Legends: STAR TOURS feature, we call the original 1986 attraction “the ride that changed Disney Parks forever.” One of the first major collaborations between Disney and George Lucas, the ride managed to kick off the Age of the Simulator, begin the “Ride the Movies” era, and irrevocably brought non-Disney films into Disney Parks – all part of new-CEO Michael Eisner’s decree that Disney Parks needed to feature the stories and characters people cared about in modern times, even if they weren’t Disney stories and characters! And Star Tours was a hit, with guests on a domestic flight to Endor being dragged into a fight between the Empire and the Rebellion thanks to unforgettable first-time pilot RX-24 (or “Rex“).
In 2011, the ride became its own prequel. That meant that Rex hasn’t even been manufactured yet, and a new on-board “captain” was needed. In a fresh preshow, C-3PO steps aboard the StarSpeeder 1000 to conduct his pre-flight maintenance, only to be accidentally closed up in the captain’s cabin. Once we step aboard and are cleared for auto-take-off sequence, C-3PO appears on screen. “Why, we can’t take off,” he rebuts, “the Captain’s not on board!” It’s too late. As the cabin shield lowers, we see C-3PO himself, mere feet away from us. Sure, the Droid doesn’t have a mouth or eyes, but being this close the “real” C-3PO – seeing the gold glint off of his shell – leaves Star Wars fans gobsmacked.
What’s more, C-3PO is literally long for the ride, adjusting controls, turning to speak to us, and even holding on tight when the StarSpeeder jumps to lightspeed, subjecting riders – and the Audio-Animatronic – to some serious forces. It’s astounding that the C-3PO figure is with us throughout our entire adventure (and to consider that he’s in each StarSpeeder, meaning that – counting his appearances in the queue – that are 12 C-3PO figures between the U.S. parks alone…)
17. Walt Disney
Debut: Walt Disney – A Magical Life (2025)
Location: Disneyland Park
Video: Coming soon
“What would Walt do?” It’s been six decades since Walt Disney passed away in December 1966, meaning he’s been gone nearly as long as he was alive. But the question of what Walt would do still matters to many in Walt Disney Imagineering…
Walt was famously resistant to being deified at Disneyland via a sculpture of his likeness. When master sculptor and Disney Legend Blaine Gibson presented Walt with a bust, he allegedly said, “What am I going to do with this? Statues are for dead people!” Yet even after his died, Walt’s wife Lillian apparently told Gibson directly that she didn’t “ever want a bust or a portrait or a statue of Walt to be done.” As with most things, time begets change. Gibson eventually sculpted the Partners statue found in Disneyland’s Hub – a feature that feels like a timeless piece of the park, but was only added in 1993!
Anyway, thirty years later, another “Walt” has found its way to Disneyland. Positioned as part of the park’s 70th Anniversary, the Main Street Opera House (which has long showcased Walt’s Audio-Animatronic ode to his own hero, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”) gained a new show: “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.” Imagineers’ hearts are clearly in the right place. As the time since Walt’s death grows, there’s an obvious and well-intentioned desire to ensure that “Disney” isn’t just a brand, but the name of a real man.
So the performance in “A Magical Life” is meant to be reflective and emotional, inviting guests into Walt’s personal office as (via archival audio) he reminisces on his career and his dreams for Disneyland. And technically, it’s a true marvel. The figure is expressive and – in a particularly impressive maneuver – goes from leaning against his desk to standing with effort that really looks human.
Beyond the technicals, though, reception toward the figure has been… mixed. Nearly every detraction in that regard comes down to the notion that Walt Disney was a real person, which results in a few… discomforts.
It’s one thing to bring to life a historical figure like Abraham Lincoln. It’s another to try to create a realistic and accurately “human” Audio-Animatronic of a person of whom there exists plentiful photos and videos. The Walt we see in Animatronic form is certainly not a perfect 1:1 to the actual person. Part of it is because the more complex these figures become, the more difficult it is to contain the mechanisms of expression in a human-sized head. Another is that the figure needs to read to an audience of 500, requiring some degree of stylization and exaggeration that doesn’t read as well on camera. And naturally, the concept of the “Uncanny Valley” tells us that when a non-human thing hits a certain threshold of humanness, it actives a deeply embedded and instinctive feeling of revulsion.
The other thing working against the figure in “A Magical Life” is another pesky result of Walt being a real person: that he was real family, many of whom have spoken out against the project. (Disney secured the approval of at least one family member, but many others have expressed discomfort with the concept. How would you like it if the company your grandfather started “brought him back to life” as a robot?) It’s hard to say whether it’s “fitting” or “creepy” that Walt is on a physical turntable so that the new show can play in rotation with the “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” performance that the real Walt created.
It’s impossible to know “what would Walt do?” or how he’d feel about being “brought to life” as an Audio-Animatronic. Even beyond that, the situation itself is definitely awkward (as evidenced by the notion that we’re here wedging thee Walt Disney into a listicle where he’s neighbored by a Star Wars robot and a character from Zootopia)… But in terms of the artistry and the art form of Audio-Animatronics, it’s clearly one we can’t skip.
16. Clawhauser and Gazelle
Debut: Zootopia: Hot Pursuit
Location: Shanghai Disneyland (exclusive)
Video: Clawhauser animatronic testing
It’s funny – most Disney Parks fans will probably never actually visit Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, but just about everyone has a very strong opinion on it. That’s because Disney semi-announced and then let marinate for a year that they were considering replacing Animal Kingdom’s Modern Marvel: Dinosaur with a version of the land themed to Disney’s 2016’s animated film. Fans rallied hard – some for, some against. (You can count Park Lore in the “against” camp, since Zootopia doesn’t fit in Animal Kingdom thematically, aesthetically, or narratively.)
At least for now, Disney has pivoted in their plans for Dinoland, leaving Zootopia exclusive to Shanghai Disneyland. (Zootopia performed well at the U.S. box office, but it did exceptionally well in China.) Whether that’s a good or a bad thing, we’ll let you decide. But the land’s starring E-Ticket – Zootopia: Hot Pursuit – does come with a number of impressive animatronics. The one Disney readily shared on social media was a figure of the film’s cheetah cop, Lieutenant Clawhauser, who orients guests in a pre-show. (If concept art is to be believed, the same animatronic will be duplicated for a Zootopia takeover of Animal Kingdom’s “It’s Tough to be a Bug,” axing Hopper from this list.)
The other figure of note is Gazelle – the thinly-veiled avatar of Colombian singer Shakira, who voices the Zootopian pop star and sings the films feel-good, rhythmic soundtrack anthem, “Try Everything.” Hot Pursuit is a trackless ride in which guests join the film’s leading duo – rabbit Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wilde – as they rescue the kidnapped singer. Guests’ victory leads to a Gazelle concert, where a quite-impressive figure of the antelope singer mimics Shakira’s iconic hip popping movements while serenading guests.