The 25 Most Incredible Theme Park Animatronics on Earth

5. Indominus rex

Debut: Jurassic World: The Ride (2021) 
Location: Universal Studios Hollywood (exclusive)
Video: Not born, but made

When the Lost Legend: Jurassic Park – The Ride opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1996, there was no question as to which dinosaur was the star… After a tranquil journey through herbivore habitats was accidentally set off-course by a playful hadrosaur, riders found themselves drifting through the industrial environmental systems building. To the tune of screaming radio chatter and an eerily pleasant countdown to the termination of life support systems, a looming waterfall would part to produce the T. rex itself, swinging forward, throwing its head back, and snapping its jaws within inches of the boat just as it hit an 85-foot drop. By the end of the ride’s life, though, it’s fair to say that most of the other dinosaurs along the ride course bordered on hokey. (An issue Islands of Adventure’s version of the ride is still contending with.)

In 2019, the ride was officially swapped to the trendier Jurassic World brand, introducing the modern trilogy’s “big bad:” the genetically-engineered Indominus rex. The ride’s showbuilding was reimagined as an immersive “T. rex Kingdom” habitat, with the escaped I. rex appearing… but only as an animatronic head near the long-running T. rex finale.

When Universal Studios Hollywood re-opened in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jurassic World: The Ride looked a whole lot different. The park had made good on plans to put finishing touches on the ride, in this case by way of one of the most staggeringly cool animatronics ever. The massive, full-body Indominus rex walks out of the shadows, turns toward guests’ helplessly-drifting rafts, snaps and screeches, then – just as the T. rex arrives – turns its whole body to challenge the creature. The I. rex is doubtlessly the most lifelike animatronic Universal’s ever dealt with, and the details of its movement (for example, shifting its weight or head as it turns) are like poetry for themed entertainment engineers.

4. Death Eater

Debut: Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (2025)
Location: Universal Epic Universe (exclusive)
Video: “We won’t let you stop us this time!”

When Universal first began to pull back the curtains on what to expect from Universal Epic Universe, the Internet was particularly flabbergasted by the fleeting seconds of footage Universal Creative offered of the park’s animatronics being tested. We’ve obviously already covered Dracula as found in the park’s Monsters Unchained, but the other figures that left fans speechless were the Death Eaters – the silver-masked cronies of Voldemort – set to be featured in the park’s signature ride, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

On board, riders find themselves in the Ministry after the final film to tie up a loose end: attending the trial of notorious franchise baddie Dolores Umbridge. Unfortunately, Umbridge has a plan to escape to the Ministry’s Time Room, steal a Time Turner, and return us all the time of Lord Voldemort. She’s aided, of course, by a “last stand” of Death Eaters eager to avoid Azkaban and rewrite the end of Voldemort’s story by returning to the past. (The resulting ride is perhaps the only one on Earth that can give Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance a run for its money in terms of scale.)

The Death Eaters we encounter in the Ministry’s Archives Room are – to not put too fine a point on it – unimaginably real. So real that even multiple ride-throughs will leave your brain reeling to find any evidence that they’re not just people in cloaks. It’s difficult to express how absolutely real these figures appear. Their body language; their stances; how they shift their weight, how they turn, and they patter their feet. Universal could probably sell VIP Tours comprised entirely of just watching the figures perform and reset for hours, and even then you’d be hard pressed to be convinced that they’re mechanical.

Anyway, the most jaw-dropping moment in regard to these Death Eaters occurs when – just before he can Crucio us into oblivion, the massive wardrobe that the figure is standing on freefalls – an illusion totally sold by figure reacting to going momentarily airborne, then landing with a thud and adjusting to take aim at us again just before we escape.

3. Kylo Ren

Debut: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (2019)
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios 
Video: “You will tell me the location…”

There are practically no words to describe Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the ultra-E-Ticket (U-Ticket?) anchor of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. Blurring the line between where the queue ends and the “ride” begins, the attraction utilizes three separate ride systems in an epic journey that sees guests ferried away from Black Spire Outpost before being abducted by the villainous First Order just as the Resistance arrives. Enlisted in a plan to escape from the First Order ship and return to Batuu, guests encounter a ride that’s more ambitious than nearly any Imagineering has ever attempted.

But the attraction’s star must be Kylo Ren – the “sequel” trilogy’s conflicted counterpart to Darth Vader – who’s present in at least two astounding Audio-Animatronics during the ride. The second (and the number one figure on our list) is encountered when guests find themselves sealed off from the escape pods that may be their only hope off the ship. Using his Force powers, Ren grabs hold of the ride’s prisoner transport vehicles to pull guests in close with a final threat if they refuse to betray the location of the Resistance base on Batuu.

Just then, a Resistance missile strikes the ship, blowing open a hole into space. In unbelievable motion, Kylo is flung forward by the force of the explosion with the wall shattering behind him. He flails forward in an attempt to grab something, but is ultimately sucked backwards, reaching helplessly as the ship begins to disintegrate around him. With Kylo’s Force grip cut off, the path to the escape pods is clear, ending one of the most epic encounters with a brain-shatteringly lifelike figure – the perfect climax of a modern Imagineering marvel.

2. Frankenstein’s Monster

Debut: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Location: Universal Epic Universe
Video: “Friends…”

We’re back in Dark Universe at Universal Epic Universe, returning to the scene of Dracula’s attack. But if you will, rewind for a moment to the lead-up to Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. The attraction’s queue sees guests explore the corridors of the historic Frankenstein Manor, where Victoria (great-great granddaughter of the “Dr. Frankenstein” who created the creature in the 1931 film) resides. Reclusive Victoria’s life’s work has been to restore glory to the Frankenstein name by doing what her ancestors couldn’t: saving the village of Darkmoor from the nightmarish creatures who lurk in the shadows.

Our prelude to the ride itself is an encounter with Victoria in a preshow. There, the Darkmoor’s would-be savior is present as an impressive Audio-Animatronic in her own right, catching us up on her attempts to return the name “Frankenstein” to the column of good guys. To prove just how capable she is, she introduces us to her very own creation: a “2.0” version of the “monster” her great-great grandfather assembled a century ago. Enter that creation: a staggering ten foot tall figure that lumbers toward the audience, shielding its eyes from the spotlight and shaking the ground with every step.

This new creation – “better than the original,” Victoria assures us – may be imposing, but like the first version, he’s clearly kind. The “Monster” is immediately quelled when Victoria introduces us as “friends,” and spends the remainder of the preshow on display. The creature puffs his chest when Victoria compliments him, becomes enraged at the mention of Dracula and knocks over a piece of equipment, and cowers when his creator gets heated. It’s stunning animation that’s subtle and emotional, and conveys in an instant that this creature may be big, but he’s gentle, simple, and even sweet.

Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t just a jaw-droppingly impressive figure – it’s one that invites careful study, spending no less than 90 seconds under the fully-lit scrutiny of guests. Think about that. This isn’t a figure that needs to “leap out” then reset for the next passing vehicle; it’s one that guests spend time with. So much so that fans have come to adore the creature’s unique way of “assisting” Victoria in emptying the preshow room, where an entire mini-show sees the creature get scolded for touching something, then gesturing to lingering guests that it’s time to move along in a sweet little motion.

1. Shaman of Songs

Debut: Na’vi River Journey (2017) 
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom (exclusive) 
Video: “Oel Ngati Kameie“

It would be an understatement to suggest that Disney Parks fans were disgruntled by the 2011 announcement that Disney had secured the global license to build theme park attractions centered on James Cameron’s Avatar. Sure, the 2009 film was – far and away – the highest grossing film of all time. But fans weren’t sold on Avatar‘s staying power or its deservedness of a permanent land at a Disney Park… much less at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – a park that’s actually about something, and where the PG-13 action flick about humanity’s assault on a distant alien world hardly seemed to align.

But when Pandora – The World of AVATAR opened in 2017, we were swiftly proved wrong. Incarnate as a protected wildlife preserve call the Valley of Mo’ara, the land invites us to become “ecotourists,” exploring the flora and fauna of Pandora and partaking in the culture (and cuisine) of its native Na’vi people. While the breathtaking Flight of Passage simulator is the land’s thrilling E-Ticket anchor, it was the promise of Na’vi River Journey that most intrigued fans. After all, the era of reflective, peaceful, indoor boat rides feels like a time long gone.

Unfortunately, Na’vi River Journey is probably half the length fans hoped. But the ride is beautiful, allowing guests to sail through the tranquil bioluminescent rainforest alongside the planet’s glowing creatures. Music builds through the poetic experience, ending in a face-to-face encounter with the Na’vi Shaman of Songs – an absolutely stunning, hypnotic figure that sings “Way Tiretuä” as she conjures a deep connection to the planet. Here, Imagineering embraces the art of animatronics to elicit warmth; wonder; awe.

Like the rest of the ride, guests’ encounter with the Shaman is arguably over way too soon. But think about it: of course it’s a staggeringly complex machine with unfathomable motion, and of course its reported price tag ($23 million) is an impressive show of wealth. But to an extent perhaps never matched before, what really makes the Shaman unique is that it applies Audio-Animatronics technology to elicit peace. Maybe it’s in the hope that while in that state of peace, we’ll see the not-so-subtle allegory here: that Pandora is Earth, and the beauty, serenity, connection, and drive to protect the environment and its inhabitants that we feel here can be put to real use back at home…

The Best of the Best

The 21st century has shown that animatronics are not make-or-break when it comes to an attraction’s success. Transformers: The Ride is an incredible, action-filled thrill ride without a single animatronic, and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem doesn’t need a robotic Gru to be captivating, heartwarming, and fun.

Even still, there’s something powerful about seeing a character come to life in the old-fashioned, glasses-free kind of 3D. Sure, Spider-Man leaping onto the hood of your SCOOP virtually is stunning and awe-inspiring, but folks are still just as captivated by the hairy leg of that pirate of the Caribbean, aren’t they? That sort of visceral, “real” experience is important, and even if new genres leave animatronics out, we don’t ever expect them to disappear completely. Have you seen all of the figures on our list? Which took your breath away? 

Figures retired or bumped from this list:

• Stitch (Stitch’s Great Escape) (attraction closed)
• The Wicked Witch (The Great Movie Ride) (attraction closed)
• The Carnotaurus (Dinosaur) (bumped)
• Q’araq (Roaring Rapids) (didn’t live up to its potential)
• T. rex (Jurassic Park: The Ride) (overshadowed)
• Maleficent (Fantasmic!) (destroyed)
• Hopper (It’s Tough to be a Bug) (attraction closed)