The Disney Parks have amazing rides, attractions, shows, themed restaurants, hotels/resorts and pretty much everything in theme park is amazing and one thing they are really known for is their Imagineering team. Back in the early years of Disneyland, Walt Disney and his Imagineering team created a trademark with the parks that throughout the years got better and better, Audio Animatronics. Back in 1961 Walt Disney was working on creating animatronics for the parks as the very 1st animatronic created was the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room. Many years later and Disney animatronics have become one of the most popular things to look forward to during the guest’s trips to the parks. I have watched many videos about audio animatronics as I practically know about too many of them. I love seeing them up close as some look life like while others are amazing for nostalgic reasons. As you can tell this list is going to be about Audio Animatronics in the Disney Parks as I am going to rank my top 10 animatronics in the Disney Parks. Now I’m going to make a quick rule for this list as like I said there have been so many animatronics in the parks that I needed to make this one rule. I will only be talking about animatronics being used in the parks as of right now while I type this, so future ones for upcoming rides, attractions, etc would not count nor would ones that are defunct, so sadly most of these won’t be talked about now and instead in a different list. Now this is a personal opinion so if you don’t agree with mine then comment below which ones are your favorites. Okay let’s visit most of the Disney Parks and countdown the top 10 Audio Animatronics in the Disney Parks.
My Top 10 Audio Animatronics in the Disney Parks:
10. The Country Bears (Country Bear Jamboree) – This one is a nostalgic, classic one for me as they are one of the oldest animatronics still in the parks. The Country Bear Jamboree began its hoedown on opening day of Disney World in 1971 and it is home of the Country Bears crew. The show itself is not the most amazing show to watch as you are watching animatronic bears singing some country but they are pretty impressive considering they have never been replaced with new models and only have gotten new fur every once in a while. All the bears play a great part in the show including the Master of the Ceremony Henry, Liver Lips, Terri Berra, Big Al and more. The show also has three interesting animatronics that are on the walls, a bison named Buff, a buck named Max and a moose named Melvin. They are pretty entertaining to watch as well as they interact with the show, including my favorite part when Terri Berra comes as all three of them watch in awe and open there mouths wide. Fun fact, while the show is slow it still is a very popular and beloved show, so popular and loved that Disney decided to make a film about them that came out in 2002 called The Country Bears. The film was a box office bomb but hey at least the show didn’t benefit from the failure of the film. The show has shown up also in Tokyo Disneyland and once before in Disneyland as this version officially closed back in 2001. The animatronics are pretty cool to see up close and even though they are old, they are still kicking and entertaining Disney guests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-KQgEhGHfE
9. The Frozen crew (Frozen Ever After) – I’m going to say this one last time, I hate the movie Frozen, I hate Let It Go and I don’t want to build a snowman and Olaf…. Just NO! However I ignore this hate when I rode Frozen Ever After and seeing the audio animatronics up close was a new type of experience that I needed to experience. First of all, the ride has two different versions of animatronics, electric animatronics that use regular features in animatronics including moving mouth, eyes and body, but also electric audio animatronics that have facial animation on the face of the figures. Now through a camera and on screen they look pretty cool but up close these animatronics look pretty impressive. Olaf’s movements are pretty impressive as he is a smaller figure and can walk around the ride set piece when we are introduced into the ride, but the Elsa animatronic is by far the most impressive animatronic in the whole ride. She looks like she is on a screen but folks Disney magic is real and it’s an actual animatronic in front of your face singing Let It Go. The movement on the animatronic looks so life like and even the face looks real, even though its facial animation. I’ve seen videos of these animatronic but seeing them up close changed the game for me. Now like I said I don’t like the film at all, but I really do like the ride, like a lot, and I’m pretty impressed with the ride and most of all the animatronics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DWzavTqEFA&t=2s
8. Albert and Mystic Manor (Mystic Manor) – Now I talked about this ride in my top 10 list of rides/attractions/shows I want to do and I wanted to talk more about how awesome the ride is. Now as said in the previous list, Mystic Manor is a ride in Hong Kong Disneyland and is the most popular ride in the park. The ride itself is Hong Kong’s version of the Haunted Mansion and is about Lord Mystic and his manor and the music box that is in it. A cute monkey animatronic named Albert opens the music box and the whole manor comes to life. The Albert animatronic is very adorable and very impressive as every figure of the ride has something awesome bout it. The small figure has pretty great movement in the head, arms and even the tail and I can’t get over the fact how adorable he is. But the rest of the animatronics in the ride have pretty impressive movements including the Venus flytrap, a Samurai with a katana and a giant Jade Sun Wukong. The ride has amazing animatronics and while I never rode the ride, I have watched many videos on it and it looks so amazing. I really want to see these audio animatronics up close, especially the adorable Albert as he looks so cute. If you ever go to Hong Kong Disneyland, defiantly go on Mystic Manor and watch the whole ride come to life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeDx6V8dmXg&t=44s
7. Mr. Potato Head (Toy Story Midway Mania) – The Disney parks have some of the best Toy Story animatronics including the Buzz Lightyear animatronics in Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin or Wheezy in Slinky Dog Dash. But the most amazing looking and top Toy Story animatronic goes to Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Midway Mania. At the time of his arrival in the parks, the Mr. Potato Head audio animatronic is one of the most advanced animatronic figures created by the Walt Disney Imagineering. Mr. Potato Head has the most dialogue programmed in the animatronic and it is one of the first animatronics that speaks fluently with its lips. Also it is the first figure to remove part of its body and re-attach it to itself. However I don’t believe he does it anymore as he would always breakdown or glitch while removing his ear and re-attaching it so I think the program has been defunct but for what it’s worth it is pretty cool that the figure was the 1st figure to do so. The figure also has eyes that look directly at the guests and interacts with them. Honestly the Mr. Potato Head audio animatronic is outstanding in my opinion as it plays perfectly with being in the ride’s queue and entertaining the guests as they wait on line to go on the ride. Plus I love the fact that he has the role of being a boardwalk barker as the character and Don Rickles, the voice of Potato Head, is a huge talker that speaks his mind and that fits perfectly with someone who needs to talk to guests to get their attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2COvT6ePS3I
6. Carnotaurus Rex and dinosaurs (Dinosaur!) – Now this one is one of those animatronics that looks better in person and not through a screen so I recommend seeing this one up close in the future. Until then were going to go back in time 65 million years in the past and go into Dinosaur. The ride is one of my favorite rides in the park and it is very underrated. The ride brings dinosaurs to life in front of our eyes as we pass by so many cool looking dinosaur animatronics until we get to the big boy of the ride. The Carnotaurus animatronic can be seen 4 times in the ride, although only three of them actually move. The first time we see the dino the computer locks onto a large dinosaur and we are introduced to him and he roars at us as if he will attack. You get away thankfully and continue on into your journey. The 2nd encounter however is probably the coolest part of the ride. Light flashes as we once again approach the Carnotaurus, but this time he lashes at us but thankfully we get away. We encounter it a third time after a meteor shower and it’s at its full height and it roars at the guests very loudly. You escape one more time but the final time is when you are at the end of the ride and the Carnotaurus lashes at the guests just as they make their way to the final drop. The Carnotaurus looks really awesome compared to its counterparts, not taking anything away from the other dino’s though as they all look pretty cool. I love the audio animatronics in this ride as most of the dinosaurs in the ride look really life like, including the Carnotaurus. I first witnessed them up close in 2018, but I’ve seen them in videos, Disney World tapes and in a weird way, in a Disney sing along tape from the late 90’s, not kidding. But yeah they are older animatronics but they are really cool looking and are very underrated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPDl_33ku1k
5. Rocket Raccoon (Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout) – Mission Breakout is probably one of the greatest rides in Disneyland and it holds some of the coolest Easter eggs including some hidden Mickey’s, Ultron, Stan Lee making a cameo, REX from Star Tours and the Matterhorn’s Abominable Snowman. Thankfully were not here to ride the ride this time, were here specifically to talk about the audio animatronic in the pre-show, Rocket. The Rocket audio animatronic is by far one of the coolest animatronics in Disneyland. I mentioned in a previous top 10 list that he looks really life like and just from watching the video I noticed that the figure blinks and even though the arms have limited movement, all in all the figure literally looks like Rocket from the film. It’s also worth noting that Bradley Cooper voiced the audio animatronic and the rest of the cast was also a part of the ride in the queue and the ride itself. The animatronic is small compared to the other animatronics in this list but that is what makes it even cooler. The only thing that I do critique about it is the arm movements, but aside from that the figure looks so amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZw8wE_zxU8
4. Mater and the Radiator Springs gang (Radiator Springs Racers) – Cars Land in Disneyland’s California Adventure is one of the coolest lands in Disney parks history. That being said, the animatronics used in Radiator Springs Racers are one of most amazing animatronics to ever be in the Disney parks. Some of these animatronics speak fluently with lips, or in this case front bumpers and a few have their faces projected in the exterior of the animatronic. Not every animatronic moves but they all still look amazing and its incredible how Walt Disney Imagineering made these Pixar animated characters come to life in front of our very eyes. Like the ride as a whole looks amazing with the interior/exterior theme of the ride, how it looks entirely like it came from the movie and the ride system itself. But then you add those amazing audio animatronics and you put them in this amazing ride and you have yourself something incredible. I have not yet seen these animatronics or ride up close but you can bet it’s on my to do list as I bet though a screen they look cool, but in person it will be 10 times better. Plus there is already a Lightning McQueen audio animatronic at Hollywood Studios that is way more advanced and looks incredible. I’ll post both of them to get an idea of their differences but also just because I can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8su8sPLiu8 – Radiator Springs Racers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFotg4XtcU – Lightning McQueen in Hollywood Studios
3. The Lava Monster (Journey to the Center of the Earth) – Tokyo Disney Sea holds one of the out of this world rides called Journey to the Center of Earth. The ride is Tokyo’s version of Test Track but inspired by Jules Verne novel. The ride also holds one of the most phenomenal and scary audio animatronics in Disney parks history, the Lava Monster. The Lava Monster can be found in the finale of the ride as you go through a different route and down a side with giant egg sacks that appears to belong to a gigantic creature. You enter the fiery heart of the volcano and become face to face with the large lava monster. The monster lets out a roar before lashing out at you but luckily you escape back to the surface before the eruption of the volcano. The animatronic is barely a part of the ride but it plays a key part in the ride itself and is one of the key features of why the ride is so incredible. Next time you take your trip or plan on taking a trip to Tokyo Disney, check this ride out and check out up close, face to face, the Lava Monster to see how huge it really is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUddsUuT1p4
2. The Pirates of the Caribbean crew (Pirates of the Caribbean) – Honestly I feel like out of all of these animatronics, none of them have changed so much over the years and become more advance like the Pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean. This beloved Disney ride has been sailing the Seven Seas in the Disney Parks since 1967 and ever since then the animatronics have evolved. Let’s talk about the star of the attraction, Jack Sparrow. He was never originally in the ride, as in 2006 he was added into the ride because of the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He, Captain Barbossa and a visual effect of Davy Jones was added into the ride. Both Sparrow and Barbossa looked amazing and were visually stunning, to the point that they looked like the actual characters. You know you’re animatronic looks life like when Johnny Depp himself decides to show up to Disneyland in 2017 and some lucky guests got to see him in action on the ride posing as Jack Sparrow. The guests didn’t even know it was him and that’s how you know the animatronics added in were amazing because they couldn’t tell the real one from the actor apart. Shanghai Disneyland opened there version of the ride and their animatronics were very advanced compared to the other parks. The Jack Sparrow animatronic starts as a skeleton but with amazing visual effect, the skeleton becomes Jack Sparrow and the movement on the figure is life like as like I said before you can’t tell if it’s an animatronic or Johnny Depp. Plus the ride also has an amazing Davy Jones animatronic that once again looks life like. Now in the original ride, the scene with the redhead damsel being auctioned was changed and the figure is now the redhead pirate helping the auctioneer sell loot to the townspeople. Honestly it’s amazing how Disney Imagineering finds a way to make a simple robotic figure look life like and make you believe you’re next to a real life pirate. I’m posting a lot of videos, Shanghai Disney’s pirates, Disney Worlds Pirates since it’s the one I’ve been on the most and for shits and giggles Johnny Depp on Disneyland’s Pirates. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZeBQXkqgZM – Disney World’s Pirates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVx9_HGWbs&t=503s – Shanghai’s Pirates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwauqxGbgQ0 – Johnny Depp in Disneyland’s Pirates
1, Na’vi Shaman of Songs (Na’vi River Journey) – Throughout the years Disney Imagineering has found ways to make these animatronics more advanced and evolved. Well in 2017 a new world for Pandora arrived in Animal Kingdom and inside the world lived the Na’vi Shaman, one of the most advanced animatronic in Disney history. This audio animatronic has the most functionality out of every audio animatronic as she can move her arms, fingers, body and her face. Seeing this figure in a video back in 2017 was life changing in my opinion as I never saw a robotic figure move in the way that she does. It’s crazy to believe that this is an animatronic and not an actor as her movements looks very life like. In 2018 I witnessed this character first hand as she was my first experience in Animal Kingdom and in Disney World in 2018 and I couldn’t look away from her. I still to this day can’t believe that she isn’t a real person it’s so incredible. Now at the time she was the most advanced figures in the parks but times changes and technology evolves and she still is pretty advanced believe me but she is a part of the A-100 figures as there is now A-1000 figures that were introduced in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and while most of those figures are life like as well, they don’t have the same movement as the Shaman. The figure is one of those many reasons why I believe in Disney magic and I will always remember that moment being up close and personal with the Na’vi Shaman of Songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsB9mYPPe38
Now before I go into the honorable mentions I want to talk about an animatronic that deserves to be on the list and honorable mentions as unfortunately due to the conditions to the ride and the changing of his function the animatronic is sort of not functioning at the moment. Yes I’m talking about the Disney World Icon, Disco Yeti. Ahhh Disco Yeti I would love to put you in my top 10 as seeing you on the TV screen in 2005 doing your thing on Expedition Everest was awesome as I wanted to see it up close. But sadly you are now Disco Yeti, the Yeti who moves in the Strobe lights. So instead of putting him on the honorable mentions I thought lets just give him his own spotlight on this list. Here’s to you Disco Yeti. I’ll let TPMVids talk about the Yeti in his video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb63xsCO6lA
Honorable Mentions:
The Seven Dwarfs (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) – This ride has seven of the most amazing looking animatronics as they are 3-D Audio Animatronics. They look amazing in the ride and I found a video from Walt Disney Parks that talk about the figure and give them a spotlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-PV4PsRCgo&feature=emb_title
Q’araq (Roaring Rapids Shanghai Disney) – Now I’m not a fan of this type of water ride as there’s a lot of spinning and a whole lot of water but Shanghai changed the game for rapid river rides as this one includes a huge crocodile like monster called Q’araq. He is the Guardian of the Water and looks scary as hell. Trust me as much as I want to see it up close I’ll take the video as it looks very frightening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij4_emdkiUY
Ursula (Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid) – One of the most astonishing looking figures is in this ride as Ursula looks very incredible. Is it weird that to this day her look reminds me of my grandmother. Like both had the white hair, wore blue eye shadow and shit maybe my grandmother is Ursula!?! Just kidding but the animatronic looks amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPz0mq2Fw8
Tiki Room Birds (Enchanted Tiki Room) – Now I couldn’t make this list and not talk about the very first animatronic ever created by Walt Disney. The Enchanted Tiki Room is home to many audio animatronics as the birds, plants, tiki statues and pretty much the whole room comes to life in this show. Now it isn’t the most advanced animatronics but they are classics. And sure they could be annoying but they are fan favorites and they can only be found in…IN THE TIKI TIKI TIKI ROOM, IN THE TIKI TIKI TIKI ROOM! Sorry I still have that in my head two years later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFSCP9AGxIk
Murphy the Dragon (Fantasmic in Disneyland) – Now instead of posting the full show let’s give the animatronic the spotlight. Murphy the Dragon is Maleficent transformed into a dragon and it is a 45 foot tall animatronic that breathes out fire. I’ll give Disneyland credit for this Fantasmic as the Disney World one is a huge puppet, so good job Disneyland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_-ft8QkjU
Kylo Ren and Lieutenant Beck (Rise of the Resistance) – I WANT TO RIDE THIS RIDE!!!!! Okay I’m good, now that’s out of the way let’s talk about the animatronics. First we are introduced to Lieutenant Beck as the figure looks life like and even though it doesn’t have much movement like the other’s it still is pretty awesome to look at. Now for Kylo Ren, he is one of the first A-1000 models and he looks amazing. Disney save me a seat please, gotta go I need to go to a land far far away from here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJwXGHn4T0
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