ABSTRACT
Mask making and puppetry were part of his makeup education growing up in Germany, so making something inanimate move with automation felt like a natural progression. He told that he think that there is this preconceived idea out there that 'it must be complicated.' The actuation of specific puppet movements can be manipulated with electric motors, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, and/or cable-driven mechanisms. Animatronics began to gain broad public appeal largely as a result of The Enchanted Tiki Room which opened at Disneyland in 1963. Audio-Animatronics, to be precise. Michael Meyer is convinced there is both room for and a need for a stand-alone educational program that offers students the necessary skills for completing an animatronic from start to finish. The fishing line needs to be fed through the interior of the spring, and then both the spring and line are attached to the nose tip segment.
