John Nolan’s Animatronics
It’s a little sad, how the advent of CGI rendered much of the animatronics industry obsolete just when cinematic robotics were starting to get so intricate, so lifelike. But the technology retains its place, and under certain circumstances, there’s still a definite advantage to using animatronics instead of CGI or stop motion. Some truly badass robotic FX artists have continued to find plenty of work. Take British wunderkind John Nolan, for instance:
Squeee! Although a relative newcomer, Nolan’s already worked on everything from Hellboy to Where the Wild Things to Doctor Who to Harry Potter. You have to check out his entire show reel. Incredible stuff.
Via DJ Dead Billy, cheers!
January 15th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
The image that opens this post conveys to me a terrifying combination of bewilderment and hunger.
January 16th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Stunning. The banana was..Well…The banana was fuckin great.
Also: I feel terrible-ish about past mousetrappings now.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Don’t forget the intricate and creative workings of the Henson clan! Considering that animatronics are essentially remote-control or automated puppets, we should also remember the amazing work that went into things like The Dark Crystal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xrVgJUfOY
And the how-did-they-do-that scene in Muppet Movie where Kermit is riding a bicycle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3WV2Z_9qW8
January 20th, 2010 at 2:17 am
@Eiríkr
Well… yeah! Those movies are seminal, yes. They’re also twenty years old. The heyday of animatronics. I just wanted to give some quick props to a more current FX person. :)
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
[…] Animatronic robot by John Nolan, flazzummed by Coilhouse. […]