animatronics

American  

[an-uh-muh-tron-iks] / ˌæn ə məˈtrɒn ɪks /

noun

1. (used with a singular verb) the technology connected with the use of electronics to animate puppets or other figures, as for motion pictures.

---

animatronics British  

/ ˌænɪməˈtrɒnɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) a branch of film and theatre technology that combines traditional puppetry techniques with electronics to create lifelike animated effects

---

Other Word Forms

• animatronic adjective

Etymology

Origin of animatronics

1975–80; blend of animate and electronics

Explanation

The art of making mechanical creatures that look like animals is called animatronics. If you create a robotic cat, you've mastered the technique of animatronics. Before computer animation became versatile and sophisticated, many movies used animatronics to create the illusion that people were interacting with dinosaurs or imaginary creatures. Animals created using animatronics are robotic, but they appear fairly realistic. Walt Disney was the first film director to use animatronics, in the 1960s,though he originally called the technique Audio-Animatronics.

Example Sentences

One of the animatronics even appeared in the most recent season of “The Rehearsal.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

A disquieting collection of animatronics became fixtures in the director’s life.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

An outside expert in animatronics, who typically works in television and theater, gives them an annual tuneup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

Using animatronics and other tools, many of these practical critters moved and appeared to even breathe, causing more than a few of us to scream in surprise.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2025

But what if all of the animatronics had human operators—telecontrollers, working with waldoes?

From Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Doctorow, Cory