Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom event to look back at the history of Audio-Animatronics

Jim Hill

14 years ago

"This is the latest thing we've done … Audio-Animatronics,"
Walt (Disney) said. "We are using the new types of valves and controls
developed for rockets. That way we can get extremely subtle motions."

"About that word," I said, "Audio-Animatronics."

"It's just animation with sound, run by electronics," he smiled.
"Audio-Animatronics. It's an extension of animated drawings.

Photo by Thomas Nebbia. Copyright National Geographic Society.
All rights reserved

"We take an inanimate object and make it move. Everything is
programmed on tape: the birds' movements, lighting effects, and sounds. We turn
on the tape and the birds do their stuff. At the end, the tape automatically
rewinds itself and starts all over again. With tape we could present a program
of an hour and six minutes without repeating anything."

"Is anyone else doing this kind of thing?"

"I don't know anyone crazy enough," Walt laughed.

From Robert De Roos' "The Magic Worlds of Walt Disney" Which
was originally printed in the August 1963 issue of National Geographic magazine

It's always great to get these little look backs at the days
when Walt was personally running the Mouse Factory, isn't it? So that you can
then get a sense of what sort of man Walt Disney actually was. What then drove
him to spearhead the creation of amazing storytelling technologies like
Audio-Animatronics?

Well, if you enjoyed the above anecdote, then you should
probably make your way to the Disneyland Hotel on Saturday, September 18^th.
Where many of the men & women who personally worked with Walt on that first
generation of AA figures will then be on hand to share their stories at Ape Pen
Publishing & the 1313 Club's Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom event.

We're talking about genuine Disney Legends like X Atencio, Kathryn Beaumont, Alice Davis, Bob Gurr and Floyd Norman. Each of them telling tales about what it was like to work side-by-side
with Walt Disney. How he regularly challenged his employees to do seemingly
impossible things. Like build a robotic version of Abraham Lincoln that could rise from a seated position and then address an audience.

Photo by Thomas Nebbia. Copyright National
Geographic Society. All rights reserved

Mind you, this Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom event isn't
just about looking back. Current Imagineers Larry Nikolai, Ethan
Reed and Josh Shipley will also be on hand to talk about what's being done
today with Audio-Animatronics. And then Garner Holt will take the stage and discuss where the next generation of this storytelling technology may be headed.

And did I mention the displays? Those pieces of AA-related history
that are going to be showcased at the
Disneyland Hotel on September 18^th? Amazing items like:

Maquettes that were originally created during the development
phase of Disneyland's "Pirates of the
Caribbean" as well as WDW's never-built "Western River Expedition" attraction
Props & artifacts from Disneyland's "America Sings"
show, "Haunted Mansion Holiday" and the Rivers of America
Animatronics from Epcot's now-defunct "Food Rocks!" show
Dragon heads that were designed for Tokyo DisneySea's Legend
of Mythica and Fantasmic! shows
Dolls from "it's a small world"
Ride vehicles from "Snow White's Scary Adventures" and "Mr.
Toad's Wild Ride."

And did I forget to mention that this full evening of
entertainment (which is slated to run from 4 – 10 p.m.) will include a three
course sit-down dinner? Or that Kirk Wall and the Can Can Girls from the Golden
Horseshoe Revue will be on hand to work the crowd at this once-in-a-lifetime event?

Now please be aware that all of the panels & entertainment that are listed above
for the Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom are subject to change. But even so,
this is still going to be an event that every true diehard Disneyana fan just
can't afford to miss.

And speaking of afford … Here's a breakdown of the various
packages that Ape Pen Publishing and the 1313 Club are still offering for the
night of September 18^th(Sadly, all of the VIP packages have already
been purchased)

$120 – Dinner & Show (with seating in the lower middle
section) plus special gift
$88 – Dinner & Show (with seating in the upper section)

Now Admittedly that may seem a bit pricey. But did I mention
that Neal Patrick Harris will be acting as the host of this 6-hour long event?

With Dr. Horrible
himself serving as the MC, how can Walt
Disney's Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom event miss? Which is why – if you're
smart – you'll click on over and purchase a ticket to this event today.
Otherwise … Well, you may miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of 55
years of better storytelling at the Disney Parks through the innovative use of technology.

For further information of this Ape Pen Publishing & the
1313 Club event, please click on this link.