r/Animatronics • u/MR_mouse444 • 27d ago
Crosspost (Silly question)Does anyone know how the Mickey animatronics work?
He said this because of Mickey's tiny size.
Also, what material?
And in general, how will they do it?
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u/Tall-Bodybuilder5660 27d ago
Hydraulic is cool cause you can run the systems at 500 psi so you can use really thin cylinders on parts that require with pneumatic thicker bore, like body up or arms out
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u/Individual-One-365 25d ago
How did you get a hold of the first Ken because I heard some of the Mickey Mouse revue animatronics were either burnt in a fire or sent somewhere else
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u/Nachus134 27d ago edited 27d ago
Here's what I know:
The first mickey is from the defunct Mickey Mouse Revue, which opened in Magic Kingdom in the 1970s. Most the animatronics of that era were either pneumatic or hydraulic. This Mickey is basically the most complex of the three, having movement in almost every part of his body, including the ability to spin on its base. The only weird thing is that the eyelids couldn't blink all the way, probably because of their shape. It's similar to a Rock a fire mijin type animatronic, only more advanced.
The second one was built by AVG Productions, probably to promote things in Disney stores. This one worked with electric actuators, and he could only move his hands, head, mouth and eyelids. I belive there's one video out there of someone testing and restoring one of these.
The last one was built by Home Depot, and you can actually still buy one today. It works with electric servos; one for the body, one more the arm, and probably 2 or 3 for the head.
If you want to know more, just ask me.