Has anyone seen this yet?? Thoughts?

[LittleDollClaudia]

Remote-controlled Muppets roam Disneyland
By Kimi Yoshiro
Los Angeles Times

Watch out, Mickey Mouse. The Muppets might be sneaking up on you.
Walt Disney Imagineering last week debuted its latest, cutting-edge creation: free-roaming, interacting audio-animatronic Muppets capable of "seeing" and "talking" to tourists -- and without a human puppeteer in sight.

Disney's most advanced robotic creation to date makes the costumed, mute Winnie the Poohs and Donald Ducks seem like felt-covered relics, although Disney executives are quick to reassure that the beloved, autograph-signing cast isn't going anywhere.

"This is an incredibly compelling and powerful way to experience the characters," said Bruce Vaughn, vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering's research and development division.

"They are fully aware of the people in their presence and can call you by name. It is a 100 percent live experience."

The technology is vastly more sophisticated than Disney's first foray into audio-animatronics with the Tiki Room birds in 1963 and Mr. Lincoln in 1964.

In their first appearances at Disney's California Adventure, bumbling scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his "meep-meeping" sidekick Beaker joked and chatted with guests. The Muppets could see the color of the clothes the kids wore and the lollipops they licked -- casting a slight Big Brother vibe over the proceedings.

They maneuvered in a silver, egg-shaped roving laboratory outfitted with flashing lights, spinning signs, confetti cannons and smoke and water sprayers.

"That's amazing!" said Adam Young, 27, a tourist from Alberta, Canada.

As Beaker and Honeydew encouraged people to do the hokeypokey, Young scanned the park, high and low. He twisted around, his eyes darting in search of the human manning the controls. "I'm trying to figure out who was driving it. It's crazy."

Never wanting to divulge their secrets, Imagineers waved it off as "Disney magic" and "pixie dust." In reality, a live puppeteer who can see and hear everything reacts remotely from afar.

The Muppet Mobile Laboratory will be roaming the streets of California Adventure through today, before it heads for more tweaking.

During last week's initial testing, a team of Disney techs and Dave Goelz, the original voice of Muppet characters including Dr. Honeydew and Gonzo, were behind the scenes in Anaheim.

The goal is for one person to operate the characters from as far away as the headquarters of Walt Disney Imagineering, the theme-park design and development arm of Walt Disney Co. about 35 miles north of Anaheim.

Through its Living Character Initiative, Disney is trying to improve interaction between characters and YouTube-watching, Nintendo Wii-playing guests. In 2005, the company introduced Turtle Talk with Crush, a real-time animated show that allows the Finding Nemo character to chat with fans.

In 2003, Disney scientists and engineers built Lucky, a 20-foot-long dinosaur that could smile, grunt and burp. It was the first time an audio-animatronics creation was unleashed into the park, instead of tethered to an attraction, such as the swashbucklers in Pirates of the Caribbean. Lucky, who visited Animal Kingdom in Central Florida in 2005, has since gone into hibernation.

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, which were purchased along with the rest of the Muppets in 2004 from Jim Henson Co., can be removed from their roving lab and put into theater chairs on rides, or any other setting. No nearby operator is necessary.

"With prior audio-animatronics, you see the figure standing, but there's a huge infrastructure backstage and all sorts of machines," Vaughn said. "With this, if it doesn't fit in what you see, we're not using it. . . . I think what you'll ultimately see is a lot of characters that we haven't been able to deliver before."

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

I saw this just yesterday!! I found it to be hilarious!!!! IT's a good thing for DCA. It has the same basic concept as PUSH, the talking trash can of Tomorrowland!!

[IndyandMarion]

Yeah, I was part of the first test crowd when I was out there last week. I gotta say, it is pretty damn entertaining. Apparently Muppet Labs bought a few Segways :D:

Works very well. Although, the three people with mics in their sleeves who are used to relay information to the person controlling it off stage need to do a little better job at hiding themselves. . . Not that I saw any of them or anything. . .



Go here for a video that I took. Funny as hell considering where I'm from. .
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... 2011644629

[futureimagineer]

That looks pretty cool! Maybe they'll try this in WDW too.

1st post! :)

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

Go here for a video that I took. Funny as hell considering where I'm from. .
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... 2011644629

Apparently you are not the ony one. I saw someone from Laughingplace.com. Dr. Honeydew ade fun of him mistakenly calling it laughingstock.com, hahaha!!

[ktulu]

Oh that is awesome! I saw the pics, thought it was cool, but the video is even better.

[IndyandMarion]

See. That the thing with Muppets. They can get outragous, borderline some of their jokes and yet no one will ever get offended. I seriously can't wait to see him over here.

Kinda makes me wonder what else they are working on. Push, then Lucky, now this? With the technology being used in Dream Along with Mickey. . . I see the day when GMR will get our building back to ourselves because humans will be replaced with the characters like these. . .