5. Citizens of Arendelle

Debut: Frozen Ever After (2016)
Location: Epcot (exclusive) 
Video: "I'm free!"

Many in the Disney Parks fan community were horrified when Disney announced that the Lost Legend: Maelstrom – a stormy dark ride through the myths and legends of Norway – would disappear forever in favor of a ride based on Disney's runaway smash hit Frozen. Naysayers were probably right that Frozen probably could've been better represented by a built-from-scratch mega E-Ticket in Fantasyland and that the fantasty ride feels out-of-place in World Showcase. Luckily, the criticisms end there.

Itself a Modern Marvel, Frozen Ever After is fascinating, largely thanks to its cast of Audio Animatronics figures that are, without a doubt, among the most lifelike human figures on Earth. The fluidity of their motion is accentuated by projection technology that makes them expressive, astounding, and (put simply) alive. For the first time (in for)ever, these figures might actually be mistaken for the real characters sprung from the screen; the figures are two-dimensional animation translated perfectly to three dimensions – something Disney has simply not been able to master in the recent past. It's largely thanks to the figures groundbreaking switch to being all-electric, allowing precise movement and small motors that hydraulics simply don't allow.

From the very first sight of Olaf, riders will be mesmerized. You might expect Elsa in her obligatory "Let It Go" scene to be the most impressive of the lot, and you'd be right. But literally every animatronic in the ride is amazing. Seriously, it's that impressive. Frozen Ever After may always ruffle feathers in the Disney Parks fan community, but at least now its legacy will also be tied to fantastic innovation, too.

4. Hondo Ohnaka

Attraction: Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run (2019)
Location: Disneyland Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios
Video: Making of...

Chances are, you could rattle off a list of a dozen or more Star Wars characters without even having seen the films. Would Hondo Ohnaka make the list? Probably not... But of course, the Star Wars universe is populated by hundreds upon hundreds of characters supported by in-depth backstories of their own, and Weequay space pirate Hondo Ohnaka is no different. To date, the character's only "canon" appearances have been in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels – each an animated series. But in 2019, Hondo was pulled into the larger mythos in a big way...

Given that Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is (controversially) set in the timeline of Disney's "sequel" trilogy, original heroes like Han Solo are no where to be found. His fabled ship, however, is one of the land's centerpieces, and one of the land's two mega-attractions – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – needs a host. Enter Hondo, who's happy to enlist us for a smuggling mission across the galaxy to gather containers of coaxium behind the Falcon's controls. The space pirate (voiced by legendary voice actor Jim Cummings) acts as the attraction's pre-show.

The figure is thought to be one of a new generation (commonly called A-1000s) that takes Frozen Ever After's all-electric figures to the next level of complexity... Unsurprisingly, A-1000s make up the two top spots on our list, as well. But there's one thing wild enough to break up these three A-1000s figures...

3. Lava Monster

Image: Disney

Debut: Journey to the Center of the Earth (2001)
Location: Tokyo DisneySea (exclusive)
Video: A subterranean attack...

Proving that film franchise tie-ins are hardly necessary for stellar rides, Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea is an unimaginable attraction from beginning to end. Riders board earth-moving carts with diamond-tipped drills on the front and begin a descent deep into the earth through scenes inspired by the Jules Verne novel of the same name. However, when an earthquake cuts off the intended route, the cars are forced to divert into a previously undiscovered molten chamber. We recounted the entire treacherous trip in its own feature, Modern Marvels: Journey to the Center of the Earth, but here's the highlight...

The ride passes through the treacherous and hilly terrain of the Earth’s core where enormous basketball-sized eggs drip with goo… Whatever laid these eggs must be pretty big, right? Suddenly, a massive spider-like leg begins slamming on the cavern wall through a hazy membrane… We’ve invaded a nest. As fire bellows, the car turns the corner where a flaming molten pool awaits. And inside that pool is the most advanced Audio-Animatronic Disney has ever created – a molten millipede with spider fangs and glowing eyes with cooled, jagged rock forming an earthen crown on top of its head.

This Lava Monster – presumably the mother of the eggs we disturbed – turns 90 degrees. Upon seeing us, her eyes narrow in anger as it hisses. The creature rears back, its legs and fangs gnashing as it snarls and screeches. Then, it lunges forward at the car, triggering an acceleration that blasts riders through the darkness, then up and out of the park’s 190-foot-tall volcano icon. The encounter with the Lava Monster lasts only a few seconds, but the incredible range of motion and expression of this subterranean creature makes it easily Disney’s most impressive, and the absolute highlight of one of the greatest rides at one of the world’s greatest parks. And to consider that it resets to perform the action again ever 10 seconds or so? Color us impressed.

2. Shaman of Songs

Image: Disney

Debut: Na'vi River Journey (2017)
Location: Disney's Animal Kingdom (exclusive)
Video: "Oel Ngati Kameie"

Just as Universal put the finishing touches on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Disney announced – completely coincidentally, of course – that they, too, had picked up the international worldwide rights to build highly-immersive, cinematic lands based on a pop culture phenomenon... in fact, their licensing of James Cameron's AVATAR gave them exclusive access to the highest grossing film ever! ... Never mind that AVATAR quickly disappeared from the pop culture lexicon without leaving so much as a character or quote in its wake. Fans rallied hard against the knee-jerk decision to build a permanent, full land based on the PG-13 20th Century Fox action movie at Disney's Animal Kingdom...

And they (that is, we) were wrong. Pandora – The World of AVATAR is one of Disney's crowning Imagineering achievements, transporting guests to the bioluminescent jungles of the alien moon Pandora. Brilliantly, the land and its rides were severed from the films, taking place generations later with no need to remember the unremarkable characters or the largely-forgotten plot details.

While the breathtaking Flight of Passage simulator is by far the land's anchoring E-Ticket (and perhaps one of the best products of the simulator age in the entire world), it was the Na'vi River Journey that most intrigued fans... after all, when's the last time Disney built a meandering, peaceful, boat-based dark ride? While Na'vi River Journey could stand to double its length, its opening debuted the world's most impressive Audio-Animatronic... The Shaman of Songs resides in a grotto at the ride's end, conducting the interconnected flora and fauna of the harmonious jungles of Mo'ara in a spiritual song that's as inspiring as it is entrancing. The Shaman herself is absolute art, and Imagineering fans could literally watch the figure for hours in speechless wonder.

1. Kylo Ren

Debut: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios
Video: "You will tell me the location..."

There are practically no words to describe Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the ultra-E-Ticket (U-Ticket?) anchor of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at both Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. Blurring the line between where the queue ends and the "ride" begins, the attraction utilizes three separate ride systems in an epic journey that sees guests ferried away from Black Spire Outpost before being abducted by the villanous First Order just as the Resistance arrives. Enlisted in a plan to escape from the First Order ship and return to Batuu, guests encounter a ride that's more ambitious than nearly any Imagineering has ever attempted.

But the attraction's star must be Kylo Ren – the "sequel" trilogy's conflicted counterpart to Darth Vader – who's present in at least two astounding Audio Animatronics during the ride. The second (and the number one figure on our list) is encountered when guests find themselves sealed off from the escape pods that may be their only hope off the ship. Using his Force powers, Ren grabs hold of the ride's prisoner transport vehicles to pull guests in close with a final threat if they refuse to betray the location of the Resistance base on Batuu.

Just then, a Resistance missile strikes the ship, blowing open a hole into space. In unbelievable motion, Kylo is flung forward by the force of the explosion with the wall shattering behind him. He flails forward in an attempt to grab something, but is ultimately sucked backwards, reaching helplessly as the ship begins to disintegrate around him. With Kylo's Force grip cut off, the path to the escape pods is clear, ending one of the most epic encounters with a brain-shatteringly lifelike figure – the perfect climax of a modern Imagineering marvel.

Conclusion

The 21st century has shown that animatronics are not make-or-break when it comes to an attraction’s success. Transformers: The Ride is an incredible, action-filled thrill ride without a single animatronic, and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem doesn’t need a robotic Gru to be captivating, heartwarming, and fun.

Even still, there’s something powerful about seeing a character come to life in the old-fashioned, glasses-free kind of 3D. Sure, Spider-Man leaping onto the hood of your SCOOP virtually is stunning and awe-inspiring, but folks are still just as captivated by the hairy leg of that pirate of the Caribbean, aren’t they? That sort of visceral, “real” experience is important, and even if new genres leave animatronics out, we don’t ever expect them to disappear completely. Have you seen all of the figures on our list? Which took your breath away? 

Image: Disney