Worst Animatronics

[HonorableMention]

We've had posts about some of the best or most sophisticated animatronics at the parks. I want to know what some of the worst animatronics are.

Unappealing, low quality (for when they were created), or just badly maintained animatronics would apply to this list.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

obama

 

[rob0519]

Voyage of the Little Mermaid gets my vote. The whole ride looks like cheap plastic.

 

[Matt in the Hatt]

Ripley in great movie ride

 

[FettFan]

That all depends by what you mean with "worst".

Because if you're talking about outdated animatronics, then my vote is without a doubt the entire cast of Country Bear Jamboree.
These guys are all pneumatic...aka their movements are all from compressed air. And if you sit too close to the stage, you can hear the "click-click-hiss" of the pneumatic actuators that control their movements (especially on poor Henry when he's singing the Ballad of Davy Crockett...his eyebrows click-click-hiss all over the place), and you can also hear the low hum of the air compressors.

If you're talking about performance issues....then the King of the Worst is Disco Yeti, for obvious reasons.

If you're talking about "worst" from a design standpoint, my vote goes to the late, great, and now MIA Elasmosaurus from Universe of Energy. Even when in A-mode, it still looked like a giant version of a rubber bath toy you could buy at a 99-cent store.

But...if you're talking about pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel....just go on the Carousel of Progress during a lightning storm.

John Carpenter's The Thing of Progress

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

The former Ellen Animatronic...

 

[correcaminos]

Sigourney Weaver in the Great Movie Ride. Just awful.

 

[Disney4family]

But...if you're talking about pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel....just go on the Carousel of Progress during a lightning storm.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

As has been mentioned, the Ariel animatronics look terrible. Can't believe they made it past the design stage looking like that. If they even just gave her some color in her lips she'd look at least a little bit better.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Now that it's been mentioned, yeah Ripley is pretty lousy. Most of the Jungle Cruise AAs have seen better days.

 

[Chef Mickey]

George W. Bush is a pretty bad animatronic.

 

[POLY LOVER]

Rpiley in the great movie ride, the entire little mermaid ride, I can't believe that is Disney designed.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Tarzan in GMR is probably the worst in my opinion (not real sure if it is an actual AA, but more of a pendulum powered mannequin by a non-hidden cable, just very poorly designed IMO)

 

[a goofy username]

country bear jamboree gets a pass for me because i feel like the ride has ventured into the realm of intentional kitsch - the imagineers know very well it's cheesy and outdated, like a rundown rock-a-fire explosion in the middle of nowhere - that's part of its nostalgic charm. i wouldn't have it any other way, honestly.

 

[RustySpork]

The shaman in NRJ.

Spoiler

Just kidding

 

[ford91exploder]

Broken Ones - Yeti I'm looking at you

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

The snakes in the Indiana Jones portion of The Great Movie Ride

 

[Andrew_Animatronic]

Ooh boy, let me see. From a technical standpoint, I would have to say the current yeti (wow no one saw that coming huh?). From a visual standpoint, the little mermaid ones, EXCEPT for Ursula. From a personal standpoint, this vile beasty

hey, you didn't say it had to be Disney.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Ooh boy, let me see. From a technical standpoint, I would have to say the current yeti (wow no one saw that coming huh?). From a visual standpoint, the little mermaid ones, EXCEPT for Ursula. From a personal standpoint, this vile beasty

hey, you didn't say it had to be Disney.

Eeeek! Where is this monstrosity located??

 

[Andrew_Animatronic]

Eeeek! Where is this monstrosity located??

The good ol' ET ride over in Universal. That actually may not be the worst.