Europa-Park has unveiled three new animatronics in its Croatia-themed area, with one standout developed in collaboration with Weta Workshop, the acclaimed New Zealand company known for its visual effects work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.
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The German amusement park claims that this animatronic is remarkably lifelike.
The park promises a “lifelike figure of Nikola Tesla”. “MACK One and the Oscar-winning art and entertainment specialists from Wētā Workshop create the animatronic of the future” Europa-Park stated. “Meet one of the most visionary inventors of all time in person: witness how Nikola Tesla developed his pioneering theories on electricity as a young student.”
According to Europa-Park, the Tesla animatronic features more than forty individual movements, with 28 dedicated to facial expressions. He is joined by his friend and assistant Erik and Jelica Munja, a representative of the fictional Adventure Club of Europe.
This outdoor attraction, located near the Sunce i Lavanda ice cream parlor, is billed as a “fascinating, lifelike animatronic show” under the full title “Nikola Teslas Teorija Elektra.”
Nikola Tesla, an inventor and electrical engineer from the region now known as Croatia, is central to the storyline of the new roller coaster, Voltron Nevera. The ride aims to emulate Tesla’s vision of transporting people as swiftly as lightning bolts.
However, Europa-Park’s claims of “lifelike” and “animatronic of the future” have drawn some skepticism from fans. Critics argue that the movement of the animatronic falls short of the realism achieved by industry leaders like Disney and Garner Holt Productions. The Na’vi Shaman animatronic in Disney Animal Kingdom is still the industry’s most advanced figure to date. It can fluidly move each of it’s fingers individually, create expansive or minute facial expressions, and reportedly cost the company 23 million USD.
Nevertheless, this new animatronic show in the Croatia themed area ads a further kinetic element to the space. Fans will likely appreciate the expanded lore and world building. Europa-Park’s themed areas feature various outdoor animatronic experiences. Notable examples include two animatronic parakeets in the Dutch themed area as well as various characters on the lake near the Scandinavian area and the fairytale forest.
What do you think of the new animatronic show in Croatia? Let us know in the comments below.
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