Ever since Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opened in 1963, animatronics (automated puppetry that uses prerecorded sounds and movements) has been entertaining people at amusement parks and in film.

When we talk about the wizardry of theme parks, we're often talking about animatronics, that super-cool STEM-tastic world of turning cogs and computers into almost-living people, animals, and straight ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Megan duBois is a reporter who covers The Walt Disney Company. Mama Odie Audio-Animatronics figure for Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

The animatronic TV and movie monsters that Spectral Motion creates use remarkable technology, which Stranger Things and other media rely on. The key to a scary sci-fi movie monster is understanding ...