By: Jay Feldman

To entertain their guests, theme parks usually rely on heart-pounding rides or action-packed shows. To amaze their guests, they rely on animatronic characters that blend cutting-edge engineering with captivating art to bring beloved characters to life and deliver a magical and memorable experience that always attracts a crowd.

Los Angeles-based Romaire Studios, Inc. is one of the foremost providers of animatronics for the worldwide entertainment industry. Led by Emmy-award-winning creator Lee Romaire, the studio is known as a theme park design company that consistently takes on the most challenging animatronics projects and delivers impressive results.

“What others say is impossible, we make possible,” Romaire shares, “and we do it in a way that prioritizes believability. The emotion shows through in the performance our animatronics provide, drawing people in. Our work has set an aesthetic standard for the theme park industry by providing movie-quality realism to theme park animatronic figures.”

Traveling the pathway from inspiration to creation

The animatronic masterpieces that come to life at Romaire Studios often begin as little more than a dream.

“For research and development projects, we get a brief of what the client wants and a timeframe,” Romaire explains. “From there, the process is purely inspirational. We focus on the desired effect and come up with creative options for achieving it. Multiple ideas are explored, and eventually, one or two are settled upon.”

In some cases, the R&D projects brought to Romaire have already been turned down by other studios that claim they can’t be done. One such project involved an animatronic prop — a hand-held object that had to extend and retract while glowing — that other studios had tried for decades to produce with no success. Today, Romaire Studios is named on the patent for that technology.

“We succeed by combining creativity and tenacity,” Romaire says. “Regardless of the challenge presented to us, we believe we can overcome it.”

And challenges are not just something Romaire experiences with “impossible” projects. Every project, regardless of how well it is planned, can require a good deal of problem-solving.

“The hard work starts after the blue sky brainstorming is complete,” Romaire shares. “Once we start building, we always run into obstacles that need to be overcome. If we go down a path that isn’t working, we take a step back and try another path until, eventually, we end up where we want to be. Sometimes, the end looks a bit different from what we imagined, but it’s always a workable solution for the client.”

Along with the Romaire Studios name being included in several major patents related to their work with animatronics isn’t the only reward Romaire and his team have earned from their tenacity and commitment to results. The studio and its team have played a critical role in both Universal’s receiving a prestigious Themed Entertainment Award for the “The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash” attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2021 and Disney’s receiving one for Brand Experience on the “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” Hotel at Walt Disney World in 2022. 

Today, Romaire Studios has these awards proudly displayed in their conference room.

Finding creative solutions to engineering problems

Animatronics is a blend of art and technology. On the surface, an artistic “skin” portrays the unique expressions of the animatronic character, while underneath, high-tech engineering makes those expressions possible. As Romaire explains, creativity is a critical part of the process on both levels.

“It would be easy to assume that the engineering involved in animatronics is the structured, orderly element in the process,” Romaire shares. “It does have those characteristics, but trying to create a framework for realistic movements while also knowing you need to pack the necessary wiring, motors, and other technology components into a small package takes a tremendous amount of creativity. My team has come up with an array of remarkably innovative mechanisms — many of which we have since patented — while developing the engineering solutions needed for projects.”

One Romaire Studio project that required incredibly creative engineering involved the smallest hand-held animatronic to ever appear in a theme park. The groundbreaking project, which Romaire completed while working under a veil of secrecy, brought to life a tiny reptilian sidekick from a major animated film. It provides another example of the ways in which Romaire’s work is reshaping entertainment in the theme park industry.

Romaire has ensured he has the talent needed to develop creative solutions by recruiting a team of industry-leading creators. His staff includes several animatronic electromechanical designers and specialists in a variety of engineering disciplines. Combined, they provide over 50 years of experience with prototypical and production animatronics.

At the time this article was written, Romaire and his team were once again at work on a revolutionary animatronic design that promises to push the industry to new heights. “I can’t give details at this time,” he says, “but we’ve recently been commissioned to do some of the most advanced small animatronic figures the company we are working for has ever sought to create.”

Romaire’s work has earned his studio a reputation for delivering where others fail. To maintain that reputation, he approaches every project, regardless of its scope or scale, with the tenacity and passion needed to bring art and technology to life.

Published By: Aize Perez