Animatronic Gorilla Head from the film 'Buddy'
Animatronic gorilla head, partially cut-away to display inner mechanism, created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. From the 1997 motion picture film, 'Buddy', directed by Caroline Thompson and produced by Columbia Pictures with help from Jim Henson Pictures.
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These adult gorilla heads, made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, are fully animatronic and worn like a crash helmet by an actor who also wears a gorilla suit moulded to his body shape. The removal of the skin on one of the heads reveals the complicated arrangement of rods and cables which are manipulated to create emotional responses in the on-screen ‘gorilla’.
Operators use a remote-control machine behind the camera. Sensors attached to the eyes, nose, jaw and other parts of the mechanical creature respond to electronic signals from the control panel. The animatronic creature responds to these signals in real time, allowing the ape’s face to react the moment the signal is transmitted to link in with the movements of the actor.
The film was based on the life of a gorilla called Massa with elements of Gertrude Lintz's other gorilla Gargantua (who was called "Buddy" at the time). In real life, Massa became the oldest gorilla on record until 2008, while Buddy/Gargantua died young as a circus attraction and his remains are now on display in a museum.
- Materials:
- metal (unknown) , fur , bone , glass , plastic (unidentified) and electronic components
- Object Number:
- 2005-5063/6/1
- type:
- animatronic model
