Published on June 21st, 2024 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

What Will the Theme Park Industry Look Like in 10 Years?

Visit any major theme park around the world at any time of year and you will see signs of development. Theme parks are always in flux, expanding into new spaces or refurbishing existing attractions to keep them engaging, fresh, and new, which is central to many parks’ strategies for keeping crowds at capacity.

Finding out exactly what is being developed behind the high fences surrounding the areas of parks where improvements are being made is often impossible. Disney, Universal, and other top theme park companies are typically tight-lipped about what they have in the works.

However, industry sources have recently provided a few insights on the technology that is poised to shape the theme park industry over the next 10 years. The following are some key innovations that will likely play a central role in theme park attractions during the next decade.

Advanced animatronics will take center stage

A recent Los Angeles Times article reveals Disney is investing heavily in advanced animatronics as part of its plans for keeping crowds entertained. The article features a picture of a life-size animatronic figure designed to look like Tiana, the heroine of Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” and describes Tiana and other characters who will join her at Disneyland’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as “the most lifelike characters ever created.”

Lee Romaire, Emmy Award-winning founder of Romaire Studios, is not surprised by Disney’s decision to invest in advanced animatronics. Romaire has worked for years with Disney and other theme parks around the world on innovative animatronics projects. His studio holds numerous patents on animatronic technology, including some that were awarded for innovations that other experts believed could not be achieved.

One of Romaire’s groundbreaking projects, the details of which are protected by a non-disclosure agreement, is laying the foundation for a new generation of attractions that will reshape theme park experiences for years to come. The historic project developed for a major entertainment project boasts the smallest expressive head ever created for the theme park industry. It is also the first handheld audio-animatronic ever created for the industry, bringing to life a small reptilian sidekick from a major animated film that is destined to thrill and amaze fans.

Entertainment innovations like the historic hand-held animatronic have opened the door for other animatronic characters to come off of the stage and into the crowd — a shift that is sure to reshape experiences at theme parks. The advanced techniques used in creating these next-generation animatronics dramatically improve their authenticity, meaning they can perform much closer to audiences and still have an air of realism.

“I prefer the word ‘believability’ rather than ‘realism,’” Romaire says. “Many of these figures are designed to look like very unreal cartoon characters, but they all need to be believable. The performance needs to be there. The emotion needs to come through. My studio has enjoyed a good deal of success because we focused on a cinematic approach to work that results in movie-quality believability.”

A glimpse into the future of theme parks can also be seen in the innovative new ways Disney is using its audio-animatronic figures. Audio-animatronics has been a staple of theme park attractions for years, playing key roles in performances that synchronize animatronic characters with audio and lighting elements. The hyper-realism creators are now achieving with animatronics allows the latest audio-animatronics to be deployed in immersive attractions, such as the “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” ride that audiences can enjoy at both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.

AI will bring autonomy to animatronics

Just as in every other sector of the entertainment industry, artificial intelligence promises to have a huge impact on theme park development over the next decade. This is especially true in the area of animatronics.

“I think AI will change everything,” Romaire says. “In robotics, AI will allow autonomy, which will provide a host of new possibilities for creators.”

Romaire explains that many of today’s animatronics that appear to be reacting to human engagement are actually moving through a simple pre-programmed performance loop, which is much easier and cheaper to produce than AI interaction. He reports that his studio is already working to integrate AI with robotic characters in ways that allow animatronics to interact with humans and truly react.

“We’ve done some tests and it’s been very cool to see the way the interaction plays out,” Romaire says. Disney has also reported it plans to incorporate AI into some of the animatronics it has in development, giving these creations the capability to sense and react to the motions of its handler.

Animatronics will offer a refreshing alternative to screen-based attractions

The future of screen-based attractions at theme parks is a topic that continues to be debated. Some reports suggest guests are growing tired of rides that rely on screens to create a sense of immersion, while others suggest that screen-based rides pave the way for virtual reality and augmented reality to play a larger role in the attractions of the future.

Romaire expects the future of theme parks to be marked by a shift away from screen-based attractions. “Leaders in the theme park industry are beginning to realize that people already have giant screens in their homes,” he says. “Theme park visitors want immersion in real-world environments, and animatronic characters have the power to deliver that type of environment.”

Regardless of the path that parks choose to take as they move into the future, they will need to ensure that they can deliver quality. Should they fail to do so, they will likely struggle to attract crowds with any consistency.

“If you create an amazing, unforgettable experience, people will love it.” – Romaire

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.