"Dick, I'm very disappointed" - Robocop (1987)

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The 1987 Sci-Fi classic RoboCop, directed by Paul Verhoeven, remains a cult favorite, thanks to its compelling narrative and enduring appeal. Its success sparked sequels, a remake, TV series, and cartoon animated adaptations, though few matched the original’s impact. The sequel, RoboCop 2, directed by Irvin Kershner, leaned heavily on intricate analog special effects but didn’t quite capture the first film’s magic. Subsequent entries suffered from studio interference, diluting the franchise’s vision and coherence, as many critics and fans agree.

While the RoboCop universe offers endless discussion ... readily available in online analyses ... my focus here is narrower and technical: ED-209, the iconic robotic enforcer of Detroit’s dystopian streets. Specifically, I’ll explore the artistry behind its creation, crafted using classic stop-motion animation in the tradition of masters like Ray Harryhausen. Below, I’ll share videos and articles shedding light on the ED-209’s analog special effects, perhaps, an underappreciated aspect of this sci-fi landmark.

Researching this information wasn’t as straightforward as I expected. It required some legwork to piece together from various sources.

 ED-209 model was designed by → Craig Hayes (aka Davies). Craig, and his associate
→ Paula Lucchesi (only two person crew!) constructed the full size static ED-209 prop/model. 

There were a total of TWO identical ED-209 internal Stop Motion armatures which were designed by → Tom St. Amand. Tom and his associate → Blair Clark machined the armatures. Upon completion of the armatures, they were passed on to Craig Hayes who fabricated all the exterior shell pieces that attached to the armatures. The stop motion  puppet exterior being an exact match to the full size ED-209.

The hands-on stop motion animation was shared among Phil Tippett, → Randal M. Dutra, and → Harry Walton. Phil would usually work on his own scenes, while Randal & Harry worked together on other animation scenes. 

Okay ... here is one of the classic and iconic Robocop scenes. Remember that this was before digital visual special effects.  All this done with retro analog cinema effects methods. Just a little warning ... → practical effects used here and they are very convincing😮. You have the option to stop the video or turn away if you choose not to watch it 😁

Movie clip below, is another classic scene where Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) confronts the weakened Robocop (Peter Weller). A battle emerges between ED-209 and Robocop. 

The original full-size ED-209 model by Craig Hayes had been stored in the Tippett studio warehouse, high up near the ceiling rafters, for many years. Recently, it was carefully dismounted and brought down to the studio floor for cleaning and minor restoration. Youtube channel 'Tested' host, Adam Savage, visits ED-209.

This video, is a general overview of some of the Robocop special effects, it includes master matte painter → Rocco Gioffre commenting about classic matte painting composites effects. Also Craig Hayes' backstory about the design & construction of the full size ED-209.

Here is Harry Walton, a veteran in stop motion animation and visual special effects, recollecting about his work on Robocop.

Phil Tippett back in 1987, appeared on a USA weekday Mon-Fri TV program called Evening Magazine.

Another one ... Phil Tippett next to an ED-209 stop motion animation stage set-up with a projected rear screen ... he's describing what stop motion is.

 

The spark for this blog was a simple question: Where are the original two ED-209 stop-motion puppets from RoboCop? Online discussions and videos often focus on the intricate CAIN puppets from RoboCop 2, whose complex design may overshadow the simpler ED-209 puppet models. As mentioned, only two ED-209 puppets were built. I’ve been tracking their whereabouts, suspecting Phil Tippett might still own one, while the other may have been auctioned. Despite searching Propstore.com, I found no trace of them. Here is a video clip of about 12 years ago, recorded at Phil Tippett's studio.You can clearly see the ED-209 stop motion puppet in the the lower middle of screen.

 

Some LINKS for you  → Tried-and-True Style for Robocop   → Randal M. Dutra on ‘RoboCop’

Here is someone's passion project to re-create the Tom St.Amand / Craig Hayes ED-209 armature & puppet. His objective was to machine this. That was back in 2017 😐 → ED-209 Stop Motion Armature Design

Here is the only photo of Tom St. Amand's ED-209 armature that I have seen.Long ago, I had a collection of → Cinefex magazines which recently, I donated many of them. Fortunately, I saved the Stop Motion themed Cinefex's including the Robocop issue #32. From the magazine, I took this photo. I am guessing that you might possibly think that it may not look complex or sturdy, however, Tom's engineering design of all the jointing mechanisms, most effectively performs the necessary animation movements. It is made of strong & rigid Aircraft Aluminum. The finished massive size appearance of the ED-209 stop motion puppets was, thanks to, the creative & technical skills of Craig Hayes, who fabricated all the puppet exteriors with vacu-formed plastic & other materials, with intricate detailing ... that completely covered the internal armature.You can click on the photo to Super-Size it and zoom into the photo.

For your information ... as of 2025, the original ROBOCOP is now 38 years old😲

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Cult Film Bash: 'Evil Dead II' (1987)

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Adam Savage recently posted a YouTube video about the early Evil Dead cult films, which inspired me to dive into my archive-reference files. There, I discovered a few more items connected to the cult classic Evil Dead II.

Here’s the Adam Savage video where he reunites with Tom Sullivan, one of the original artists behind The Evil Dead (1981) and the later reboot-remake, Evil Dead II (1987) but with a chaotic over the top horror comedic twist. In the video, Tom reveals that he’s auctioning off some of the classic props from the films. He and Adam have a fascinating conversation about the items and their history. My only small regret, as with many auctions, is that the sold items will likely end up in private collections, leaving the public with little chance to see these incredible pieces of cult classic cinematic history. Watch below.

For those who haven’t seen the opening Evil Dead II opening of the Necronomicon book, I still believe it stands as one of the most uniquely creative and imaginative pieces of special effects work. It’s all crafted using old-school, analog methods—no digital effects, no computers. The result is surreal, with the offbeat intensity of stop-motion giving it an almost dream-like quality. There’s simply no way CGI could replicate this vibe or gritty aesthetic.

The flying stop motion puppets ... simple designed 'wire' armatures but effective >> ghost creatures   In this photo, I believe that Tom was drawing each page which were stop motion animated. As the pages flipped faster, I think he did some shortcuts so that he would not need to draw every page  >> Stop Mo Necronomicon

Below is a video of the Deadite creature's flying attack scene. While impressive, it doesn’t quite match the spectacle of the stop-motion animated opening sequence featuring the Necronomicon book — something even Tom Sullivan, the creator and animator of the Deadite puppet, has acknowledged. Despite the significant effort he put into crafting the puppet, production constraints limited his input. Sullivan had hoped to collaborate more closely with the director to create a truly attention-grabbing moment, perhaps as an homage to Ray Harryhausen’s iconic work.

Note: Any Photos ... you can usually click on it, and then you will see a super-sized larger photo.

Here’s the Deadite stop-motion setup in its initial stage. The studio lacked the space for a larger background blue screen, which was necessary to accommodate the Deadite puppet’s wide wingspan. Initially, the puppet was suspended by nylon lines, but it proved unsteady when supported this way, and I don’t believe any usable animation resulted from this setup.

Eventually, it was decided to move the Deadite stop-motion production to a larger studio with a much bigger blue screen. The puppet was then supported from the rear with a rigid rod for improved stability.

Here are some photos of Tom Sullivan at his mom's house, working on the finishing touches of the Deadite puppet fabrication >> Photo 1   >> Photo 2.  Just a quick side note — I had the chance to visit Tom in his hometown in Michigan many years ago, during the post-production prep for the Deadite stop-motion. From there, we traveled to Detroit to visit Renaissance Pictures, where Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell were immersed in the post-production tasks.

Naturally, Evil Dead 2 showcased a wide variety of special effects, all created using the old-school analog techniques of the era. These included extensive use of makeup prosthetics, cable-operated puppetry, and practical on-set effects, such as custom props and intricate set designs. However, my focus here is specifically on the stop-motion effects featured in Evil Dead II. Below, I’ll list the Artists / Creators who contributed to this work — some of whom you may not be familiar with:

Rick Catizone - A veteran in special effects & animation:  I was not aware of  the entirety of the work that Rick did for Evil Dead II — Sculptor/armatures designer and builder/animator. Animated stop-motion crawling hand sequences; Animated neck grow and face transformation,  combining replacement head  transformation sculptures  with fully articulated stop-motion puppet. Animated full figure puppet of Henrietta;  Shots were composited with live action plates via single-frame rear-screen projection.In addition on other projects, Rick also is fully capable in 2D animation. Too much to list his other creative skills. Here is his Website & IMDb. If you're curious what the Henrietta armature looks like, go here >> Henrietta  and  >> Crawling Hand Armature

Larry Larson - Stop motion special effects: Brought his stop-motion expertise from running his own independent studio in Detroit. He served as the stop-motion cameraman and handled lighting, using his classic heavy duty Mitchell camera  — a staple of analog stop-motion photography. Larry and Tom collaborated closely to set up the stop-motion shots. While his >>IMDb credits may be sparse, Larry was highly active in the Detroit indie scene, producing ads, promotional work, and his own stop-motion shorts.Larry was also a talented musician and later became an instructor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. He even dabbled in creating a DVD tutorial on armature-making for beginners. To my surprise, Larry generously shared this tutorial on his >> YouTube channel. Sadly, Larry passed away in 2019 (RIP, Larry), leaving behind a legacy of creativity and generosity.

Brian Rae - Special Effects Prosthetics/Make-up: Originally from Michigan, Brian has been a long-time resident of the Los Angeles area. His impressive resume speaks for itself, as shown on his >> IMDb listing. On Evil Dead II, Brian worked as Tom Sullivan's assistant, contributing by making props and assisting with animation setups. While I’m not sure if Brian has a website or an online portfolio, here’s a friendly nudge: 'Hey Brian, if you’re reading this, get yourself a website or some kind of online presence!'😉He’s amassed many behind-the-scenes photos from various projects, showcasing his talents in makeup prosthetic fabrication for renowned special effects studios.

Yancy Calzada – Stop-Motion Armature Fabrication: Yancy collaborated with renowned special effects veteran >> Doug Beswick, constructing the stop-motion armature for the 'Dancing Linda Corpse' scenes in Evil Dead II. Here’s a photo of the armature >> Linda While his blog hasn’t been updated in years, it still offers a glimpse into his diverse creative talents. Yancy isn’t just skilled in metalworking craftsmanship — he also excels in creature design concept illustration. These days, I believe Yancy primarily focuses on CGI effects work. He has always struck me as someone who prefers to remain low-key, avoiding the limelight. While he’s not been active in the stop-motion community these past years, it’s understandable given that his career and interests have taken a different direction.Yancy's >> IMDb  >> Blog site (you can click on each photo to enlarge/zoom)   >> Linked In    

Oh, look here! — Apparently the Linda stop motion puppet was in Doug Beswick's personal collection. It appears to have been auctioned off back in 2022  See photos >> Linda animation puppet

Here is a documentary Swallowed Souls - Making of Evil Dead II (2011) If you are into the Evil Dead fandom cult, this retrospective is real fun & informative. It is about 1 hour & 40 minutes long!

Also, if you enjoy >> Cinefex Magazine style special effects articles, here is a good read about the Evil Dead II special effects. It appears accurate about the specific artists doing the special effects. If they are wrong, do not blame me! The website has somewhat small text & photos so you may need to use your browser's zoom to enlarge the text & photos ... Link below

Book of the Dead Website: 'Evil Dead II' Special Effects

UPDATE / BONUS

Evil Dead II’s theme music is a 'Cult Film Bash' essential — don’t miss it!

 

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'Alien: Romulus' & Mama Crab

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Below is a behind the scenes of of a special effects sequence that Tippett Studio did for the feature 'Alien: Romulus'. It is somewhat short and some scenes are time-lapsed and speeded-up. Remember this trick ... in the Youtube video players you can change the playback speed. This is a useful tool  if you want to slow down the video speed. You will be able to observe animation or movements in more detail including videos of real animals or people. Click on the gear icon at the bottom of the player. For this video I recommend speed .5,  or you can even go slower at .25. I do this on a laptop computer. I do not know if this works on your mobile phones. First, watch it at regular speed then afterwards you can watch at slower speed.Geez ... I sure went off topic and down a rabbit hole ... LOL!😄

Here you go ....

Befores and Afters is an online special effects focused magazine by subscription service, however many times they provide free teasers & samples of their magazine content. B &A did a very good article about Tippett Studio doing this special effects for this sequence. You old schoolers may remember Cinefex magazine. Well, Befores and Afters has captured that similar vibe. Click the link below to read the article which includes some photos.

BEFORES and AFTERS - Tippett Studio 'Alien: Romulus'

  _________________________

About a month ago the behind the scenes of the Disney Skeleton Crew series was posted. You can revisit here >> What's a Tet'niss? (Star Wars) . Well, Disney or Tippett Studio posted another follow-up behind the scenes of the Crab Creature. So this could be called a Part 2.  It is short about 2 minutes, and so, do not forget that you have the option to change the speed and watch it in slow motion so that you can carefully study the details.

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Fan Made: Wampa Attacks Tauntaun & Luke

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This was about 12 years ago (2012-13) and was produced by a couple of professionals in the special effects business as a fan tribute to the original 'The Empire Strikes Back' (1980). What we have here, added to the original 'Empire', are Stop Motion inserted scenes and digital compositing & tweaking so that it would blend with the original. The artist-creators were  >> Joe Schultz and >> Jim Davidson.  If you are on facebook, in the >> Stop Motion Monsterland Group, I think Jim Davidson may have posted some photos of the puppet fabrication.

Reminder - Lower Right of video player you can click Full Screen icon button

Original Wampa Attack scene ...

Here is the completed fan made, modified version of Wampa attack An additional note, I believe the stop motion armatures were made by >> Tom Brierton. This video below is about 4 minutes long but the actual scenes starts at about 2 min & 20 sec

 

Behind the scenes 1

 

Behind the scenes 2

Behind the scenes 3

 

 

 

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Puppet Flying Wire Rigs: Obsolete, Extinct?

Once upon a time there existed 'Flying (Aerial Wire) Rigs'. In those bygone days, techniques were used to control the stop motion puppets so that the models/objects can jump or rise off the ground or fly suspended in the air. How is that done?  The animator would  attach wires to the puppet, then the wires would go up to an overhead control rig device.With the control rig, you can incrementally move & adjust the wires, frame by frame, which are attached to the animation puppet.

For more clarity, a similar example are marionette puppets (which is not stop motion), that have wires or more likely 'nylon fishing-type lines' attached to the puppets. Look at this photo > Diagram 1, Diagram 2. You can see the lines attached to the puppet appendages (wrists, feet, torso, etc). However, for a stop motion puppet, you do not need so many attachment points. You are primarily suspending or hanging the puppet for general body motion when the puppet is floating in the air. All the other additional movements are done by hand animating the puppet (which has an armature inside) to hold the frame to frame poses. Special effects master, Ray Harryhausen, often used Wire rigs. Here is a photo of his rig, which is of more intricate design using gears.

Many of you may think that flying wire rigs for stop motion are arcane or an outdated technique and perhaps so, BUT the thing I LIKE about suspending the puppet by nylon wires, is that the wires/lines are practically invisible to the camera lens. The entire wire rig shot is done 'in camera' and almost NO (or minimal) post production to erase the wires.  In old school stop motion days, there was NO techy post production digital photo-shop or Cgi. You HAD to try to get the shot done on the stage with the illusion or special effects mostly being created IN the Camera, on the film.

Of course today, the stop motion animation 'holy grail' tool is the the prestigious, geared controlled Winder Rigs > Link 1, Link 2.With winder rigs ... when you attach it to the puppet, the attachment arms will be seen by the camera lens. When using external rigs mounts (on the puppet), post-production digital rig removal is a requirement. This is significant more work to complete the animation scenes. Most of today's stop motion animation whether it's an indie short, for commercial ad work, or a feature stop motion, this is now the protocol ... post production digital rig removals. In addition, sometimes the stop motion puppet scenes (with rigs attached to puppet) are shot against blue/green screen, so that is extra work to digitally composite the animation with a background.

I will post below, some examples of specific finished flying scenes  that used Old School Flying Rig methods.I am Nostalgia-biased and for me, these classic shots exemplifies the sweat & effort to create these scenes. The skill & patience of the animators with their bare hands, manipulating both, the puppets and flying rig, incrementally frame by frame controlling the wires. The results are a stylized-surreal organic otherworldly aesthetic! Not the hyper slickness perfection of CGI. Also, do not forget that the early stop motion work of the past, did NOT use video previewing or computer frame grabbers.which did not exist back then.

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Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956) All scenes of the UFO saucers. Remember ALL flying & hovering done use aerial rig controlling the models frame by frame. There were small models for distant shots, and larger saucer model for close-ups and for crashing into buildings. Some scenes there were 3 saucers = 3 Flying Rigs!

 

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Harpies Attack Phineus. Two flying puppets, two separate aerial rigs used

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Capturing the Harpies - Multiple puppets and separate flying rig

One Million Years BC (1966)  Two pterodactyls in same scenes, so likely two separate aerial rigs were used

Valley of Gwangi (1968) Carlos vs Pteranodon

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) Man vs a Pterosaur (rhamphorynchus). This deserves much MORE recognition as a supreme execution of Stop Motion special effects for it's time in 1970 ... Jim Danforth a special effects artist extraordinaire. Very advanced in realism, including adding of  Motion Blurs. This was before any computer special effects that did not exist.

 

 
The Legend of Hillbilly John (1972) A flying vulture-like bird creature. Likely, a fly rig was used

 
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) Real BIG MUTHA WASP 😨

High-Rise (1980) - Variety of stop motion animated using flying rigs the alien craft & buildings hovering and and traveling through the sky and outer space. This short indie work created by Mark Sullivan

 
Sinbad - The Fifth Voyage (2014) - Giant  Roc Bird protecting its egg. (homage to Harryhausen). This was also created by Mark Sullivan. At beginning of clip, the bird flying towards the mountain edge, it might have used a Flying Rig. It looks like it was shot blue/green screen, then the background added later. Or maybe, it was a large background painting..Also note the excellent detail work of the puppet fabrication.

Of course, there are more examples of other films or indie works out there where Flying Rigs might have been used but takes time to search them out. Also unfortunately, back in the early days of special effects, 'Behind the Scenes' was not common, so there is less documentation available.

The construction of flying rigs, can be simple or intricate. Many moons ago in the late 1980's when I worked on the New Gumby Adventures TV series, we would make our own temporary fly rigs with hot glued foam core pieces and wooden dowels. Nylon fishing line would be wrapped onto the dowels.  I will post some links here to give you an idea. The rigs are of any size, custom made for the specific shots and puppets. The additional modification to a flat animation table, must be some kind of overhead support beam ... it can be long lengths of  narrow wood lumber strips. that will hold the flying rig device. Study the photos and you will understand. Click on each thumbnail image below, to see full large size.

 
About 25 years ago, I did fabricate a test 'Flying Rig'. I thought I had lost it or accidentally tossed in garbage, but I found this rig buried in my storage area. I got the design idea for this flying rig from an old special effects magazine. I did not use it much and just mostly did tests with it. The rig required ceiling space for the overhead X-Y sliding movement set-up using long lengths of aluminum tubes. It was slightly wobbly.  Testing the rig, it was somewhat okay and it might have worked better if I spent time tweaking it. The flying rig control, used geared spools, which  can be slow to turn if you need to make large movements. CLICK on each of the thumbnail images if you want to see Whopper Super Sized Photos.

In the above photos, you can see  its design. It was made from aluminum flat plate and aluminum tubing. Both plates are 5 inches by 5 inches square (127mm by 127mm square). One can instead, use thin plywood about 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch thick (9.5mm - 13mm). It does not need to be made from metal. The gear drive pegs are used in guitars to tension tune the strings.You can get them here > Guitar Tuners and the spools here > Wooden Thread Spools  The tuners mounted to the metal plate or plywood with these > One Inch Corner Braces Or if you want more space between Spools and plate or wood piece, longer length > 1-1/2 inch Corner Braces  NOTE: Looking at this Flying Rig again, I would change the design and have the Spools (pulleys) facing outside i.e., the spools should NOT be underneath the plate. Here it is ... I flipped the guitar tuners so that the spools (pulleys) are completely accessible and lessen the possibility of nylon lines getting tangled. Click on photo ....

ANTHONY SCOTT'S Stop Motion Animation website is no more, however he has an archived a few important informational pages. Here is a brief overview about > A SIMPLE FLYING RIG

MARK WOLF is very knowledgeable about Classic Special Effects, including Stop Motion. He has met Ray Harryhausen, Jim Danforth, Marcel Delgado, etc. many of the heroes & pioneers in special effects. Mark is on Facebook he can be reached at the Facebook group - Stop Motion Monsterland / Mark Wolf

With regards to my article/blog topic here, it was somewhat difficult to find photos or information about Flying Puppet Rigs ... it is as though, they are indeed, Extinct!

I am curious if any Stop Motion Practitioners still use old school PUPPET FLYING RIGS, using nylon fishing lines? If you have any photos, at your option, maybe share your photos of your rigs or stage set-ups ... contact me ... email or message me at my > Facebook Page

 >

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What's a Tet'niss? (Star Wars)

Being an old schooler neo-luddite, I basically have not paid much attention to the plethora of Star Wars sequels, prequels, spin-offs, different iterations. For me, it's Star Wars (1977), Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). THAT'S IT ... no more, no más, nicht mehr, pas plus!!

This series is titled Skeleton Crew under the Star Wars banner. It is not a theatrical movie. Series is online stream available if one is subscribed to Disney+. Since I have been out of touch with all the different incarnations of the Star Wars franchise, this is my first time seeing trailer about this specific series.

  If you cannot hear the audio below, look for speaker icon (lower left) and turn on sound (unmute)

@bigareviews The trash crab is bloody stop motion!!! #starwars #skeletoncrew #stopmotionanimation #philtippet #crab #cinetok #moviemagic #trashcrab @Star Wars ♬ Major Tom (Coming Home) [Single Version] - Peter Schilling

There are only a few behind the scenes.They are more like 'making of' shorts.

This one is moderately longer

At one of the Facebook groups, Webster Colcord who works at Tippett Studio, said, that in post production some motion blur added and also digital tweaking where the stop motion slightly chattered. 

  
Here are some write-ups / articles, click below

Bringing the Towering “Tet’niss” from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew to Life

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew | Stop Motion & Old School Matte Paintings

 

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Mackinnon & Saunders: Beetle Juice 2, Pinocchio, & More

 With 'Beetle Juice, Beetle Juice' winding down its theatrical release, it appears that it is now in its digital release, available for online stream viewing. Perhaps later this November could be released on DVD & Blu-ray.  When BJ2 originally released just a few months ago, there was not much technical behind the scenes and a mystery for a short while about the authenticity of the stop motion effects.Warner Bros mostly showed online interviews with the actors. Well finally, here is albeit, a short behind the scenes specifically about the stop motion scenes. The Sandworm was the primary stop motion special effects, but there were also some other more minor, secondary scenes also using stop motion. Take a look ....

An hour presentation about Mackinnon & Saunders' work & history by Richard Pickersgill, Lead Puppet Maker Supervisor. This talk was before the release of 'Beetle Juice 2', so that movie is not mentioned here. Some rare behind the scenes images & a few videos about the construction of the stop motion puppets. M&S were responsible for the design & fabrication of a few of the lead  stop motion puppet characters, with focus on the highly engineered Pinocchio puppet character. It is a talk / presentation, so some of you might get bored, however the the true stop motion aficionado, it is rich with edifying stop motion making of information  .... 

Below are just a few examples of projects to which Mackinnon & Saunders has contributed:

The making of Frankenweenie (2012) ....

 

More ....

Making of Isle of Dogs (2018), Featurette 1 ....

 

More ... Featurette 2 ....

 

Website link ....

Mackinnon & Saunders

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