The actor controlling Zazu needs to be in total control of three movements while acting - his left hand controls the bird’s wing movement, while in his right hand one finger controls the the beak opening and closing and yet another lever moves the eyelids up and down, the key to Zazu’s many expressions. Inside Zazu’s neck is a baby slinky, which is covered in stretched spandex to give it the ultimate in flexibility, with the feathers painted and stitched on. Out of all the puppets in The Lion King, the title of “most complex” would have to go to Zazu, Mufasa’s fine-feathered advisor. “The big thing is that we never want to stop the show because of a puppet, so we have to get the actor off in time and try to replace or fix it.”įor this reason, all of the principal masks and puppets, like the complex Zazu puppet, have “understudies” if needed. “When it goes onstage, anything can happen,” admits Wilson. With so much mechanics involved, Wilson and his co-workers have to be on their toes at all times. Wilson explained that the actor wears two servo motors on his body under the costume, which weighs between 30-35 pounds including the battery packs.Ī switch worn on the actor’s thumb controls the movement of the mask, making it able to extend out from his head as well as move up and down.
“We check to make sure the motors are working properly, that there are no loose wires.” “We have the most problems with the mechanical ones, like Scar’s mask,” Wilson said. The Lion King’s mask is also one of two in the show that is controlled by a battery pack disguised underneath the costume, the other belonging to his malevolent brother.
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