Jack Sparrow Animatronic
A DIY Tribute to Disney’s Most Eccentric Pirate
This animatronic project stands out among my previous builds for how lifelike it turned out—both in appearance and movement. Inspired by the famous Disney ride, my Jack Sparrow figure sits on an elaborate chair, swaying and singing along to Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me) in true eccentric pirate fashion. Bringing this character to life was a real challenge, but also a lot of fun.
Lifelike Motion with Blender and Custom Tools
Like with my earlier projects, I developed and used my own Blender add-on to export servo movements directly from 3D animations. I designed the entire figure and its mechanical systems in Blender, animated it just like a character for a 3D film, and then used the add-on to map that animation to real servo motors. This allowed me to replicate complex movements with precision, giving Jack his signature relaxed—but slightly chaotic—personality.
From Digital to Physical: 3D Printing and Silicone Molding
Most of the animatronic was built using 3D printing. Since everything was already modeled in Blender, moving from digital to physical was a natural next step. For the face, I 3D printed a mold and then cast it in silicone, just like I did for my earlier O.J. Punctuel Animatronic. The result was a flexible, expressive face that really sells the illusion when the figure speaks or moves.
Realistic Eyes and Hair Details
This project was also a first for me in a few areas. The figure features blinking eyelids—an eye mechanism I had never attempted before. The eyeballs themselves were 3D printed, hand-painted for the iris, and then coated with resin to give them a glossy, lifelike shine. For the iconic Jack Sparrow beard, I used a hair-punching technique to embed individual hairs into the silicone mask, adding to the realism.
A Chair Worthy of a Pirate
Jack’s chair was another big part of the project. It combines both woodwork and 3D printing. The bulkier parts were made of wood, while detailed ornaments were custom-designed and printed. I paid a lot of attention to the details here—replicating the look of the original as closely as possible, down to the tiny carved flourishes. Seeing all those elements come together was one of the most rewarding parts of the build.
Designed with Maintenance in Mind
One technical challenge I tackled was designing the figure to be detachable from the chair. That makes maintenance much easier and was essential for long-term reliability. The chair itself may look static, but behind the scenes, there’s a lot of engineering to ensure everything stays modular and accessible.