This lot will be sold on Wednesday August 26th (day 1 of the auction.) Lots 1-433 will be sold on day 1 (lots 434-870 will be sold on day 2). The auction will begin at 10:00AM PDT. Lots are sold sequentially so there is no preset ending time. A live streaming broadcast of the auction will be available on auction days.

A Dinosaur Input Device (D.I.D.) electronic raptor armature from the production of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi action-adventure Jurassic Park. Spielberg initially planned to achieve the film's dinosaurs through 'Go-Motion' animation, but new breakthroughs at ILM enabled a mid-production pivot to digital animation as the technique of choice.

As computer animation software was very new, there were few animators at the time who could use it. The Dinosaur Input Device, or D.I.D., was therefore created to allow traditional stop-motion animators to produce computer animation without learning animation software programs.

Developed by a joint team from Industrial Light & Magic, Tippett Studio, and Pixar, the D.I.D. was a groundbreaking device and essential to the film's revolutionary effects shots. Digital sensors on the device allow to function as an animation capture device while the physical piece is manipulated by hand. The armature is oversized due to the encoders built into it to track the motion; the larger armature was also easier to animate than a typical puppet. Of the 52 animated shots in Jurassic Park, 15 were animated with the D.I.D., including the T. Rex paddock sequence and the raptors in the kitchen sequence.

This T. Rex D.I.D. features a custom-machined metal stop motion armature that is wired throughout with sensors and encoders, affixed with handle at the top, and mounted to a wooden display base painted black. The wiring is secured with zip-ties and leads to metal multi-pin connectors. Also included is an original computer that connected to the device's output cables and processed the encoding from the device. This armature is in good overall condition with minimal wear from production and age, including flaking paint and some disconnected wiring. This lot comes from Tippett, who along with Dennis Muren, Michael Lantieri, and Stan Winston received an Academy Award for Visual Effects for his work on the film. The D.I.D. contributed heavily to the award winning work and helped combine art and technology for a breakthrough in cinema effects. Includes a letter of authenticity from Phil Tippett.

Dimensions: 34" x 10" x 15" (86.5 cm x 25.5 cm x 38.25 cm)

Contains electronics; see electronics notice in the Buyer's Guide

Estimate: $25,000 - 35,000