technopuppet

A way of producing digital entertainment by using computer technology to create life-sized puppets, of Winnie the Pooh, for example. Technopuppets are a step beyond 3-D animation. The technology involves chroma-keying (a technology often used in weather forecasts, sportscasts, and game shows), where the computer isolates all things green and only displays the puppet characters; the characters are then superimposed upon virtual sets and manipulated by special effects experts to create the final product. It is based on a 300-year-old Japanese stagecraft called bunraku and is also referred to as "reality animation" programming.