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Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal,monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or ascostumed characters in live events. Unlikemascots, they are often made with a high degree of realism. In contrast withprosthetic makeup, which is applied to an actor's skin, the wearer is not normally visible outside their movements controlling the costume, although in some cases, part of the wearer's body is still visible (such as in the case ofmermaids or other half-human monsters).
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Creature suits have been used since before movies were invented. As part of his circussideshow in London in 1846,P. T. Barnum had an actor wearing a fur suit of an "ape-man", and continued to dress actors in similar costumes as attractions.[1] They were used starting from the early days of film aspractical effects, to represent animals that were too prohibitive to train or use, such as gorillas.[2] Some films even tried to pass off costumes as real animals, which caused controversy.[3]
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The firstfoam rubber creature suit used in film wasGill-man, from the filmCreature from the Black Lagoon, which released in 1954 and beatGodzilla by half a year. The suit, created by the film special-effects artist Don Post, was extremely hot when worn outside of the water, requiring actorBen Chapman to be regularly hosed down, and difficult to see out of.[4]
The success ofGodzilla caused creature suits to be adopted in the Japanesetokusatsu genre askaiju, or giant monsters. They were animated using the suitmation technique, combining slow-motion filming and miniature sets to make them appear larger than they really were.
Creature suit technology advanced during the latter half of the 20th century to include modern materials andanimatronics integrated into the costume itself, increasing their realism. The animatronics were usually puppeteered by an operator with a remote control. However, their use dropped due to the advent ofCGI, which was often cheaper to implement. For example, the suit used in the television seriesHarry and the Hendersons cost USD $1 million.[5]
Nevertheless, despite the fluidity of CGI animals and monsters, purely visual effects are often panned, or, at least, not preferred by discerning film viewers. It is extremely difficult to mimic realistic lighting, leading to most CGI creatures and characters looking obviously fake when placed alongside real environments, especially if the film has a low budget and cannot afford sophisticated 3D modeling and rendering. Films such asJurassic Park, which made heavy use ofpractical effects, including creature suits, remain well-regarded for their special effects, while CGI creatures quickly become dated as technology advances. This has led to the continued use of creature suits in modern-day films and commercials to provide additional realism, such asHellboy andStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
In other instances, CGI and creature suits are combined, using green parts of the suit tochroma key them and add or remove appendages inpost-production. This technique was used to hide suit actors' heads in the 2005 filmZathura: A Space Adventure, replace satyr creatures' legs in the 2005 filmThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and to add facial expressions to the monsters in the 2009 filmWhere the Wild Things Are.
Creature suits have also been used in many live events and productions, such as the dinosaur suits used inWalking with Dinosaurs − The Arena Spectacular. They are also used inLARPs to represent monsters and other creatures that have to interact with players. In addition, they are sometimes used inhoaxes, such asBigfoot sightings.[6][7]
Creature suits are usually made byspecial effects studios, one of the most well known of which isJim Henson's Creature Shop, or by individual special effects artists. Different body shapes of suits are made usingfoam padding covered by paintedliquid latex (to simulate bare skin) orfake fur.Foam latex can also be used to create suits, and masks may sometimes be made out offiberglass. More expensive suits have hairs hand-knitted into the foam to give a more realistic, movie-quality appearance, as well as animatronic machinery, usually as part of the mask.
Sometimes, the suits are made by smaller studios or individuals.Cosplayers often make replicas of famousmovie monsters. Some of the most commonly seen creature suits in cosplay are theAlien andPredator from their respective series. Other cosplayers make suits ofanthropomorphic or monster characters fromvideo games andanime. They can also come in the form of realisticfursuits made to depict the owner'soriginal character, with no prior appearance in mass media.
Acting inside a creature suit in a professional context is often done by asuit actor who specializes in wearing them. These are typicallystunt performers who have practice embodying realistic creature movements.[8] They must not be prone toclaustrophobia from being enclosed by the suit, and must be able to deal with difficulty moving, as well as generalsensory deprivation.[8]
While most suits are operated by a single wearer, some suits, such as those of large quadrupedal animals likeGreenpeace's polar bear Paula,[9] must be worn by multiple people in a similar manner as apantomime horse. However, the wearers usually refrain from such goofy and comedic antics as their satirical counterparts, in order to add the illusion of lifelike movement.
Notable suit actors includeHaruo Nakajima, who portrayed Godzilla in twelve consecutive films, as well as various other giant kaiju, and was considered "invaluable" to theGodzilla franchise.[10]Doug Jones portrayed many monsters in films directed byGuillermo del Toro, including the faun and Pale Man ofPan's Labyrinth, and the Amphibian Man fromThe Shape of Water. He had been slated to portrayFrankenstein's monster in a film based on theDark Universe franchise before it was cancelled.[11] Mark Steger, a veteran creature suit actor, portrayed the Demogorgon ofStranger Things.[8] Misty Rosas, among other roles, portrayed Amy the gorilla inCongo, as well as the aliens Kuiil and Frog Lady inStar Wars spin-offThe Mandalorian.[12]
Many depictions of aliens in film have been done using creature suits of various types, including those in the science-fiction movie franchisesAlien andPredator, the television seriesDoctor Who andThe Tommyknockers, and the filmThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, among others. While shows likeStar Trek preferprosthetic makeup, it has led to the term "rubber forehead alien" due to the fact that most of the aliens look extremely similar to humans save for slight differences in their eye color, skin color or facial prosthetics, and creature suits can allow for more alien body shapes.
Many animals have been made into lifelike creature suits, includinglions,tigers,rhinos andelephants,foxes,wolves,dolphins,kangaroos,penguins,common ostriches andwalruses. The benefits of using a realistic suit include not having the danger of a live animal on set, as well as not having to train them or deal with potential incidents ofanimal cruelty.
Ape suits have a great tradition especially on film, with notable works involving them ranging from 1939'sThe Wizard of Oz to 1968's2001: A Space Odyssey andPlanet of the Apes.
In addition to realistic gorilla suits used in film and television, dressing up as a gorilla for comedic effect has become a public phenomenon. They are sometimes linked to the character ofKing Kong, who was portrayed using a suit in the JapaneseToho films of which he was protagonist, as well as the1976 remake andIts sequel.
Due to the popularity of bears in popular culture, there have been many realistic bear suits created for film and television. They are also used for live performances, protests and scientific studies.
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Dinosaur suits were used in film and television throughout their history, and became popular for live-action appearances following the debut ofWalking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular. They are used in theme parks to entertain guests, as well as in educational performances to show people how living dinosaurs looked and behaved, something that is more difficult to depict with stationary displays.
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Japanesetokusatsu movies and television shows often usedaikaiju, or giant monster suits, as well as similar suits to representKyodai Heroes, giant robots, aliens andkaijin, humanoid monsters that are generally smaller than kaiju.Suitmation (スーツメーション,Sūtsumēshon, a portmanteau of "suit animation") is a filmmaking technique initially developed byEiji Tsuburaya for use inGodzilla films and then used for hisUltra Series productions, a practice which survives to the present day. The suit actor, often moving throughscale model scenery to give the impression of size, is filmed at a higher framerate to make them appear slower. In addition, the suit actor performs their movements slowly and deliberately to emulate a slow moving creature, and low camera angles are utilised to further provide a sense of scale.
Though suitmation proved to be a valuable method of portraying giant creatures and characters, some uses of the technology could prove to be a gruelling experience for the suit actors. On the set ofGodzilla vs. Hedorah (1971),Kenpachiro Satsuma, who portrayed the titular main antagonist,Hedorah, suffered from a bout ofappendicitis during production. Satsuma gave an interview before the diagnosis wearing part of the costume, causing a rumor that he wore the suit during the procedure.[13]
Creature suits are commonly used to portrayandroids in film and television, including the pop-cultural iconRobot fromLost In Space, which was portrayed by stuntmanBob May.C-3PO of theStar Wars franchise was portrayed using a suit worn byAnthony Daniels.[14] The2018 remake of the series also featured a practical effects robot with suit actorBrian Steele wearing the suit.[15] Other examples of robot creature suits includeMarvin the Paranoid Android fromThe Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, worn byDavid Learner in the television series andWarwick Davis in the 2005 film; and Mother fromI Am Mother, which was designed by Edon Guraziu, built byWeta Workshop, portrayed by Luke Hawker, and based on realistic robot designs to be "100% believable".[16]
The appearance of a robot suit on Russian state television channelRussia-24 sparked controversy when it was billed as a real robot, before being revealed as a £3,000 realistic costume.[17]
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