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Syncro-Vox (sometimes spelledSynchro-Vox) is a filming method that combines static images with moving images, the most common use of which is to superimpose talking lips on a photograph of a celebrity or a cartoon drawing. It is one of the most extreme examples of thecost-cutting strategy oflimited animation. The method was developed by cameramanEdwin "Ted" Gillette in the 1950s in order to simulatetalking animals in television commercials. Gillette filed the technique on February 4, 1952, and obtained patent #2,739,505 on March 27, 1956.^[1]

Because animating a mouth in synchronization with sound was difficult, Syncro-Vox was soon used as a cheap animation technique. The 1959 cartoonClutch Cargo produced by Cambria Studios was the first to make use of the Syncro-Vox technique.^[2]Clutch Cargo, along with fellow Cambria showsSpace Angel andCaptain Fathom, superimposed actors' lips voicing the scripted dialogue laid over the animated figures.^[3]

The Syncro-Vox technique is considered noticeably cheap andunnerving, so it was short-lived in serious form. The three Cambria Studios cartoons listed above were some of the few examples of the technique being used straight, and the fourth and final Cambria Studios cartoon,The New Three Stooges, did not use it.^{[citation needed]}

Although Syncro-Vox has long since fallen into disuse as a serious animation method (other than when a computerized version was used in the short-lived, and ultimately controversial,^[4]Mrs. Munger's Class shorts of the 1990s), it has survived sporadically in comedic form, most notably onLate Night with Conan O'Brien, where a celebrity's face is superimposed with live video of the moving lips of Conan's writerRobert Smigel. This comedy bit was reused onConan O'Brien's 2010 talk-showConan^[5] and the "In Hot Water" podcast on Compound Media.^{[citation needed]}

A spoof of Cambria Studios' Syncro-Vox cartoons calledMr. Incredible and Pals was also included as a special feature on the 2005 DVD release ofThe Incredibles.^{[citation needed]}

The technique was used in theBarenaked Ladiesmusic video "Thanks, That Was Fun", which combined clips from previous videos with new mouth movements.^{[citation needed]}

Painty, the talking pirate painting that asks, "Are you ready, kids?" in the introduction toSpongeBob SquarePants cartoons, imitates the Syncro-Vox technique with modern animation technology. It was also featured in standard episodes of the series, including (but not limited to), "Karate Choppers", "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture", "Moving Bubble Bass", and "Knock Knock, Who's There?".^{[citation needed]}

A form of this technique was used in the 1996BBC Schools seriesHallo aus Berlin for themocapped animated characters Rolli and Rita.^[6]

Syncro-Vox was used in theCourage the Cowardly Dog episodes "The Magic Tree of Nowhere" and "The House of Discontent".^{[citation needed]}

It was featured in someThat '70s Show episodes imitatingFarrah Fawcett,Richard Nixon, andAerosmith.^{[citation needed]}

Syncro-Vox was used inThe Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Billy & Mandy Begins".^{[citation needed]}

Syncro-Vox was used in the December 20, 2010 episode ofWWE Raw during a promo in whichThe Miz spoofedCharles Dickens'A Christmas Carol.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, Syncro-Vox was used in theFamily Guy episode "Seahorse Seashell Party".^{[citation needed]}

It was used in theLooney Tunes short "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers" when aDaffy Duckdoppelgänger tellsBugs Bunny he accepted duck season.^{[citation needed]}

Syncro-Vox is used for most of the characters inAnnoying Orange anddirtgirlworld (which both shows also sync the actors' eyes),Têtes à claques, and most of the characters in the toy parodies fromThe Adam and Joe Show, and is common onSongify the News.^{[citation needed]}

A variation of the technique, animated mouths on actual toyaction figures, is used onRobot Chicken. In the firstStar Wars special of the aforementioned show, the segmentMid-Nite with Zuckuss (a parody of the aforementionedLate Night with Conan O'Brien, whose host voiced the titular character) featured an actual use of the Syncro-Vox technique on an "interview" withEmperor Palpatine as a means to mock the latter; it was also used in the sketch "The AnnoyingMjolnir", which spoofs both the aforementionedAnnoying Orange andThe Avengers.^{[citation needed]}

TheSmosh character Charlie the Drunk Guinea Pig is portrayed using the Syncro-Vox technique, superimposing actorIan Hecox's lips onto live-action footage of the guinea pig; this also applied for archived footage used to portray Charlie as a ghost following the character's in-universe death.^{[citation needed]}

DirectorRichard Elfman paid tribute to Syncro-Vox in a scene from his 1980 cult filmForbidden Zone, during the scene wherein a character mimes to Machito and Miguelito Valdez' novelty dance song, "Bim Bam Boom"; the usage was necessary because the actor hired tolip sync the song suddenly developedstage fright and froze on-camera.^[7]

The Residents' 1995 CD-ROM game,Bad Day on the Midway, uses Syncro-Vox for lip movement. The Residents would also use Syncro-Vox for the music video for "Constantinople", which would be featured on their DVD,Icky Flix.

• Chuckimation, another notoriously low-budget animation shortcut
• Deepfake, a more elaborate adaptation of the same concept

• Animation techniques
• Audiovisual introductions in 1952

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