As a holiday bonus, please enjoy this recording of a panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 - Celebrating the Puppetry Arts!

Panel Description: Puppets have entertained and educated the masses for centuries but the artistry also changes and advances with new technology. Professional puppet builders and performers share insights from their careers working on franchises like Star Wars and the Muppet movies, as well as their experiences with non-traditional puppetry like animatronics, motion capture, and claymation. Panelists include Cheralyn Lambeth (puppet builder, Dinosaurs!, Avenue Q), Kirk Thatcher (writer and director, The Muppets Haunted Mansion), and Fon Davis (model maker, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline). Moderated by Melissa T. Miller (Star Warsologies podcast).

Links from the panel discussion:

Check out Adam Kreutinger's @PuppetNerd YouTube Channel and the Stan Winston School for puppetry building tips.

Watch the Tested video Fon mentioned where he shows Adam Savage around Fonco Studio's effects lab.

Here's the TikTok video Kirk mentioned where the baby in Dinosaurs talks back to the director.

If you want to hear more about Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, check out the LA Comic Con panel about those movies that Melissa and Fon did together in 2024.