Name: The genius puppetry behind War Horse
Uploaded: 2011-03-30T14:22:00Z
Duration: 17 min 54 s
Description: "Puppets always have to try to be alive," says Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company, a gloriously ambitious troupe of human and wooden actors. Beginning with the tale of a hyena's subtle paw, puppeteers Kohler and Basil Jones build to the story of their latest astonishment: the wonderfully life-like Joey, the War Horse, who trots (and gallops) convincingly onto the TED stage.

"Puppets always have to try to be alive," says Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company, a gloriously ambitious troupe of human and wooden actors. Beginning with the tale of a hyena's subtle paw, puppeteers Kohler and Basil Jones build to the story of their latest astonishment: the wonderfully life-like Joey, the War Horse, who trots (and gallops) convincingly onto the TED stage.

The genius puppetry behind War Horse

Puppetry transforms lifeless materials into creatures that breathe, quiver, and seem to feel. Building the life-sized War Horse, three puppeteers studied horse behavior and engineered every ear flick and breath to convince audiences of the illusion. Each puppet is handmade, with cane frames and mesh skin, allowing it to move with uncanny realism. Even the simplest movement, like simulated breathing with a puppeteer's knees, helps bring the puppet's inner life to the stage.