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.

Handspring Puppet Co.: The genius puppetry behind War Horse

The genius puppetry behind War Horse

Puppets, as dead objects, mimic life only through the manipulative magic of puppeteers, illustrating life's constant striving.

The evolution from a puppet hyena to a life-sized horse in 'War Horse' showcases the blend of 17th-century tech and emotional engineering.

Joey, the puppet horse, embodies complex, lifelike movements through a combination of cane structure and nuanced puppeteer coordination.