Makeup, special effects, and prosthetics are some of the most interesting and intriguing parts of the composition of a movie or a TV show. Behind those moments or characters that catch our attention with their unique characteristics or mouth-opening moments, there are skilled people who use their talent to make sure the audience believes the story they are telling.
Lee Romaire is one of those very talented people we can find creating some of the best special effects and makeup designs for TV, movies, and even theme parks. Romaire is an artist, sculptor, and makeup effects designer who founded Romaire Studios in 2000. With his experience and knowledge, Romaire led his studio to become one of the most prominent providers of live-action creatures, characters and animated or non-animated props in the entertainment industry.
Before There Was a Studio
Two years before he set up his studio, Romaire won an Emmy for Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Prosthetic) for the work he did on Six Feet Under.” I was lucky to be working at Todd Master’s at the time, who had the contract to do the make-up effects for the movie. I was handed the opportunity to sculpt the main body and make-up for the show, and I jumped at the chance and did the best that I possibly could.” This was the second year the Emmys recognized the make-up sculptors alongside the make-up artists who applied the make-up.
This stroke of luck catapulted him into moving forward with his dream and establishing the studio. From that moment on, Romaire made a name for himself in the industry, and his work later expanded beyond film and TV.
Even though The Walt Disney Company often self-performs its production work, Romaire and his studio were hired by the company to sculpt, paint and do final hair work on Abraham Lincoln for Disneyland’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was the first human audio-animatronic figure designed by the company in the 1960s and was personally supervised by Walt Disney himself. This re-furbishment of the famous figure was a pivotal moment for the fledgling studio.
Romaire told The Los Angeles Tribune, “I realized that the live entertainment/theme park world needed the level of expertise that we were providing to movie studios. My studio eventually transitioned from pursuing movie and TV work to providing skins and sculptures used in theme park animatronic figures, which were focused on artistry and craftsmanship, to producing full animatronic characters, which incorporated a high level of engineering and design.” His first foray into animatronic figures for Disney was a tiny lizard character that became the first hand-held animatronic figure the company ever commissioned, as well as the smallest expressive head commissioned by the company.
His Work at the MET Gala
Romaire’s work has been featured in several movies and shows, such as Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, The Rebound, Walk The Prank, Elton John’s Red Piano Tour, War of the Worlds, What Just Happened, The Dictator, and the recent remake of House Party.
More recently, Romaire’s creation was seen on the red carpet at one of the world’s most famous galas. In 2021, the studio created Cody, the baby robot that Frank Ocean held at the MET Gala.
“The initial project was to create a standing baby, so we built an animatronic body that had all of the motors needed for movement underneath the platform below its feet,” Romaire told Celeb Mix. “When Frank told us he wanted to carry Cody down the red carpet, we had to completely redesign Cody, moving all of the motors as well as the battery power to the inside of his body. Once we figured it out, we also needed to develop a protocol for Frank’s team to follow to ensure everything worked correctly. It came off flawlessly.”
Romaire and Frankenstein
Lee Romaire and his team are constantly working on new creations, pushing the studio forward and proving why they are the best in the game. In 2023, Romaire Studio brought the animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy’s back to life. This was done for Socksfor1’s YouTube video, Five Nights at Freddy’s in Real Life.
Now, 25 years after starting out in the industry, Romaire worked alongside the theme of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein to help bring the movie to life on Netflix. “We were asked by a friend and amazing sculptor/make-up designer, Mike Hill, who created the monster’s beautiful makeup, to create a bunch of dead animals for the film. We had very little time and reference material, but I’m very proud of what we were able to create for the movie. We are honored to be a small part of Guillermo Del Toro’s amazing film.”
Lee Romaire continues to prove how important it is to push yourself further every time, meet new challenges, innovate in an industry where everything seems to have been done already, and be the first to break the limits of what’s expected.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). In addition to Eulalie Magazine, you can find her work published on Tell-Tale TV, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.