From Beowulf to Avatar, motion capture technology has come a very long way. Did you know Andy Serkis was originally hired as just a voice actor for the role of Gollum? Only to have his performance re-recorded months later, on a mocap stage. Today the little monster from records his expressions on The Hobbit's set,…

Andy Serkis' stunning grasp of motion capture acting is one of the reasons Peter Jackson made him a second unit director on The Hobbit. Now the Gollum actor plans to apply those directing skills to a motion-capture project of his own: a new adaptation of George Orwell's political fable Animal Farm.

Motion-capture has totally altered our movie-going experience in just a few years. From the Na'vi to Gollum to Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, our favorite movie characters are increasingly a blend of computer animation and an actor's real performance.

Disney has closed the doors to Robert Zemeckis's motion-capture studio ImageMovers Digital. But in the wake of this destruction comes some interesting news. Disney is still moving forward with mo-cap Yellow Submarine and Mars Needs Moms.

Will Avatar keep its technological promises? We've seen a huge backlash against the film's CGI, and our sibling site suspects it will suck. But when it opens, Avatar will prove a remarkable advance in motion capture and computer animation.

Directors like James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis are using motion capture and computer animation to place actors in unusual bodies and fantastical environments. But the medical community is increasingly utilizing technology originally designed for movies and video games.

Avatar's tight-suited motion capture actor, Reuben Langdon, explained his on-set task of pretending to be eaten alive by one of the many beasts of Pandora while crew members made grr noises and waved foam noodles.

With Avatar nearly in the can, James Cameron is looking toward the next subject for his 3D motion-capture lens. And he's considering the move from sexy blue aliens to sexy cyborgs with an animated adaptation of Battle Angel Alita.