Weird and wonderful props from the world of Doctor Who...

I'm as a much a fan as the next person as the sleek futuristic world of Star Trek, but what I've always loved about Doctor Who is that a lot of the contraptions the eccentric Time Lord invents are made of cobbled together parts and everyday objects (and we're not talking about the wobbly sets of the classic episodes).

Original animatronics and props used in Doctor Who

Here's a final collection of screen-used Whoniverse props, including TARDIS keys and destroyed Dalek eyestalks, from visiting the Doctor Who Experience exhibit in Cardiff Bay, Wales on May 20 and December 9, 2013.

Original screen-used Doctor Who props

Some of the other creations of the Doctor's on display included his Video Device from 2006's 'The Idoit's Lantern' in which in 1950's England David Tennant's Tenth Doctor trapped the 'Wire' creature in Betamax video cassette.

In 2010's fifth season episode 'Amy's Choice', Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor creates the whisk device to generate enough power for the TARDIS scanner.

Plus in another fifth season episode from 2010, 'Vincent and the Doctor', which featured an adventure with the famous troubled painter, Vincent van Gogh, the Doctor created this Monster Viewing Device to be able to see the invisible 'Krafayis' creature.

Doctor Who Dinosaurs on a Spaceship poster

One thing you can always count on in Doctor Who is the weird and the absurd, so it was pretty cool to see the animatronic Triceratops used in the seventh series episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (who was quite partial to chasing golf balls).

Animatronic Triceratops from Doctor Who's Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

If you're a dinosaur fan, be sure to also check out this baby animatronic Triceratops and more original models and props from the Jurassic Park movies.

Plus if you're a fellow Whovian, take a look at all the fantastic costumes and props on display at the Doctor Who Experience.

Personally I can't wait to return to the U.K. for another visit to see what new delights from the 50-year-old show are part of the ever-changing exhibit.

The Boxtrolls character concepts, costumes, faces and figures on display...

To help promote the forthcoming new 3D animated feature from Portland-based Laika Studios, The Boxtrolls, Universal Studios Hollywood had an extensive display of character concepts, costumes, faces and stop-motion figures on display at the NBC Universal Experience exhibit on April 15, 2014.

Original stop-moption character figures 

and concept designs from The Boxtrolls

The movie is based on Alan Snow's fantasy adventure novel Here Be Monsters! and follows past Laika stop-motion animation movies, Coraline and ParaNorman, but is a hybrid of stop-motion and computer-generated effects.

The Boxtrolls movie poster

The story follows a young orphaned boy named 'Eggs' in a Victorian-Era town who has been raised by a race of subterranean cavern-dwelling trash-collecting creatures, who must be saved by their human ward when they are targeted by an evil pest exterminator named 'Archibald Snatcher'.

The Boxtrolls stop-motion character figures

I'm always amazed at the sheer detail that goes into stop-motion creations, from the miniature costumes and faces, to the intricate sets these puppets inhabit, just look at the elaborate detail of the 'Lord and Lady Portley-Rind' characters.

Underground cave set from The Boxtrolls

The Boxtrolls who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells, live beneath the town of Cheesebridge and exist by dumpster-diving and collecting the junk left behind by the town's residents, although the townspeople believe they emerge from the sewers to steal their cheese and children at night.

If you like this Laika Studios exhibit, be sure to also check out these stop-motion puppets and sets from ParaNorman and from the world of Coraline.

The Boxtrolls stop-motion facial expression and components

Plus if you're a stop-motion animation fan, be sure to also check out these stop-motion maquettes and models from Frankenweenie and this Fantastic Mr. Fox movie set on display.

The Boxtrolls in cinemas September 2014

Buy the book the movie is based on: Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles)

The Grand Budapest Hotel original model on display...

Most people would agree that not everyone likes, or gets, Wes Anderson's quirky and eccentric movies like Moonrise Kingdom, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou or The Royal Tenenbaums, but one thing we can all agree on, is that this original scale model of The Grand Budapest Hotel actually used in the movie is quite impressive and it's pretty awesome to see the detail up close in person.

Original model used in The Grand Budapest Hotel

To help publicize the movie and give cinema goers a glimpse behind-the-scenes, this fantastic pink model used in the director and writer's latest comedy drama was photographed on display within ArcLight Hollywood cinema's foyer on March 11, 2014.

The Grand Budapest Hotel movie poster

Adam Stockhausen was Production Designer, Carl Sprague was Concept Illustrator and Simon Weisse was Supervising Modelmaker on this phenomenal endeavour (as well as a whole team of people no doubt).

The Grand Budapest Hotel model detail

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the famous European hotel setting for the adventures of legendary concierge, 'Gustave H' (Ralph Fiennes), and his friendship with lobby boy, 'Zero Moustafa' (Tony Revolori), as they try and prove his innocence when he's framed for murder.

The movie is set in the fictional European country of Zubrowka in the 1930's amidst a nation ravaged by war and poverty, during the final glory days of this remote, mountainside hotel.

I always enjoy seeing costumes and props from movies in person, but once in a while it really is nice to shine the spotlight on the artistry of model makers and this is a great example don't you think.

If you're a fan of the filmmaker Wes Anderson, be sure to also check out these original costumes and props from Moonrise Kingdom, plus these stop-motion animation puppets and sets from the Oscar-nominated Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Let's hope 2014 continues to be filled with more behind-the-scenes cinematic delights like this one.

The Grand Budapest Hotel movie poster

Buy the movie soundtrack: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Original Soundtrack)

Buy the screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel: The Illustrated Screenplay