Before Tom Turkey can strut down the streets of Manhattan, it takes months to get every candy cane in place and every dance move on point for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“We are doing our once-over, our checks, our final checks to make sure that all of our animations are working appropriately, all of the powers run, all of our necessary theatrical elements are set,” said Will Cross, the executive producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

All the behind-the-scenes action happens at the Macy's Parade Studio in Moonachie. It is New Jersey and is roughly 11 miles away from the parade route.   

This year marks Macy's 97th year of the parade. It will be complete with 26 floats, 12 marching bands and 16 giant balloons.

It is a far cry from when the parade debuted in 1924 as the Christmas Parade. In the early years, employees of Macy's marched alongside animals from the Central Park Zoo, floats, bands and other professional performers.

“It’s our job not only to continue to evolve the tradition from a theatrical and artistic standpoint, but from an overall impact standpoint. You know, how are we going to continue to inspire the next generation of parade goers and viewers and fans,” Cross said.

New floats this year feature the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the car from "Good Burger" and the confectionery creations of Willie Wonka.

“We want to make sure that we're bringing characters and partners into the homes of Americans that everyone knows and loves and feels a connection to,” said Kathleen Wright, the director of production operations at the Macy's Parade Studio.

Not only do the floats need to be wondrous and creative, but they have to be adjustable. Before they make it to the parade route from New Jersey, they have to collapse down to 8.5 feet wide by 12.5 feet high to make it through the Lincoln Tunnel.

“So every float here has what we call breakpoints. So structures are built to a certain height and then they're fastened on and attached and of course, securely attached to build the scale that we're used to on the parade. But there's a whole lot of science and engineering that goes into all of the core fundamental aspects of building a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float,” Cross said.

But it is more than just science and math. This Thanksgiving recipe also needs a dash of amazement.

“I don't know one person that I've ever encountered that isn't watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning in some way, shape or form while they're cooking and getting ready for their family to be there. Sitting down to make sure that they're catching the [Radio City Rockettes] performance or Santa's sleigh to arrive. It's something that is just so ingrained, I think, in American culture,” Wright said.