Meet the Animator Behind Star Wars, Jurassic Park & Starship Troopers
The man responsible for creating the dreams of several generations of children.
Phil Tippett is not a name many outside the world of animation are familiar with, but he is responsible for designing and bringing to life some of the most iconic creatures of films from the last four decades, most notably the Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, RoboCop, and even consulting on the Twilight franchise. In this documentary, VICE covers the journey of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning stop-motion animator from an “idiot” (in Tippett’s own words) who created primitive stop-motion sequences using G.I. Joe toys and an 8mm film camera to the scorn of his parents, to his LSD trip on the set of Return of the Jedi, and his near-death experience during Jurassic Park, and to today where Tippett devotes all of his time and effort to what will be his dystopian magnum opus, Mad God. While the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have reaped most of the credit and publicity for these blockbusters, we ultimately have Tippett to thank for bringing these concepts to life and inspiring the far-fetched dreams of multiple generations of children.
Enjoy the insightful video above, and click here for more on another acclaimed master of animation.
