Phil Tippett, the acclaimed animator and visual effects supervisor behind groundbreaking work in films such as the original Star Wars trilogy, RoboCop, and Jurassic Park, has announced the closure of his visual effects studio in Berkeley, California. The 74-year-old artist is reportedly retiring from the industry, stating, “I’m retired from the racket,” and noting that his last major project was the Twilight series.
As a result of Tippett Studio’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a two-day auction was held this past weekend where a significant portion of his collection was sold. The items included stop-motion models of AT-ATs from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, autographed posters from Jurassic World and The Mandalorian, and various other props and memorabilia from his extensive career. Tippett confirmed that he is keeping his Academy Awards.
Tippett's passion for stop-motion animation was ignited in his childhood after viewing Ray Harryhausen's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Over a career spanning four decades, he made significant contributions to numerous films. For his work on Star Wars: A New Hope, he contributed to the Dejarik game scene. He also lent his talents to films like Dragonslayer, Return of the Jedi, for which he won his first Academy Award for visual effects, and Jurassic Park, earning him a second Oscar. His directorial work includes the 2021 film Mad God, and his extensive filmography also features credits on Starship Troopers, The Haunting, Dragonheart, Willow, Howard the Duck, and RoboCop 2.