Phil Tippett
Birthday: Born in 1951-09-27 in Berkeley, California
Deathday: Alive
Phil Tippett is an American filmmaker and multi-award-winning visual effects supervisor and producer, specializing in creature design, stop-motion, and computerized character animation. Over his career, he has assisted ILM, DreamWorks, and his own company Tippet Studios, with his work appearing in movies such as the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, and RoboCop.
TV Credits
The Movies That Made Us
Character: Self
These blockbusters brought us together and gave us the time of our lives. Meet the actors, directors and industry insiders who made them happen....
RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop
Character: Self
An in-depth look into the ground breaking franchise and features new interviews with cast and crew....
The Real History of Science Fiction
Character: Self
The series heads to the very frontiers of space and science to produce the definitive television history of science fiction, told through its impact on cinema, television and literature, with the help of filmmakers, writers, actors, and graphic artists. Each episode will explore one of the enduring themes of science fiction: time travel; the exploration of space; robots and artificial intelligence; and aliens....
Icons Unearthed: Star Wars
Character: Self - Miniature & Optical Effects Unit
Marcia Lucas, Oscar-winning film editor and ex-wife of George Lucas, sits down for her first-ever on-camera interview and provides unique insight into the rise of LucasFilm — including her 14-year marriage to and eventual divorce from George Lucas — the editing of the original Star Wars trilogy, the origin of the idea that Darth Vader would be Luke’s father and if there were really originally plans for nine movies....
The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs
Character: Self
The World’s Foremost Drive-in Movie Critic – actually he’s pretty much the world’s only Drive-in Critic – Joe Bob Briggs brings his iconic swagger to this firebrand of horror and drive-in cinema offering honest appreciation, hilarious insight, inside stories and of course, the Drive-in totals....
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character: Self
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love....
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character: Self - Creatures and Stop Motion
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love....
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character: Self - Model Shop
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love....
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character: Self - Creatures and Stop Motion (archive footage)
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love....
Movie Credits
Star Wars
Character: Cantina Alien (uncredited)
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire....
Piranha
Character: Scuba Diver (uncredited)
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidently released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal....
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Character: Self
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a 1983 television documentary special that originally aired on PBS. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the original Star Wars trilogy, with particular emphasis on the final film, Return of the Jedi. Narrated by actor Mark Hamill, the documentary was written by Richard Schickel who had written the previous television documentaries The Making of Star Wars (1977) and SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)....
Jurassic Punk
Character: Self
Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams is a pioneer in computer animation. His digital dinosaurs of Jurassic Park transformed Hollywood in 1993, but an appetite for anarchy and reckless disregard for authority may have cost him the recognition he deserved....
The Making of 'DragonHeart'
Character: Self
This documentary was first released on the laserdisc for DragonHeart, and was then re-released on both the Collector's Edition and Franchise Collection DVDs....
Virus: Ghost in the Machine
Character: Self
A look behind the scenes: making the 1999 film Virus...
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Character: Self
From the earliest versions of the script to the blockbuster debuts, explore the creation of the Star Wars Trilogy....
Lost to Time: Unearthing the Primevals
Character: Self
Documentary about the 30-year long process of David Allen's The Primevals....
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Character: Self
The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history....
Return of the Jedi
Character: Rancor
Luke Skywalker leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, while the Emperor seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all with a second dreaded Death Star....
Corporate Wars: The Making of 'RoboCop 2'
Character: Self (archive footage)
This retrospective features both archival and 2017 interviews with cast and crew members. It includes interviews with CG supervisor Paul M. Sammon, executive producer Patrick Crowley, associate producer Phil Tippett, cinematographer Mark Irwin as well as actors Nancy Allen, Tom Noonan, and Galyn Görg. Sammon's 1989/90 interviews with producer Jon Davidson and director Irvin Kershner are excerpted. There is also vintage rehearsal and BTS footage....
The Sci-Fi Boys
Character: Self
Legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films from the wild and funny days of B-movies to blockbusters that have captured the world's imagination. This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Forrest J Ackerman's FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream....
Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey
Character: Self
An inside look at the making of the movie Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), featuring footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers....
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
Character: Self
There’s only one person who so accurately personifies movie magic in the history of film, and that man is special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Focusing on the man behind the landmark effects on films like Clash Of The Titans, One Million Years B.C., Jason And The Argonauts and many more, this in-depth film features interviews with the great man himself, and with an array of animators and directors influenced by his work including Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Terry Gilliam, J...
American Scary
Character: Himself
A fond remembrance of and tribute to the uniquely American institution of the horror movie host....
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
Character: Self
This documentary treats film fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Jurassic Park," one of the 90's biggest hits and a milestone in special effects development. Narrated by James Earl Jones, it includes footage of the filming process, as well as interviews with director Steven Spielberg, and other members of the cast and crew, who give their insights into what it was like working together on this project and the efforts it took to bring the film to completion....
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
Character: Self
This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful in 1968, which don't seem quite as much anymore....
The Creative Brain
Character: Self
Neuroscientist David Eagleman taps into the creative process of various inventors, while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to spark creativity...
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi
Character: Self
Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film....
Flesh + Steel: The Making of 'RoboCop'
Character: Himself
A look behind the scenes at the making of this science fiction classic about a policeman killed in the line of duty, only to be reborn as a half-man, half-machine supercop. Includes interviews with star Peter Weller and director Paul Verhoeven, who give their views on the efforts that went into making the film....
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
Character: Self
An in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film....
Return to Jurassic Park
Character: Self
A multi-part documentary about the making of the Jurassic Park trilogy. Each part walks through the making of part of one of the films, including the hurricane during the shooting of the first film, and how advances in CGI for Jurassic Park helped change the world of special effects forever. All interviews for these retrospective documentaries come with comments from Spielberg, Johnston, Neill, Dern, Goldblum, the effects crews, the child actors, and Peter Stormare. This documentary is broken in...
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
Character: Self - Visual Effects
A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film Willow (1988). Included are interviews with cast and crew and scenes of the actual filming of the production itself....
Star Wars : La Révolution Visuelle
Character:
...
In Search of Tomorrow
Character: Self - Interviewee
A nostalgic journey through ’80s Sci-Fi-films, exploring their impact and relevance today, told by the artists who made them and by those who were inspired to turn their visions into reality....
Making Magic: The Artistry of Karel Zeman
Character:
In this conversation, filmed by the Criterion Collection in 2019, animator and visual-effects supervisor Phil Tippett and visual-effects artist Jim Aupperle discuss their appreciation for director Karel Zeman and his cinematic techniques....
Empire at 40
Character: Self
A special livestream conversation with effects legends Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, and Lorne Peterson in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. ILM's VFX Supervisor Bill George will moderate the discussion....
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Character: Self
A documentary about the making of, and legacy of, the Forbidden Planet movie....
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Character: Self
Even the most devout Star Wars fan might not know that filmmaker and journalist Michel Parbot was once given unprecedented access to the set, stars, and filmmakers behind The Empire Strikes Back. The resulting work, The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, has apparently never been commercially released. Most of the footage has been lost, but 15 minutes has circulated online in recent years. Now, the 1 hour cut of Michel Parbot’s lost documentary has been found....
Worse Than the Demon
Character: himself
A short documentary following artist Phil Tippett, as he turns away from the commercial successes of Hollywood and delves into his 35-year-long passion project MAD GOD. Created as her undergrad thesis by Maya Tippett, the subject's daughter, the film chronicles Phil's journey as an artist as he commits himself to the subterranean stop-motion world of monsters, demons and mad scientists....
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Character: Self
The astonishing story of the genesis, production, worldwide success, and legacy of King Kong (1933), directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, a landmark of cinema, one of the most influential motion pictures in history....