Get to know the passion and process behind one of Hollywood’s stop-motion masters

By Randall Colburn  |  May 18, 2017 | 3:49pm
Aux Features Film
Get to know the passion and process behind one of Hollywood’s stop-motion masters
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A few years ago, we had the pleasure of hearing stop-motion guru Phil Tippett talk about the creation of RoboCop 2’s cyber drug lord Cain. Now, a new video from Great Big Story showcases his greatest passion: a full-length, stop-motion film called Mad God. A dark, twisted fantasia featuring gnarled creatures and cities made of iron ingot, the personal project is a “form of therapy” for Tippett, who has found the modern studio system ”very limiting” in terms of his favored process.

Part of Great Big Story’s Human Condition series, the video offers insight into Tippett’s history—he had a hand in creating the stop motion effects for both Star Wars and Jurassic Park—and his process, which should prove fascinating to anyone interested in analog special effects.

More than anything, however, it should make you amped to watch his magnum opus. The glimpses we get of it are strikingly detailed and suffused with an eerie, evocative tone. Thankfully, the first two parts on available on the movie’s website, with a third part on the way (donate to its Kickstarter here). Watch the teaser trailer below, then ask yourself why he and Tim Burton never collaborated.

 
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