Special effects pioneer Phil Tippett has shuttered his Berkeley-based studio after four decades of operations, auctioning off years of movie memorabilia from his beloved, innovative work on classic titles like “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park,” “RoboCop” and “Starship Troopers.”
The liquidation sale, which ran from Aug. 28 – 30, drew collectors and fans to Tippett’s warehouse, looking to walk away with props, costumes, stop-motion models, production equipment, cameras, effects gear, prototypes, signed promotional material and other effects items. Some notable items up for sale included models used for the stop-motion Holochess sequence in “Star Wars” and an AT-AT Imperial Walker model from “The Empire Strikes Back,” created when Tippett served as the head of animation at Industrial Light and Magic.
While Tippett Studios is folding in this location, the company released a statement on social media Sunday to assert that its Toronto-based studio remains “in active production on a large feature film.”
“We have recently decided to evolve our physical footprint and production approach, and to exit our longtime Berkeley facility. As we make this transition, Tippett Studio continues its visual effects and animation work across film, television and entertainment,” reads the post. “Stop-motion remains an important part of our creative capabilities, but maintaining a large permanent physical footprint is no longer necessary for our current requirements. When projects require dedicated stages, fabrication, motion-control photography or other specialised physical infrastructure, we will work with appropriate external facilities to meet the needs of each production. As we move forward, we remain focused on the work ahead, continuing to collaborate with our clients, creative partners and artists on current and upcoming productions.”
Speaking to local outlet Berkeleyside ahead of the auction, the 74-year-old Tippett said that he would be keeping his two visual effects Oscars, which he won for his work on “Return of the Jedi” and “Jurassic Park.” He also shared that he has “made a lot of painful decisions” with his business over the years, as practical effects work has become increasingly outmoded in film production.
The auction comes after Tippett Studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, following an acquisition by Indian company PhantomFX.
Despite the sale, Tippett says that he doesn’t intend to retire, telling CBS News that “I will die with my sword in my hand … We had almost a 40-year run. It was a good run.”
This year, Tippett contributed to the realization of a battle sequence in the “Star Wars” feature “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” In 2021, Shudder released his long-gestating passion project “Mad God,” a stop-motion silent film about a masked figure traversing rings of the underworld.
