News Conventions & Events

Behold: A Conversation with Ben Burtt: Saturday 22nd April 2023

By Mark Newbold

April 17, 2023

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

Join the legendary Ben Burtt for a look at his incredible career in an event that takes place this coming Saturday 22nd April at the David Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles starting at 6.00pm and moderated by Midge Costin.

Join the Academy Museum for a special conversation with Academy Award–winner Ben Burtt as we revisit his legendary career. This program will explore Burtt’s early career, sound as an art form, and a behind-the-scenes look into the making of his installation Behold: Ben Burtt featured in the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Encounters gallery in the museum’s Stories of Cinema exhibition. The conversation will be moderated by filmmaker Midge Costin (Making Waves).

Ben Burtt
Ben Burtt has more than 45 years of experience as a writer, director, film editor, sound designer, and sound mixer.His work includes documentaries, network television movie specials, and educational, specialty, and feature films.

Burtt has a degree in Physics from Allegheny College and master’s degree from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.

Burtt received a Special Achievement Oscar for the creation of the alien, creature, and robot voices featured in Star Wars (1977) and for Sound Effects Editing for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); he won Oscars for Sound Effects Editing for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).He has also earned additional Oscar nominations for Return of the Jedi (1983), Willow (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), and WALL-E (2008).

Burtt is the voice of Pixar’s robot WALL-E and the source of Darth Vader’s breathing.

Also a film scholar, Burtt is a yearly presenter of programs for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with Craig Barron.

Most recently, Burtt created a special film called Behold which has a dedicated circular theater in the Academy Museum

Sale

Crimson Climb (Star Wars)

Crimson Climb (Star Wars)

Hardcover Book
Johnston, E.K. (Author)
English (Publication Language)
368 Pages - 10/10/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)

Tags
Ben Burtt

SourceAcademy Museum

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to Star Wars Insider, ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

- Advertisement -

Counting Down To:

December 2025

sat06dec11:00 AM4:00 PMFarthest From 27: Saturday 6th December 2025Star Wars collectors conventionThis event ends in..

sun07dec11:00 AM4:00 PMThank The Maker: Sunday 7th December 2025The Journey Behind The Star Wars StoriesThis event ends in..

March 2026

sat07mar10:00 AM3:00 PMEcho Base Live: Episode XVIII: 7th March 2026TIME UNTIL THE EVENT ENDS:

May 2026

fri22may12:01 AM11:59 PMThe Mandalorian & GroguThe Mandalorian & Grogu arrives

Event Details

The Mandalorian and Grogu, announced as The Mandalorian & Grogu, is a Star Wars movie that started production in 2024. Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, it takes place between the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, focuses on the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu, and will be a spinoff to the TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The film was announced on January 9 that year on StarWars.com with a conceptual sketch by veteran illustrator Ryan Church, along with an announcement of a second season of the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka. A fourth season of The Mandalorian is also still in development.

On May 7, 2019, Disney revealed their future movie release schedule, including a set of three untitled new Star Wars films, one of which had a scheduled release date of December 20, 2024. The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15. On July 23, 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to December 19, 2025. After the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Disney shifted their theatrical film release slate, with the film being pushed to its current release date of May 22, 2026. A film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy occupied this release slot until The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced.

Star Wars Insider 224 revealed the initial film logo was the same as the one for The Mandalorian Season Three. In August 2024, during D23 2024, it was revealed that the film had entered production, and a new logo was revealed, in addition to a teaser that was shown to the audience. In August 2024, Sigourney Weaver revealed that she had joined the cast of The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Alongside the release of the movie, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be updated to include a new mission featuring Djarin, Grogu, Tatooine, Endor and Cloud City, which takes place off camera from the film.

Time

May 22, 2026 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM(GMT+01:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

- Advertisement -

Join the legendary Ben Burtt for a look at his incredible career in an event that takes place this coming Saturday 22nd April at the David Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles starting at 6.00pm and moderated by Midge Costin.

Join the Academy Museum for a special conversation with Academy Award–winner Ben Burtt as we revisit his legendary career. This program will explore Burtt’s early career, sound as an art form, and a behind-the-scenes look into the making of his installation Behold: Ben Burtt featured in the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Encounters gallery in the museum’s Stories of Cinema exhibition. The conversation will be moderated by filmmaker Midge Costin (Making Waves).

Ben Burtt
Ben Burtt has more than 45 years of experience as a writer, director, film editor, sound designer, and sound mixer.His work includes documentaries, network television movie specials, and educational, specialty, and feature films.

Burtt has a degree in Physics from Allegheny College and master’s degree from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.

Burtt received a Special Achievement Oscar for the creation of the alien, creature, and robot voices featured in Star Wars (1977) and for Sound Effects Editing for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); he won Oscars for Sound Effects Editing for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).He has also earned additional Oscar nominations for Return of the Jedi (1983), Willow (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), and WALL-E (2008).

Burtt is the voice of Pixar’s robot WALL-E and the source of Darth Vader’s breathing.

Also a film scholar, Burtt is a yearly presenter of programs for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with Craig Barron.

Most recently, Burtt created a special film called Behold which has a dedicated circular theater in the Academy Museum

Sale

Crimson Climb (Star Wars)

Crimson Climb (Star Wars)

Hardcover Book
Johnston, E.K. (Author)
English (Publication Language)
368 Pages - 10/10/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)

Tags
Ben Burtt

SourceAcademy Museum

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to Star Wars Insider, ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

Previous article

Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Show Floor: Moby Fox

Next article

Behind the Scenes: Painting the Yoda Mythos Star Wars Statue