Lucasfilm are in the midst of a number of celebrations (not counting Star Wars Celebration), and as we approach the 50th anniversary of the saga, we’re also only just past the 50th anniversary of Industrial Light & Magic, and here, key ILM creatives take a look at how the galaxy’s most famous visual effects company changed the world of cinema.
ILM’s SVP and general manager Janet Lewin is joined by ILM executive creative director John Knoll and Lucasfilm’s SVP and executive design director Doug Chiang. “George Lucas – he brought together artists who invented a new way of working and changed the landscape of filmmaking forever,” Lewin reflects.
“ILM, from its very inception,” adds Knoll, “had created a wonderful atmosphere of collaboration, openness, innovation, and high art.”
The video showcases a number of landmark ILM productions now available to watch on Disney+, from classic Lucasfilm stories like Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and The Mandalorian (2019-23) to James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) and Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006). Each were innovative milestones in their own time and remain lasting examples of ILM’s legacy.