ILM celebrate the Classes of 1988 and 1998

November 16, 2018

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While the busy world of Star Wars, and the wider family of LFL and ILM projects continues to grow and develop, we should always remember the sterling work conducted by those SPFX and VFX pioneers who thirty years ago were overseeing the shift from optical to digital, and a decade later were at the leading edge of the digital revolution.

This week saw ILM celebrate the class of 1988 and 1998, giving them their 20 and 30 year service awards. Fantha Tracks wish to send our own congratulations and thanks for the industry, the light and the magic.

This week we celebrated the Class of 1998 and 1988 with our 20 and 30-year Service Award recipients from Lucasfilm and ILM. Congratulations, everyone! (Photo by: Chris Hawkinson) pic.twitter.com/FBoGfpatFr

— ILM Visual Effects (@ILMVFX) November 16, 2018

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Mark Newbold

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 ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Star Wars Insider, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Starburst Magazine, 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.

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Counting Down To:

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)

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This week we celebrated the Class of 1998 and 1988 with our 20 and 30-year Service Award recipients from Lucasfilm and ILM. Congratulations, everyone! (Photo by: Chris Hawkinson) pic.twitter.com/FBoGfpatFr

— ILM Visual Effects (@ILMVFX) November 16, 2018