Phil Tippett Studio Closes After 40 Years

Phil Tippett, the pioneering visual effects artist and animator, has shuttered his Berkeley, California-based studio after nearly four decades, concluding an era marked by iconic work on franchises like Star Wars and Jurassic Park. The closure was marked by a liquidation sale held from August 28 to 30, 2026, where hundreds of items from the studio's history were auctioned off to collectors and fans.

The sale, described as an "everything must go" event, featured 273 items including props, costumes, stop-motion models, production equipment, and signed memorabilia. Notable pieces included models used for the holographic chess sequence in the original Star Wars and an AT-AT Imperial Walker model from The Empire Strikes Back. Tippett, 74, confirmed he would retain his two Academy Awards, won for his work on Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park.

The closure follows Tippett Studio's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, after its acquisition by Indian visual effects company PhantomFX. In a statement released on social media, the company explained the decision to exit its longtime Berkeley facility, stating that maintaining a large permanent physical footprint is no longer necessary...