The trailer for effects legend Phil Tippett’s stop-motion epic Mad God is in a class all its own
After 30 years, the effects wizard behind Jurassic Park and Star Wars has finished his masterpiece
Film News Phil Tippett
Throughout his career, Phil Tippett, the Oscar-winning stop-motion animation maestro behind Return Of The Jedi and Jurassic Park, has created some of the most memorable and influential effects in movie history. He designed sequences for Paul Verhoeven on Starship Troopers and RoboCop, Industrial Light and Magic on the original Star Wars trilogy, Howard The Duck, and Willow, and even The Twilight Saga. During that time, though, he’s been laboring away on his stop-motion masterwork: Mad God.
30 years in the making, Mad God is finally coming out, and it looks like it was worth the wait. The movie premieres at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland next month, but the trailer for Mad God gives a taste of what’s in store. While we know very little about the plot—the trailer is a montage of nightmarish images occasionally reminiscent of the Quay brothers—the festival website dishes a little more information.
Mad God is an experimental animated film set in a world of monsters, mad scientists and war pigs. A corroded diving bell descends amidst a ruined city and the Assassin emerges from it to explore a labyrinth of bizarre landscapes inhabited by freakish denizens. This unique labour of love combines many innovative animation techniques and has taken Phil Tippett 30 years to complete.
Mad God looks like a labor of love that makes other labors of love look pathetic, a stop-motion nightmare unlike anything else in theaters today. And he’s got some major champions in his corner, too, including Kathleen Kennedy and Guillermo del Toro. So if you’re the type of person that’s tired of the big interlocking franchises that go down smooth but leave you feeling hungry, this is for you. With visuals unlike anything else on screens and a legendary craftsman at the helm, you owe it to yourself to seek out Mad God.
[via Little White Lies]
38 Comments
Never forget.
This is why he was demoted to consultant on later films.
Alternately, he accomplished his intended goal remarkably well.
Most polished Tool video yet?
What a bunch of idiots. They act like they don’t know it’s a movie.
Those raptors were trained and just acting, nobody actually died. They just did what they were trained to do to LOOK menacing.
In the “Jurassic Park” episode of “The Movies That Made Us,” Phil Tippett just seemed very, very sad.
The guy’s art form more or less vanished over a few years in the mid 90s. That’s got to do something to your head.
Hey, I get it. You can watch him relive the moments in the doc where he watches his entire life’s work evaporate before his eyes.
Couldn’t be prouder to have donated to this Kickstarter. Dude is an absolute legend and the film title should be applied to the man himself.
I’m kinda the opposite. I feel a bit embarrassed that I donated so much money for the first Kickstarter back in 2013. He was promising Blu Rays of the final film and everything and I don’t remember getting anything but a postcard or two.
He has had two more Kickstarters since and has made of $200k. If he doesn’t just make this free to watch on Youtube or some place, I think I’m gonna be pissed. I just don’t think it would be right for him to rake in so much free money from fans like us and then charge us again to watch it.
Huh. You might want to email them. I’m pretty sure I got a DVD (or Blu-ray) at some point.
Thanks. I will. What was on it? I mean they had only completed 12 minutes of it when they launched their 2nd kickstarter. Was it just 12 minutes of footage on the DVD?
You know what, I lied. I opted for the digital download. So I didn’t actually get a disc. But I am pretty sure they produced them at some point.
The Museum of Modern Art did a talk with Phil Tippett back in 2018 that included rare production footage of Starship Troopers and the premiere of a Mad God work print. Needless to say, it was epic across the board.
As much as I loved Kubo and the Two Strings, it does feel like Laika is polishing their stop-motion animation to such a bright sheen that it looks more like CGI.This is resolutely, defiantly stop-motion animation. And even though there were a couple of shots that, um, to crib from Ebert, made me squeam, I’m very much looking forward to it.
I agree. I love Laika, but Missing Link was definitely getting too polished visually (not in story, though it was better than the reputation and I still enjoyed it.)
Missing Link is a step down from Laika’s peak, but it’s still a fun romp. (All it took for Laika to make a more light-hearted movie was to have adults, not kid(s), as the lead(s). Of course.)
I’m going to eat an entire bag of weed gummies and watch this. Then I’m going to have a panic attack and it’ll be a whole experience. Excited!
The trailer looks ok, but the stop-motion in The Nightmare Before Christmas is unmatched, imo. If you ever chance upon the DVD, the added features include some equally impressive commentaries and a mini-doc on how the creators make the magic happen.
Is this a new Tool video?
When a problem comes along
You must Tippett
Before the cream sits out too long
You must Tippett
When something’s going wrong
You must TippettTippet good!
Now Tippett
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It’s not too late
To TippettTippett good!
Oh Tippett you’re so fine
you’re so fine you blow my mind
Hey Tippett!
Hey Tippett!nailed it
She’s got a Tippett to rideShe’s got a Tippett to ri-i-ideShe’s got a Tippett to rideBut she don’t care!
Tippett up, Tippett up, oh-oh-ohh (It’s only right now)
Tippett up, Tippett up, oh-oh-ohh (Woo yeah)
Tippett up, Tippett up, oh-oh-ohh (Come on, come on)
Tippett up, Tippett up, oh-oh-ohh (Come on)
I’ve got two Tippetts to paradiseWon’t you pack your bags, we’ll leave tonightI’ve got two Tippetts to paradiseI’ve got two Tippetts to PARADIIIIISE!
isn’t this the intro of crashbox?
This looks a little bit gory for my tastes, but maybe I’ll catch it some day.
Oh my god.
And he’s got some major champions in his corner, too, including Kathleen Kennedy…Does this mean that the internet will automatically hate this?
Well this looks fucking rad.That imagery and atmosphere would be compelling enough even if it wasn’t stop-motion.
What the fuck did I just watch?
I’m guessing the full movie is that, only for 90 minutes.
I got to see the whole thing at a test screening and you’re basically right.
Is there any noteworthy plot or characters to it, then? Or is it just a walk through some incredibly animated visual nightmare fuel?
There is a narrative thread, basically a journey towards light, but it jumps from one character to another.
I dunno, I think Ben Wyatt’s got him beat!
Hopefully this will all end better than the other magnificent one-man cinematic obsession project, Richard Williams’ The Thief And The Cobbler….