Last month it was revealed that Encore would be airing a documentary about Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company which has been around for thirty-five years now, after being started by George Lucas to create effects for Star Wars.
The documentary is directed by Leslie Iwerks, the filmmaker who made The Pixar Story (an awesome documentary in its own right). Both of these films were shot/produced in cooperation with the respective companies involved, which is both good and bad — yes, they are given unprecedented access to the company and people involved, but at the same time the documentary might avoid controversial bits and tell the glossier publicized history of the company. That said, I’m still very excited to see the film.
Tom Cruise narrates the doc, which also featurse interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau as well as many other producers and actors. Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible airs November 12th on Encore. Hit the jump to watch the new trailer for the film.
Posted on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 by Russ Fischer
I doubt I need to tell you much about Industrial Light & Magic, at least with respect to the basics. The venerable effects company has been around for thirty-five years now, after being started by George Lucas to create effects for Star Wars. The company quickly became the premiere effects company in the world, and has set the standard for the transition from practical to digital effects, and every manner of blending the two.
Now there is to be a documentary about the company, directed by Leslie Iwerks, the filmmaker who made The Pixar Story. Tom Cruise narrates the doc, which will also feature interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau as well as producers and actors. (What, was James Cameron busy?) No word on whether this will be a broad, glossy overview or a nuts and bolts history lesson. I’d expect the former, but maybe we’ll get lucky.
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible airs November 14th on Encore. The full press release is after the break. Read More »
I’m a huge Pixar fanatic, if you couldn’t tell from our extensive coverage to their upcoming film WALL-E. A few months ago we featured the book To Infinity and Beyond! The Story of Pixar Animation Studios in our Cool Stuff feature. But what many people don’t know is the book is actually based on interviews and research by Leslie Iwerks, who has compiled everything into an 87 minute documentary. The Pixar Story has played at numerous film festivals, and will be premiere on STARZ movie channel on April 22nd at 10:00pm eastern time. The film’s trailer is now online, watch it below.
