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PHIL TIPPETT (Robot Animation Supervisor) long recognized for his extraordinary design and execution of some of the most memorable creatures in recent film history, achieved new heights with his work on Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Tippett’s more noteworthy creations were the awe-inspiring Tyrannosaurus Rex and the terrifying Velociraptors for which he was awarded an OscarÒ
for Best Visual Effects. Most recently, Tippett was nominated for an Academy AwardÒ
for his work on Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. Inspired by the work of Ray Harryhausen, Tippett was a self taught filmmaker by the age of 13 and became a professional animator of television commercials by the time he was 17. While attending the University of California at Irvine, Tippett was introduced to a group of nascent visual effects artists including Dennis Muren who recommended Tippett to the production team on George Lucas’ Star Wars. Having animated the miniature chess match and creating space denziens for Star Wars, Tippett next worked on its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back for which he created the "Imperial Walkers" and the hybrid animals named "Tauntauns." By 1983, Tippett was the head of Lucasfilm’s creature shop, designing, developing and constructing the aliens for Return of the Jedi. For his latest effort Tippett was awarded an Academy AwardÒ
for Best Visual Effects. Tippett was also nominated for Academy AwardsÒ
for Dragonslayer and Willow. His other film credits include Robocop, Howard the Duck, The Golden Child, Ghostbusters II, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Coneheads and Three Wishes. Tippet is currently in production on Jon De Bont’s Haunting of Hill House for Dreamworks. |
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