THE STORY OF ILM, TOLD BY LUCASFILM’S GREATEST INNOVATORS THEMSELVES
Established in 1975 to help George Lucas realize his bold vision for 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, Lucasfilm’s visual effects division Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has continued to make a lasting impact on modern filmmaking. As an original documentary series on Disney+, Light & Magic goes back to the beginning with those who were there to tell the story of how an intrepid group of mostly young film artists helped change cinema forever.
Renowned filmmaker and longtime Lucasfilm collaborator Lawrence Kasdan directed the series. “It was a wild place,” he would explain about the earliest days at ILM. “At first no one knew exactly how it was going to work. There was a lot of improvising. That led to a lot of communication…. When someone needed help, they would go to someone else and they would always try to help. For 40 to 50 years, it’s been that kind of environment where geniuses help geniuses.”
A co-production with Lucasfilm and Imagine Documentaries, Light & Magic was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Lawrence Kasdan, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Justin Wilkes, and Michelle Rejwan.
THE STORY
First established to create the groundbreaking visual effects for Star Wars: A New Hope, Industrial Light & Magic continues to leave its mark on the craft of filmmaking. The global organization of artists and technicians have developed a unique culture of innovation and collaboration, pioneering new technologies on hundreds of beloved films and series.
