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Science
Jeff Spry

'Return of the Jedi' at 40: How 'Star Wars' legend Phil Tippett crafted special effects magic (exclusive)

Phil Tippett George Lucas Jabba Dennis Muren Joe Johnston
a man paints the face of a small monster puppet

Today marks the 40th birthday of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," the last film of the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Who better to help blow out the candles on this landmark occasion than the Oscar and Emmy Award-winning visual effects luminary who helped conjure the magic, Phil Tippett.

Starting in the nascent days of George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California with a rag-tag crew of geeky geniuses, Phil Tippett created a wealth of old-school "Star Wars" wizardry back in the mid-seventies alongside fellow filmmakers like Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Lorne Peterson, Ken Ralston, Stuart Freeborn, John Dykstra and many others.

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