Phil Tippett Closes Berkeley Studio After Nearly 40 Years

Key Points:

• Phil Tippett, Oscar-winning animator and effects pioneer, is closing his longtime Berkeley studio and holding a three-day liquidation sale of decades of props, models, artwork, equipment, and memorabilia.
• The sale includes iconic items such as models from Mad God, an artist-proof AT-AT from The Empire Strikes Back, Starship Troopers miniatures, and models from the original Star Wars Dejarik chess sequence, as well as studio infrastructure like 3D printers and lighting equipment.
• Tippett Studio, founded in 1984 by Phil Tippett and his wife Jules Roman, played a crucial role in visual effects history, notably adapting stop-motion techniques for Jurassic Park’s groundbreaking CG dinosaurs and contributing to films like Starship Troopers, The Matrix, and Hellboy.
• Despite the Berkeley facility closing, the Tippett Studio name continues under new ownership after its acquisition by Indian VFX company PhantomFX, which completed the purchase in 2025 following bankruptcy reorganization.
• Tippett, 74, retains his Oscars and shows no signs of retiring soon, expressing a continued passion for his craft despite the end of the historic Berkeley workshop.