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2mo ago

Tippett Studio Exits Berkeley and Sells Decades of Props

The weekend liquidation caps a multi-year financial decline and moves the company to center work in Toronto while contracting outside vendors for specialized practical effects.

Stop motion pioneer Phil Tippett at his studio in Berkeley, California, on May 6, 2016. The Berkeley visual-effects studio founded by the Oscar-winning Tippett has left its longtime facility after more than four decades.
Phil Tippett works on a snow walker puppet for the 1980 movie “The Empire Strikes Back.” The Berkeley visual-effects studio founded by the Oscar-winning Tippett has left its longtime facility after more than four decades.
Phil Tippett, left, and Jon Berg work on the snow walker puppets for the planet Hoth battle scene in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
© IMDB

Overview

  • Tippett Studio closed its longtime Berkeley facility and held a public liquidation sale of models, props and equipment over the weekend (Aug. 28–30, 2026).
  • The company issued a statement saying it will continue visual effects and animation work and that its Toronto studio is currently in active production on a large feature film.
  • The closure follows a 2024 Chapter 11 filing after a majority stake was sold to PhantomFX and the acquisition was completed through a court-confirmed reorganization in July 2025.
  • Auctioned material included rare Star Wars items — such as Dejarik pieces and an AT-AT artist proof — raising questions about preservation of the studio's archive as pieces move into private collections.
  • Phil Tippett, who co-founded the studio in 1984, says he is not retiring and the downsizing reflects broader industry shifts toward digital workflows, consolidation and the lure of production tax incentives that have reduced demand for large permanent practical-effects shops.