Horror streaming service Shudder has announced that it has acquired the critically acclaimed film “Mad God,” directed by two-time Academy Award winning artist, animator, and filmmaker Phil Tippett, whose VFX work can be seen in legendary films such as “Star Wars,” Jurrasic Park,” “Robocop,” “Starship Troopers,” and many more. The film, which recently world premiered to rave reviews at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival and was showcased at Edinburgh International Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, and Sitges Film Festival, among others, is an experimental animated project that is 30 years in the making. “Mad God” will stream exclusively on Shudder beginning June 16 and is set to be accompanied by a limited theatrical release.
“It’s been over 30 years, but thanks to the team at Tippett Studio we finally made the dream a reality,” said Tippett. “I’m proud to partner with Shudder on the release of Mad God, and it’s an honor that my original vision can now be shared with audiences across the country.”
Tippett was inspired to create “Mad God” during a lull in his schedule following “Robocop 2.” After sketching and designing a few creatures and sets, he and his stage and stop motion team at Tippett Studio shot the first few scenes of “Mad God,” then suspended work on the project to focus on creating the groundbreaking effects for “Jurassic Park.” Some 20 years later, several of Tippett’s key artists and supervisors stumbled across original puppets and sets from those early shots. Revisiting the original footage and models, this new generation of artists, trained primarily on computers, longed to learn from Tippett and assist as he revived his long-since abandoned film. Together with a volunteer crew, Tippett taught a new generation of artists and craftspeople as they brought his labor of love to life. In 2020, while the world sheltered through a global pandemic, Tippett completed the final scenes.
Partially funded by legions of backers on Kickstarter, the first few parts of the film were made over months and years supported by the crowdfunding platform. In exchange, backers were granted early access to the footage and souvenirs from the making of each chapter.
Recent Tippett Studio projects include “The Book of Boba Fett” and “The Mandalorian” Season 2 on Disney+, “Locke and Key” Season 2 on Netflix, and Marvel Studios’ “Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Tippett Studio has recently moved into content production for themed entertainment and partnering with international brands, in addition to being one of the industry’s leading post production houses.
