For those who still can’t get enough of that galaxy far, far, away inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, Industrial Light and Magic has you covered. The special effects house released a four-minute video that serves as a small sample of theirVFXwork on this epic blockbuster. Hopefully this video will give fans a greater respect for the remarkable work done at ILM.
The video debuted on theIndustrial Light & MagicYouTube channel, showcasing how several key scenes were actually shot, before the VFX wizards atILMwent to work. Some of these scenes include our first introduction to Rey (Daisy Ridley), as she’s seen scavenging on Jakku. We also see how directorJ.J. Abramsused some sort of a car frame underneath Rey’s speeder as she takes off, and a glimpse at how Unkar Plutt’s (Simon Pegg) look was constructed.
We also see how footage from the now-iconicMillennium Falcondogfight scene was put together, along with General Hux’s (Domhnall Gleeson) speech on the massive Starkiller Base, Maz Kanata’s castle, an X-wing battle scene lead by Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and even the lightsaber duel between Rey and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). The video ends by showing how ILM created the water ripples caused by the Millennium Falcon before it lands on Ahch-To, Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) hidden Jedi refuge.
Many fans were surprised earlier this year whenStar Wars: The Force Awakensdidn’t win any Academy Awards after receiving fiveOscar nominations. The movie lost out toEx Machinafor best visual effects, but despite being shut out at the Oscars, it still won over the hearts of millions, while setting box office records to boot. The blockbuster shattered the domestic record set byAvatar($760.5 million) with $936.6 million, but its $2.06 billion worldwide tally is behind bothTitanic($2.1 billion) andAvatar($2.7 billion) on the all time charts.
The highly-anticipatedStar Wars 7follow-upStar Wars: Episode VIIIwrapped production back in July, with LucasFilm setting a July 20, 2025 release date. Fans will get to see the firstStar Warsspin-offRogue One: A Star Wars Story, in theaters December 16. Take a look at this VFX reel fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
