4 Years Ago, 'Star Wars' Animator Released a 92%-Rated Sci-Fi Horror That Changed the Genre

Phil Tippett is a director, visual effects supervisor, and animator, as well as one of the most outstanding masters of the genre. For much of his life, he worked as a special effects creator, designing incredibly accurate physical effects.

He was responsible for the special effects and animation in many of your favorite films, including The Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, RoboCop, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

However, Tippett was always drawn to stop-motion animation. In 2021, he finally released his dream project, Mad God, which he had been working on for more than 30 years.

What Is 'Mad God' About?

It is a world full of hellish nightmares. The most unimaginable creatures live in it, destroying and devouring each other while agonizing every second of their existence.

A man is immersed deeper and deeper into this world. At first, he appears only as a witness to horrific scenes. Then, he becomes a participant in the insane destruction of universes.

Phil Tippett Had Been Working on 'Mad God' Since 1987

Technically, work on Mad God began in 1987 when digital animation was already well-known, but practical effects were still used in cinema.

However, the concept of the film was too bold for that time, requiring substantial investment. The problem of financing independent projects has not gone away, even in the 2010s. However, new methods of solving this problem have emerged, such as crowdfunding.

Although work on the project never stopped, it was not until 2012 that Tippett's studio raised funds for it through Kickstarter – exceeding the original goal of $40,000 by threefold.

'Mad God' Is One of the Most Impressive Achievements in the History of Stop-Motion Animation

Mad God looks just fantastic and the level of detail is stunning. There is nothing simple about the background or scenery. In addition to the characters, something is constantly moving in the frame, even if it is barely noticeable.

Against the backdrop of terrifying settings, you can see rusty, wobbly pipes and little monsters that appear on the screen for only a couple of seconds.

Tippett's vision is not Lovecraftian, but it's quite similar – his monsters are so terrible that they're almost impossible to describe.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Mad God'?

Paste critic Dom Sinacola gave Mad God nine out of ten stars, saying:

“Maybe it's easy to romanticize a stop-motion animator [...] in an era that's long obsolesced any practice but CGI, but Tippett's brought a whole medium back screaming from a nightmare into the light.”

• Mad God has 92% from critics and 68% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the animation has a score of 6.8/10.

Where to Watch 'Mad God'?

Mad God is available to stream on Shudder.