Light & Magic TV Review

Plot: Granted unparalleled access, Academy Award^®-nominated filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan takes viewers on an adventure behind the curtains of Industrial Light & Magic, the special visual effects, animation and virtual production division of Lucasfilm. Learn what inspired some of the most legendary filmmakers in Hollywood history, and follow their stories from their earliest personal films to bringing George Lucas’ vision to life. 

Review: At Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim last month, I got the chance to witness a sneak peek at the new Disney+ documentary series Light & Magic with a crowd of adoring Star Wars fans. While many clips and stories were shared during the one-hour panel, it was during the press conference after that legends like Phill Tippett, Dennis Muren, and Joe Johnston shared rarely heard stories about the early days at Industrial Light and Magic. At the same time, Ron Howard lent his experiences with George Lucas’ iconic effects company to the mix. That rare experience of being in the room with these folks was a privilege and one that Lawrence Kasdan’s new documentary series manages to capture for everyone at home to enjoy.

Set over six hour-long episodes, Light & Magic is a love letter to the influence that ILM has had on the movie industry for over four decades. As George Lucas states at the start of the first episode, movies are special effects and this series spends a lot of time delving into how the artisans, craftspeople, and talent that Lucas assembled changed the face of the movie industry forever. While a Lucasfilm production (alongside Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment shingle), Light & Magic consists of an unprecedented amount of material either rarely or never seen by audiences. Lawrence Kasdan, best known for writing The Empire Strikes Back, uses his connections to everyone at ILM to share these tales that illuminate not just the creation of Star Wars but also how many movies today would not exist without this company.

As a life-long Star Wars fan and movie buff, I thought I knew a lot about Industrial Light & Magic going into this series. But, the way this documentary is presented allows newcomers to the behind-the-scenes of Star Wars and Lucasfilm and seasoned cinephiles to gain insights and learn new things about how ILM came to be. While there is a significant amount of time focused on Star Wars (two entire episodes are focused on the saga itself), Light & Magic also showcases how ILM has influenced everything from Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 to The Avengers. But, Kasdan also makes this series about the people who did the work as much as the work itself, opting for the dozens of people interviewed to tell this story instead of a traditional narrator.

Light & Magic presents the early days of ILM in a manner that feels much like a rock and roll documentary. Positing the various employees of Lucas’ brain trust as mavericks and underdogs, Light & Magic continually showcases a positive and inspiring tone that will make even the youngest viewer want to get out there and start making movies. In the early episodes, each of the various ILM veterans shares how they went from having childlike imagination and home movies to the most amazing big-screen work you can imagine and make it feel tangible that anyone can do it if they are given the opportunity. As the series progresses into more recent ILM achievements using computer-generated imagery, the future of ILM looks even more promising.

But, Light & Magic works best when it isn’t dissecting how a visual effect was created but rather how the colleagues and team members collaborated to turn an idea into reality. Industrial Light & Magic has transformed from a boy’s club to an industry standard and has innovated just as much behind the scenes from a business perspective. From Rose Duignan’s early work organizing ILM into a cohesive corporation to currently head honcho Lynwen Brennan, Kasdan’s documentary gives a spotlight on those whose pivotal roles at ILM went beyond crafting what we see on screen. The sheer number of directors and creative talents who talk about ILM’s legacy including Barry Jenkins, J.J. Abrams, James Cameron, and more make this documentary a slam dunk from the pedigree department.

It is impossible to find anything negative about Light & Magic other than that it isn’t going to be for everyone. Like Peter Jackson’s Get Back, Light & Magic will please Star Wars fans first, movie fans second, and everyone else third. With each episode clocking in close to sixty minutes, this is far from an exhaustive dive into ILM and leaves room for future chapters to dig into individual projects that are left somewhat superficial in this series. I am very happy that this series exists as all of those who joined George Lucas on his quest to a galaxy far, far away are approaching retirement age and may not be with us much longer but now this documentary can preserve the incredible work they gave the world forever.

Light & Magic premieres on July 27th on Disney+.

Light & Magic

AMAZING

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