Phil Tippett Closes Berkeley Studio After Nearly 40 Years

The Berkeley Liquidation Sale and 40-Year Workshop Closure

Fans, collectors, and former employees formed long lines outside the 914 Grayson Street warehouse in Berkeley, California, hoping to secure a tangible piece of cinematic history as reported by CBS News. The three-day liquidation event emptied the facility of stop-motion and motion-capture equipment, machine shop equipment, production documents, and hundreds of physical models spanning a storied four-decade run . Managed by Clarity Estate Liquidation, the auction featured items ranging from signed promotional materials and storyboards to costumes and working studio infrastructure such as 3D printers and welding gear according to Cartoon Brew.

Among those attending the sale was Kevin K., who worked at the studio around 1989 and helped construct props for Jurassic Park, including the film’s iconic vehicles. Berkeley resident Michael Wong also joined the crowd, successfully acquiring vintage movie posters from the studio’s extensive archive noted CBS News. While the physical workshop has shut its doors, the 74-year-old animator made it clear that his two Academy Awards—won for his groundbreaking contributions to Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park—are staying with him.

Reflecting on parting with the rest of the collection, Tippett admitted I’d get a little twinge of regrets sometimes, adding that he lacks space to store the work and prefers not to keep professional production items inside his home.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and the PhantomFX Acquisition

The closure of the physical workshop marks the end of an era shaped by financial pressures and industry-wide shifts. A reorganization plan was confirmed in April 2025.

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The financial restructuring followed an acquisition by Indian visual effects company PhantomFX, which entered an agreement in 2024 to sell a majority stake acquired a majority stake in an effort to expand international operations as detailed by Cartoon Brew. Despite the acquisition, the financial collapse proceeded.

Technical Legacy From Go-Motion to Digital Puppets

Co-founded in Berkeley in 1984 by Phil Tippett and his wife, producer Jules Roman, the studio became synonymous with the evolution of physical and digital visual effects. Early in his career, Tippett helped build props and models for the original Star Wars trilogy, including crafting models for the Dejarik holographic chess sequence reported Cartoon Brew and developing go-motion—an evolution of stop-motion integrating motion blur—to animate AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back and the dragon in Dragonslayer.

During the production of Jurassic Park, Tippett and his team helped bridge the physical and digital eras by translating stop-motion knowledge and physical instincts into the emerging art form of CG animation according to Hoodline. The studio later worked on Paul Verhoeven’s film Starship Troopers noted Hoodline. Over the decades, the company’s credits expanded to include the RoboCop trilogy, The Matrix films, Hellboy, and the Twilight franchise, alongside Tippett’s decades-in-the-making independent stop-motion project Mad God, which debuted in 2021 according to Culture.

Toronto Operations and Future Productions

Although the Berkeley workshop has closed, Gizmodo reported that Tippett Studio clarified its operational status, emphasizing that its Toronto office remains open and active.

“We have recently decided to evolve our physical footprint and production approach, and to exit our longtime Berkeley facility. As we make this transition, Tippett Studio continues its visual effects and animation work across film, television and entertainment.”

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Tippett Studio, Official Statement via Social Media

The company noted that while stop-motion remains an integral part of its creative capabilities, maintaining a large permanent physical space is no longer required for its daily workflow reported Gizmodo. When future projects demand dedicated stages, motion-control photography, or specialized fabrication infrastructure, the studio intends to collaborate with external facilities according to TheWrap.

Addressing his personal future following the studio’s reorganization and sale, Tippett dismissed the notion of stepping away from the craft I will die with my sword in my hand, he told CBS News, reflecting on a nearly 40-year run that reshaped how fantastic creatures come to life on screen reported CBS News.