Shudder, AMC Network’s premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, 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, Jurassic Park, Robocop, Starship Troopers and many more. Mad God, will stream exclusively on Shudder beginning 16 June and is set to be accompanied by a limited theatrical release.
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.
“In short, Phil Tippett is a genius, and there’s no better home for him and his visionary mind than Shudder. We’re proud to bring this sure-to-be timeless film to our members,” said Shudder GM Craig Engler.
“It’s been over 30 years, but thanks to the team at Tippett Studio we finally made the dream a reality. I’m proud to partner with Shudder on the release of Mad God and it’s an honour that my original vision can now be shared with audiences across the country,” said Phil Tippett.
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, in addition to souvenirs from the making of each chapter.
Tippett Studio’s recent projects include The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian season two on Disney+, Locke and Key season two on Netflix, and Marvel Studio’s Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Tippett Studio has recently moved into content production for themed entertainment and partnering with international brands in addition to their leading role as one of the industry’s post production houses.
The deal was brokered by Emily Gotto on behalf of Shudder and by Peter Kaufman of Kaufman Abdel-Aal LLP on behalf of Tippett Studio.