Even if you don’t know who Phil Tippet is, you definitely know his work. The stop motion chess creatures in Star Wars EPIV: A New Hope? He did that. The ED-209 in Robocop? Tippet Studios. Willow, Dragonslayer, Star Wars EPV: The Empire Strikes Back? More Tippet. He even navigated the transition into computer animation, and supervised effects work for Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers.

Phil Tippet’s MAD GOD came to our attention almost a year ago, while it was playing the festival circuit and looking for a distributor. We knew it was the kind of niche film that wasn’t likely to get a theatrical release.

But here we are. MAD GOD opens Friday (6/17), and we’re stoked. So much so that we’re going to play MAD GOD alongside a selection of films celebrating the increasingly obscure art of practical animation, including a few earlier works from Tippet himself.

MAD GOD

MAD GOD is a fully practical animated film 30-years in the making. It’s a nightmare world on the edge of apocalypse, populated by monsters locked in perpetual war. It’s nearly free of dialogue, lacks conventional plotting, and it’s brilliant.

Instead of rambling on about MAD GOD’s creation, I’m going to point you towards their official site. It has a great writeup about the films long journey to release.

MAD GOD plays June 17-23.

Piranha (1978)

We’ll kick things off with one of Tippets first film credits (sorry Crater Lake Monster fans, we’re going to skip that one). Piranha is a shameless Jaws knockoff, but thanks to some serious talent, it’s also a ridiculously fun creature feature. Directed by Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), written by John Sayles (Lone Star, Eight Men Out), with make-up effect by Rob Bottin (Total Recall, The Thing), and creature animation by Phil Tippet.

Piranha plays Friday (6/17) at 9:00.

The Dark Crystal

Directors Frank Oz and Jim Henson used a different kind of animation to craft the surreal dark-fantasy world of The Dark Crystal. Created using a mind-boggling number of puppets and animatronics, operated by a small army of puppeteers The Dark Crystal is still a one-of-a-kind film, even 40 years after release.

The Dark Crystal plays Saturday (6/18) at 4:30.

RoboCop

Released in 1987, RoboCop was a standout picture for the newly formed Tippet Studios, who handled the stop motion animation of the iconic ED-209 sequences. It also marked the first of collaboration between Phil Tippet and director Paul Verhoeven, who would re-team a decade later another ultra-violent sci-fi satire, Starship Troopers.

RoboCop plays Friday (6/18) at 9:00.

Corpse Bride

As stop motion gave way to computer effects, Tim Burton continued to produce nearly CG-free films like Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Though it was a commercial and critical success, Corpse Bride faded from pop culture over the years, and that’s a shame. It’s a charming musical with stellar animation, and surprising emotional heft. It also marks one of the first credits for Portland’s own Laika Studios, who were contracted to work on the film.

Corpse Bride plays Sunday (6/19) at 2:30

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Ray Harryhausen is an anomaly: a special effects artist with a distinct style, who became a household name. His work, including the Sinbad series and Jason and the Argonauts, merged stop motion and live action with astonishing care and precision. Thanks to its wealth of fantastic creatures, Clash of the Titans is an excellent showcase for Harryhausen’s talent.

Clash of the Titans plays Sunday (6/19) at 4:30.

MAD GOD and freinds