Be among the first in the world to get a sneak peek at the recently announced Disney+ documentary series “Light & Magic.” Join us for an “illuminating” discussion panel featuring Lawrence Kasdan and Ron Howard, joined by VFX titans Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Joe Johnston and Rose Duignan, and Lynwen Brennan, Lucasfilm executive vice president and general manager.

Panel Recap

The Light & Magic panel introduced the Disney+ documentary series about the history and legacy of Industrial Light & Magic. The session featured executive producer Ron Howard with ILM veterans Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Joe Johnston, Rose Duignan, and Lucasfilm executive Lynwen Brennan. ABC’s Chris Connelly moderated, while director Lawrence Kasdan appeared virtually.

The panel mixed clips from the documentary with firsthand stories from ILM’s early years. The speakers discussed how the original Star Wars visual effects team worked without a template, how experimental the early ILM culture could be, and how the documentary focused on the artists, personalities, experiments, failures, and breakthroughs behind the work.

Joe Johnston discussed design influences behind classic Star Wars ships, including the Millennium Falcon. Phil Tippett and Rose Duignan shared stories about creature work, character names, and the informal atmosphere around early ILM. Lynwen Brennan connected that history to ILM’s modern culture, emphasizing the continuity of collaboration and experimentation across the company’s history.