AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE TAUNTAUN - PART THREE: STOP MOTION MAGIC!

Phil Tippett with one of his finest creations: the Tauntaun.

Its look crafted and approved, and with the full size reality version of the Tauntaun creature being built by Stuart Freeborn and his London team for filming during March and Summer 1979 on the other side of the Atlantic, pioneer Phil Tippett and ILM would handle the detailed and complex task of bringing the now cow/lizard-like hybrid to delightful and character-ful life in specific movement scenes to be achieved via the legendary Stop Motion Animation process often used by Ray Harryhausen in his classic monster movies, alongside a new process created for use on this film and beyond: Go Motion.

The Tauntaun stop motion frame, specially built for constant joint articulation.

Working on one of the models and its rider.

Storyboard of final Luke and Tauntaun designs.

The highly detailed Tauntaun and Luke models.

Early blue screen test - March 1979. Painted backdrops behind the models, moving on/across piano wire, would ultimately be the preferred choice for the stop motion animation process.

The skilful Stop Motion Animation process begins...

Han Solo and his Tauntaun travel across the Hoth landscape at ILM.

Close-up shot of articulate Han Solo on Tauntaun.

Go Motion technique for the scene where Han returns to the Rebel base hangar.

Tippett with Ken Ralston at ILM.

Han Solo's collapsed Tauntaun model.

ILM crew shirt worn during the effects filming.