Industrial Light & Magic

50 Years of Innovation

Ian Failes

$110

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Abrams
15 January 2026

Film, TV & Radio; Individual film directors, film-makers; Animated movies & films; Film movie production: technical skills; Popular culture; Media

A celebration of the first 50 years of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the award-winning visual effects house behind the Star Wars saga, Indiana Jones, E.T., Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park

Industrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of Innovation is the official decade-by-decade visual retrospective of the legendary visual effects house. Founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas in 1975, ILM has won 16 Academy Awards in Best Visual Effects and pushed the boundaries of what can be visually realized in storytelling, from the big screen to emerging technologies such as streaming television, 3D immersive adventures, and more. Breaking down ILM’s evolution in visual effects decade-by-decade, 50 Years of Innovation features stunning visuals and analysis of the creative and technical processes from concept to execution, and highlights 50 of their key projects that have helped shape the visual effects industry. Concluding with a look at both the future of ILM and the visual effects industry at large, the key creative forces at ILM speculate about what the next 50 years may have in store for the innovators that transformed entertainment forever.

By: Ian Failes
Imprint: Abrams
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 273mm, Width: 286mm,
ISBN: 9781419784019
ISBN 10: 1419784013
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 15 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ian Failes is a Sydney-based journalist focusing on visual effects and animation. He writes for several industry publications, including Cartoon Brew, VFX Voice, 3D Artist, and 3D World, and is the editor and founder of VFX animation publication befores & afters. Failes has authored Masters of FX, a profile of 16 of the world’s leading special and visual effects supervisors. He holds the world’s largest collection of memorabilia from the film Speed.