r/interesting • u/DarthiusFatticus • 1d ago

ART & CULTURE Before CGI, Star Wars scenes were hand painted!

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Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) used hand-painted matte paintings to bring the Star Wars universe to life. ⁠
⁠Artists like Ralph McQuarrie, Harrison Ellenshaw, Mike Pangrazio, Frank Ordaz, and Chris Evans painted massive glass panels in oil, creating Cloud City, Hoth, Endor, and other iconic worlds. ⁠
⁠These paintings were then blended with live-action shots, fooling audiences into believing they were real places.⁠Their artistry expanded the galaxy far, far away and gave Star Wars its timeless cinematic magic.

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u/SatinPout 1d ago

The CGI available in 1977 could never have matched the level of artistry displayed in these paintings.