Phil Tippett’s ‘Mad God’ Becomes the Most-Watched Shudder Premiere of 2022

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The hope of every creative mind out there in Hollywood… is that their work will be seen. Because every movie and show produced, is in fact, a labor of love on some level. One that is often personal in some regard to the person that created. So, to have it seen by the masses, is the satisfying endgame that brings peace and serenity to those involved and well, that’s important to mention today, simply because… a lifelong dream for Oscar-Winner Phil Tippett was realized in the most epic manner recently.

For Phil spent thirty years designing the horror motion picture, Mad God, and recently… Shudder acquired the rights to that film and released its majesty (our review here) for all the world to see. But something amazing happened shortly after its release. In that, not only was Phil’s work seen by horror fans… but it was apparently seen by all of them. For earlier today, Shudder announced that Mad Dog has become the network’s most-watched premiere of 2022, and here are some more details on this momentous achievement, courtesy of Shudder.

‘Mad God, the epic stop-motion masterpiece that Phil Tippett spent the last 30 years making, debuted June 16 and quickly became Shudder’s most-watched movie premiere of 2022. The film’s huge premiere comes a week after Mad God’s highly successful theatrical release from IFC Midnight in New York and Los Angeles, coinciding with its expansion to an additional 24 screens across North America. Mad God has been a hit with critics too, hailed as one of the best  horror movies of the year and already Certified Fresh® at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Shudder is a perfect partner for me and Mad God. It’s amazing to see the range of reactions from viewers to this movie that has lived in my head for 3 decades. From “what the hell was that?” to “that was the best movie I’ve seen in my entire life,” said Phil Tippett.  
“Phil Tippett is a towering figure in the animation and visual FX industry, and Mad God is the ultimate, purest expression of his visionary genius. Shudder is honored to be the exclusive home for his cinematic masterpiece, and we’re delighted to see Mad God enthusiastically embraced by our members,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler.

Two-time Academy Award® winning artist, animator and filmmaker Tippett, whose VFX work can be seen in legendary films such as STAR WARS, JURASSIC PARK, ROBOCOP, STARSHIP TROOPERS and many more, was inspired to create MAD GOD during a lull in his schedule following ROBOCOP 2. After sketching and designing a few creatures and sets, he and his stage and stop motion team at Tippett Studio shot the first few scenes of MAD GOD, then suspended work on the project to focus on creating the groundbreaking effects for JURASSIC PARK. Some 20 years later, several of Tippett’s key artists and supervisors stumbled across original puppets and sets from those early shots.  Revisiting the original footage and models, this new generation of artists, trained primarily on computers, longed to learn from Tippett and assist as he revived his long-since abandoned film. Together with a volunteer crew, Tippett taught a new generation of artists and craftspeople as they brought his labor of love to life. In 2020, while the world sheltered through a global pandemic, Tippett completed the final scenes. Mad God world premiered to rave reviews at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival and was showcased at Edinburgh International Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival and Sitges Film Festival, among others.

Mad God is a Tippet Studio production, produced, created and directed by Phil Tippett, co-produced by Jack Morrissey, and executive produced by Dave Berry, Jules Roman, Sanjay Das, Gary Mundell, Lisa Cooke, Colin Geddes, Katarina Gligorijevic, and Josh Sobel.

About Tippett Studio
Tippett Studio is a premier, full-service, animation and visual effects production company helmed by two-time Oscar and Emmy award winner Phil Tippett, and staffed by designers, supervisors, animators and producers dedicated to delivering premium visual effects at a competitive price. From hands-on stop-motion animation to bleeding edge computer graphics, our Berkeley, California studio services clients from around the world, and has a reputation for excellence and customer satisfaction.  Recent Tippett Studio projects include THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT and THE MANDALORIAN Season 2 on Disney Plus, LOCKE AND KEY Season 2 on Netflix, and Marvel Studio’s FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER.  Projects currently in production include THE ORVILLE Season 3, BLACK ADAM and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH on Showtime. Tippett recently announced the launch of Tippett Canada, a fully functioning post-production studio that will be servicing clients including Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney, Showtime, Legendary, and New Line including THE TOXIC AVENGER.

About Shudder
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.’

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