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Light & Magic (TV series)

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Light & Magic
GenreDocuseries
Directed byLawrence Kasdan
Music byJames Newton Howard
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
Cinematography
  • Nicola Marsh
  • Emily Topper
Editors
  • Mike Long
  • Jonah Moran
  • Anoosh Tertzakian
Running time54–63 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)

Light & Magic is an American documentary television series directed by Lawrence Kasdan and produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Imagine Documentaries. The series debuted as a Disney+ Original on July 27, 2022, with all six episodes airing at the same time.[1][2]

Premise

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The series recounts the history of the motion picture visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) from its founding in 1975 to its key role in the development of visual effects in filmmaking.[3]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected by [4]Original release date [4]
1"Gang of Outsiders"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)
2"On the Bucking Bronco"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)
3"Just Think About It"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)
4"I Think I Found My People"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)
5"Morfing"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)
6"No More Pretending You're Dinosaurs"Lawrence KasdanJuly 27, 2022 (2022-07-27)

Release

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The series premiered on Disney+ on July 27, 2022.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Documenting the rise of ILM with comprehensive attention to detail, Light & Magic is a worthy salute to the elbow grease that goes into moviemaking and an absolute treat for fans of cinematic wizardry."[6]

Brian Lowry of CNN stated Lawrence Kasdan manages to depict a thoughtful, entertaining, and detailed look at the creation of special effects across the documentary series, and found it to be an ambitious and deep take on how ILM's special effects can make an impact.[7] Jim Hemphill of IndieWire found that Kasdan succeeds to narrate a broad story dealing with advanced technologies across a personal lens, saying the documentary follows the evolution of Lucasfilm Ltd and its employees in a moving, entertaining, and profound manner.[8]

Stephanie Morgan of Common Sense Media rated the documentary four out of five stars, applauded the educational value, calling the behind-the-scenes fascinating, and praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing ingenuity, perseverance, and teamwork, while taking note of the diverse representations.[9] Tara Bennett of IGN rated the series seven out of ten, called George Lucas' creation of Lucasfilm Ltd a compelling story, and stated the company succeeds to depict its impact on the movie industry across Light & Magic, but found the series too condensed, saying the documentary is too short to unfold Lucasfilm Ltd's full story.[10]

Accolades

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James Newton Howard received a nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) for the episode "Gang of Outsiders" at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Breznican, Anthony (2021-07-28). "Industrial Light & Magic Was Basically Animal House Back in the '70s". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  2. ^ Hemphill, Jim (July 29, 2022). "'Light & Magic': Lawrence Kasdan Reunites with George Lucas to Tell the Story of ILM – Toolkit". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  3. ^ "DISNEY+ RELEASES TRAILER AND KEY ART FOR LUCASFILM AND IMAGINE DOCUMENTARIES' "LIGHT & MAGIC"". Industrial Light & Magic. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  4. ^ a b "Light & Magic – Listings". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (July 7, 2022). "Disney+ Releases Light & Magic Trailer". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  6. ^ "Light & Magic". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  7. ^ Brian Lowry (27 July 2022). "'Light & Magic' charts the visual-effects revolution from 'Star Wars' to 'Jurassic Park'". CNN. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  8. ^ Hemphill, Jim (2022-07-29). "'Light & Magic': Lawrence Kasdan Reunites with George Lucas to Tell the Story of ILM – Toolkit". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  9. ^ "Light & Magic TV Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  10. ^ Bennett, Tara (2022-07-27). "Light & Magic Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  11. ^ "75th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  12. ^ Grein, Paul (2023-07-12). "2023 Primetime Emmy Nominees in the 7 Music Categories: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
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