Light & Magic (TV series)
The story of Industrial Light & Magic's impact on filmmaking.
Light & Magic is an American documentary television series that chronicles the history of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the visual effects company founded in 1975. The series covers ILM's key role in the development of visual effects in filmmaking. Season 1, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, debuted as a Disney+ Original on July 27, 2022, with all six episodes released simultaneously.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Docuseries
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 9
- Director
- Lawrence Kasdan (season 1); Joe Johnston (season 2)
- Executive producers
- Marc Gilbar
- Ron Howard
- Lawrence Kasdan
- Meredith Kaulfers
- Kathleen Kennedy
- Michelle Rejwan
- Justin Wilkes
- Editor
- Mike Long
- Jonah Moran
- Anoosh Tertzakian
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The series is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Imagine Documentaries.
- Season 2 was released on April 18, 2025.
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a perfect 100% approval rating from 13 reviews, with an average score of 8.8 out of 10. Critics called it a worthy tribute to the hard work behind moviemaking and a delight for fans of film magic. CNN’s Brian Lowry praised Lawrence Kasdan for crafting a thoughtful, entertaining, and detailed exploration of special effects, describing the series as an ambitious and deep look at ILM’s influence. IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill noted that Kasdan successfully tells a broad story about advanced technology through a personal perspective, following Lucasfilm Ltd and its employees in a moving, entertaining, and meaningful way. Common Sense Media’s Stephanie Morgan gave the documentary four out of five stars, highlighting its educational value and fascinating behind-the-scenes content, while commending positive messages and role models like ingenuity, perseverance, and teamwork, along with diverse representation. IGN’s Tara Bennett rated the series seven out of ten, calling George Lucas’s founding of Lucasfilm Ltd a compelling story and noting the company’s impact on the film industry, but felt the series was too short to fully cover Lucasfilm Ltd’s history. Composer James Newton Howard earned 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.
More in Television Series by Imagine Entertainment
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