Skywalker Sound
Type | Division |
---|---|
Industry | Sound effects, Sound editing and Remastering |
Founded | September 7, 1975 |
Founder | George Lucas |
Headquarters | Skywalker Ranch, Lucas Valley, California , United States |
Key people | Josh Lowden (General Manager of Skywalker Sound) Leslie Ann Jones |
Number of employees | 160 |
Parent | Lucasfilm Ltd. (The Walt Disney Company) |
Website | skysound |
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of Lucasfilm. Founded in 1975, the company's main facilities are located at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California.[1]
History[]
Skywalker Sound was founded as Sprocket Systems in San Anselmo, California.
While located in San Anselmo, Sprocket Systems came into contact with the local residents from time to time. For instance, Kentfield resident Pat Welsh was "discovered" while shopping at a camera store and went on to provide the voice for E.T.. During the sound recording of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford could be spotted practicing his bullwhip technique in the parking lot.[2]
Sprocket Systems moved from San Anselmo following a disastrous flood in January 1982. The company changed its name to Skywalker Sound in 1987 after the company moved to Skywalker Ranch.
Skywalker Sound's staff of sound designers and re-recording mixers have either won or been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound and Best Sound Editing every year since Star Wars in 1977; in that year, Ben Burtt was given a Special Achievement Award, since the category for Sound Editing had not yet been established. Skywalker Sound has won 15 Academy Awards and received 62 nominations.
Mixing stages, editorial services, and scoring stages are all located in a central "Tech Building," with dining areas and living quarters in the vicinity but separate from the main work area.
In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Skywalker Sound as part of its purchase of Lucasfilm.
Notable staff[]
- David Acord
- Christopher Barnett
- Richard Beggs
- Tom Bellfort
- Steve Boeddeker
- Christopher Boyes
- Ben Burtt
- Bob Edwards
- Frank Eulner
- Andre Fenley
- Lora Hirschberg
- Richard Hymns
- Leslie Ann Jones
- Ren Klyce
- Dennis Leonard
- Michael Levine
- Scott Levine
- Tom Myers
- Steve Orlando
- Gary A. Rizzo
- Gary Rydstrom
- Chris Scarabosio
- Michael Semanick
- Michael Silvers
- Mac Smith
- Gary Summers, M.P.S.E.
- Randy Thom
- Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
- Matthew Wood
Partial filmography[]
Any film with an asterisk means that though Skywalker Sound did not provide the sound, a creative worked on it.
1970s[]
- Star Wars (1977)
- The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
- More American Graffiti (1979)
1980s[]
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
- Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Twice Upon a Time (1983)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)
- The Adventures of André and Wally B. (1984)
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)
- Cocoon (1985)
- Latino (1985)
- The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
- Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
- Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
- Luxo, Jr. (1986)
- Howard the Duck (1986)
- Captain EO (1986)
- Red's Dream (1987)
- Spaceballs (1987)
- Willow (1988)
- Tin Toy (1988)
- Spirit Warrior (1988-1991)
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
- Colors (1988)
- Cocoon: The Return (1988)
- Always (1989)
- Knick Knack (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- The Neon Empire (1989)
1990s[]
- Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Backdraft (1991)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- The Simpsons (1991-1994)
- Ricochet (1991)
- A Few Good Men (1992)
- Single White Female (1992)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1993)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA) (1993-1994)
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- Super Mario Bros. (1993)
- True Romance (1993)
- Thumbelina (1994)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- Baby's Day Out (1994)
- Radioland Murders (1994)
- The Crow (1994)
- Speed (1994)
- A Troll in Central Park (1994)
- Home for the Holidays (1995)
- The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) (as Skywalker Sound South)
- Se7en (1995)
- Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
- Gumby: The Movie (1995)
- Strange Days (1995)
- My Family (1995)*
- Toy Story (1995)
- Jumanji (1995)
- Broken Arrow (1996)
- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Mars Attacks! (1996)
- The Rock (1996)
- James and the Giant Peach (1996)
- Blazing Dragons (1996)
- Con Air (1997)
- Contact (1997)
- Geri's Game (1997)
- Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
- Starship Troopers (1997)
- Hercules (1997)
- Men in Black (1997)
- Titanic (1997)
- Volcano (1997)
- A Bug's Life (1998)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Armageddon (1998)
- Quest for Camelot (1998)
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
- The Iron Giant (1999)
- The 13th Warrior (1999)
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- Fight Club (1999)
- The Big Knights (1999)
- Office Space (1999)
2000s[]
- X-Men (2000)
- Titan A.E. (2000)
- For the Birds (2000)
- The Tigger Movie (2000)
- Dinosaur (2000)
- What Lies Beneath (2000)
- Cast Away (2000)
- 102 Dalmatians (2000)
- Lizzie McGuire (2001)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- Osmosis Jones (2001)
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
- Pearl Harbor (2001)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
- Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
- Jurassic Park III (2001)
- Monkeybone (2001)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA) (2000-2002)
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Peter Pan: Return to Never Land (2002)
- Ice Age (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- The Ring (2002)
- Lilo & Stitch (2002)
- Men in Black II (2002)
- Panic Room (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
- Boundin' (2003)
- The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- Daredevil (2003)
- Mickey's PhilharMagic (2003)
- Hulk (2003)
- Bad Boys II (2003)
- Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2005)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
- X2 (2003)
- Peter Pan (2003)
- Shrek 2 (2004)
- The Incredibles (2004)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- The Polar Express (2004)
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
- Feast (2005)
- Munich (2005)
- Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005)
- One Man Band (2005)
- Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)
- King Kong (2005)
- Hoodwinked! (2005)
- Over the Hedge (2006)
- Cars (2006)
- Lifted (2006)
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
- Zoom (2006)
- Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
- Eragon (2006)
- Brave Story (2006)
- Barnyard (2006; Score Recorded and Mixed at)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
- The Simpsons Movie (2007)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (2007)
- Bee Movie (2007)
- Enchanted (2007)
- Beowulf (2007)
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)
- Cloverfield (2008)
- WALL-E (2008)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
- The Sky Crawlers (2008)
- Bolt (2008)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2013, 2014, 2020)
- Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
- Presto (2008)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
- Up (2009)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- Avatar (2009)
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
- Terminator Salvation (2009)
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
- Coraline (2009)
- Fanboys (2009)
- I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
- 9 (2009)
2010s[]
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
- Despicable Me (2010)
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
- The Last Airbender (2010)
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
- Mars Needs Moms (2011)
- Rango (2011)
- Rio (2011)
- Super 8 (2011)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
- The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
- War Horse (2011)
- The Lorax (2012)
- ParaNorman (2012)
- Men in Black 3 (2012)
- Brave (2012)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
- Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
- Flight (2012)
- Red Tails (2012)
- Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
- House of Cards (2013-2018)
- The Croods (2013)
- Epic (2013)
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
- Monsters University (2013)
- The Lone Ranger (2013)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Free Birds (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Nymphomaniac (2013)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- Rio 2 (2014)
- The Boxtrolls (2014)
- Gone Girl (2014)
- Maleficent (2014)
- X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
- Lucy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Big Hero 6 (2014)
- Strange Magic (2015)
- Home (2015)
- The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015)
- The Little Prince (2015)
- Inside Out (2015)
- Tomorrowland (2015)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- The Peanuts Movie (2015)
- Jurassic World (2015)
- Minions (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Creed (2015)
- The Good Dinosaur (2015)
- The Walk (2015)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
- The Revenant (2015)
- Pixels (2015)
- The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016)
- Finding Dory (2016)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
- The Jungle Book (2016)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
- The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
- Zootopia (2016)
- The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
- The BFG (2016)
- Life, Animated (2016)
- Pete's Dragon (2016)
- X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
- Mars (2016–present)
- Moana (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Sing (2016)
- Rogue One (2016)
- Native (2016)
- Monster Trucks (2017)
- Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
- Cars 3 (2017)
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
- Star Wars Forces of Destiny (2017-2018)
- Only the Brave (2017)
- Mindhunter (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Coco (2017)
- Ferdinand (2017)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
- The Post (2017)
- Phantom Thread (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
- Ready Player One (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Incredibles 2 (2018)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- The Front Runner (2018)
- Next Gen (2018)
- High Life (2018)
- The Grinch (2018)
- Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
- Vice (2018)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
- Io (2019)
- Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
- The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
- Triple Frontier (2019)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Unicorn Store (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Bolden (2019)
- A Hidden Life (2019)
- Brightburn (2019)
- The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)
- The Lion King (2019)
- Dark Phoenix (2019)
- Haunt (2019)
- The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)
- Men in Black: International (2019)
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
- Ad Astra (2019)
- Knives Out (2019)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Spies in Disguise (2019)
2020s[]
- Dolittle (2020)
- Onward (2020)
- The Willoughbys (2020)
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)
- Mulan (2020)
- Over the Moon (2020)
- The Croods: A New Age (2020)
- Soul (2020)
- Minari (2020)
- Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- Wish Dragon (2021)
- Luca (2021)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- The Green Knight (2021)
- The French Dispatch (2021)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Vivo (2021)
- Black Widow (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Licorice Pizza (2021)
- Encanto (2021)
- West Side Story (2021)
- Don't Look Up (2021)
- Sing 2 (2021)
Upcoming[]
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
- Turning Red (2022)
- Lightyear (2022)
- Blazing Samurai (2022)
- Avatar 2 (2022)
- Untitled Mario film (2022)
References[]
- ^ Lev-Ram, Michal (November 1, 2015). "Behind the scenes at Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound". Fortune. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ San Anselmo Historical Museum: 1970: Approaching the 21st Century
External links[]
- 1975 establishments in California
- American companies established in 1975
- Mass media companies established in 1975
- Film sound production
- Disney acquisitions
- Lucasfilm
- George Lucas
- Companies based in Marin County, California
- Television and film post-production companies