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A donor known as TippettFan has uploaded ISO images of 90 non-duplicated discs acquired at the August auction of Tippett Studios materials to the Internet Archive. The free-to-browse collection includes some viewable clips, while most materials require downloading and exploring; its contents have not yet been fully catalogued.
An anonymous donor has placed digital images of 90 discs from the archives of the recently closed Tippett Studios on the Internet Archive, making material connected to the stop-motion and visual-effects studio available to the public. The upload follows an August auction of studio belongings and offers a way to access some of the material outside private collections, though most of the archive is not immediately viewable online.
The donor, who identifies themself as “TippettFan,” told Film Stories they attended the auction, noticed a folder of CD-ROMs and other discs, and bought it for an undisclosed sum. After digitizing the contents, they uploaded .ISO image files of 90 non-duplicated discs. ISO files are disc images; users generally need to download and open them with suitable software to inspect their contents.
The online collection includes a small number of clips that can be watched directly, among them tests featuring CGI creatures and a 2008 interview with Phil Tippett. Most of the material is instead contained in downloadable files described as totaling gigabytes. The report says disc labels and filenames point to behind-the-scenes images from RoboCop and Starship Troopers, slides related to Tippett’s work on the original Star Wars, and publicity stills from Catwoman.
The source report does not provide a complete inventory or independently describe the contents of every disc. It presents the archive as a resource that fans and researchers can explore, with further discoveries possible as people review the files. The donor’s account is the available explanation of how the discs were acquired and digitized.
Studio Materials Reach Public View
The upload offers public access to digitized material that might otherwise have remained difficult to find after the studio’s closure and the sale of its physical holdings. That matters to film historians, animators and fans interested in how effects and stop-motion work were developed, documented and presented.
It is not the same as a complete institutional archive. The files may take time and technical effort to review, and a public upload alone does not establish whether every item is complete, well described or cleared for unrestricted reuse. Still, the collection creates a shared digital starting point for examining parts of Tippett Studios’ working history rather than relying only on objects held by auction buyers.
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Closure and Auction in August
Tippett Studios was a Berkeley-based animation and visual-effects house founded by Phil Tippett, whose work includes films such as Star Wars, RoboCop and Starship Troopers. Film Stories reported that the company had faced financial trouble before it closed. It said the studio shut its doors on August 28, after which props, memorabilia and artwork were sold in a two-day auction.
The closure prompted concern that materials kept at the studio could end up dispersed among private buyers and become harder for the public to see. The disc collection surfaced during that auction. The donor’s purchase and later upload provide one route to preserve and share digital contents, but the report does not say that the online archive includes all materials from the studio or the auction.
“I quickly realized that some of this information wasn’t available online and might not ever be in the future in such high resolution.”
— TippettFan, the donor, as quoted by Film Stories
Contents Still Need Reviewing
The archive’s full contents have not yet been publicly detailed in the source report, and the files have not all been reviewed. The report identifies examples based on filenames and labels, but does not confirm the contents of each disc or provide a complete catalogue. It is also unclear whether all files can be opened with commonly available software, whether any data is missing, or what permissions apply to copying and reuse.
The donor’s identity beyond the name “TippettFan,” the amount paid at auction and the precise date of the upload are not stated. The report also does not establish whether other buyers, former studio staff or rights holders have additional archive materials or plans for them.
Cataloguing the Uploaded Discs
The next step is for researchers and interested viewers to inspect the downloadable disc images, identify and describe their contents, and share reliable findings. Film Stories said it would review parts of the collection and report back on material it considers of interest; it did not give a timetable.
Until more of the files are examined, readers should treat the descriptions drawn from filenames as leads rather than a complete account of what the archive contains. Any future catalogue or reporting could clarify the collection’s scope and make specific materials easier to locate.
Key Questions
What has been uploaded to the Internet Archive?
The donor says the upload contains ISO images of 90 non-duplicated discs acquired at the Tippett Studios auction. The collection also has a few clips that can be watched online.
Who uploaded the collection?
The donor is identified as “TippettFan.” Film Stories reported that the person has not provided a public identity.
Can the files be watched directly on the site?
Some clips are available to view online, including CGI creature tests and a 2008 interview with Phil Tippett. Most of the collection is in downloadable ISO format and may require suitable software to open.
What kinds of materials may be included?
According to Film Stories’ account of labels and filenames, the discs refer to behind-the-scenes images from RoboCop and Starship Troopers, slides connected to the original Star Wars, and publicity stills from Catwoman. The full contents have not been catalogued in the report.
Does the archive contain all of Tippett Studios’ materials?
There is no indication that it does. The upload covers the 90 discs acquired by the donor; the source report does not describe it as a complete archive of the studio’s physical or digital holdings.
Source: hn
