The Frankenstein Complex

John Latchem

April 28, 2021

Music Box Films specialty label Doppelganger Releasing July 13 presents The Monster Collection, a three-disc Blu-ray set containing the feature-length documentaries Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters and The Frankenstein Complex.

Both films are directed by Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso.

Released in 2019, Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters examines the life and career of Phil Tippett, the Oscar and Emmy Award-winning visual effects genius whose work in creature design, stop-motion and computerized character animation has been seen in such classics as the original “Star Wars” trilogy, the “Jurassic Park” and “Twilight” franchises, and the effects powerhouses RoboCop, Dragonheart and Starship Troopers.

The Frankenstein Complex, from 2015, offers an appreciation of the greatest movie monsters in film history and the talented effects artists who have been bringing them to life for the past century. The film goes behind the scenes of such classics as King Kong, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings, An American Werewolf in London, Alien and more to talk to the filmmakers responsible, including Rick Baker, Greg Nicotero, Chris Wallas, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Verhoeven, Joe Dante, John Landis, Kevin Smith and others.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

The Blu-ray set also includes 12 hours of bonus materials, including:

• Feature Commentary with Phil Tippett and directors Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso;
• “Meeting the Monsters” making-of documentary;
• Prehistoric Beast (1985), a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary;
• Mutant Land (2010), a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary;
• Phil Tippett Museum: A Virtual Gallery of Tippett Creations;
• “Joy of Working With Phil,” an interview with Paul Verhoeven;
• “Phil Will Fix This!,” an interview with Joe Johnston;
• “Animating With Phil,” an interview with Tom St. Amand;
• “Phil’s Vision,” an interview with Chris Walas;
• “Friendship, Robots, and Dinosaurs,” an interview with Dennis Muren;
• “From Stop-Motion to Computer,” an interview with Craig Hayes;
• Memories and Archives with Phil Tippett;
• Dinosaur Supervisor (Jurassic Park) with Phil Tippett;
• Starship Troopers 2 with Phil Tippet and Jon Davison;
• “Dinosaur!” with Paul Verhoeven and Jon Davison;
• Mutant Fish (Piranha) with Joe Dante (1978);
• “Modern Craftsmanship” with Alec Gillis-Robot Design with Craig Hayes;
• “The Birth of a Poster” with Paul Wee;
• “Musical Storytelling” with Alexandre Poncet;
• Mad Dreams and Monsters Isolated Musical Score;
• “The Frankenstein Odyssey” making-of documentary;
• “Digital Craftmanship” post-production featurette;
• The Frankenstein Complex Musical Score;
• Master Class with Guillermo Del Toro;
• An Extended Conversation with John Landis and Joe Dante;
• An Extended Conversation with Mick Garris;
• An Extended Conversation with Steve Johnson and John Vulich;
• Q&A with Joe Dante, Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso;
• Inside the Lair of Rick Baker;
• Inside the Lair of Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis;
• “Paper Monsters: The Art of Charles Chiodo”;
• “Living With Monsters: The Art of Kevin Yagh”;
• “Sympathy for the Devil,” an interview with Bernard Rose;
• “The Gremlins Pool,” an interview with Sacha Feiner;
• “From Latex to Pixels: The Art of Gino Acevedo”;
• “The Beauty and the Beasts: The Art of Ve Neill”;
• Deleted and alternate scenes;
• Photo galleries;
• Theatrical trailers;

In addition, Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters and The Frankenstein Complex will be released individually on VOD starting July 13.