The Monster Collection Arrives on 3-Disc Blu-ray Set

Phil Tippett in Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

The Monster Collection, featuring both Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters and The Frankenstein Complex, arrives on a 3-disc Blu-ray set.

The Monster Collection
The Monster Collection

Phil Tippett had one job to do in 1993: dinosaur supervisor for Jurassic Park. Alas, the fences failed, people died, and John Hammond would never live to see his dream come true. And yet, this film would be groundbreaking because it changed the future of blockbuster filmmaking. There’s also the fact that I wouldn’t be doing what I do but this is another story for another day. Tippett appears in both documentaries which the focus on him coming in the 2019 film.

If you’ve ever wanted to know about what goes into visual effects or making movie monsters, this three-disc set is nothing short of a masterclass.

This three-disc set includes the two aforementioned documentaries and twelve hours of bonus features spread across the set. While the bonus features are exclusive to The Monster Collection, the two documentaries will be available individually on VOD today.

Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters

Synopsis

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.

DIRECTORS/SCREENWRITERS: Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet
FEATURING: Phil Tippett, Jules Roman, Paul Verhoeven, Joe Dante, Jon Davison, Dennis Muren, Alec Gillis, Joe Johnston, Tom St. Amand, Craig Hayes, Jon Berg

Greg Nicotero in The Frankenstein Complex.
Greg Nicotero at the Office in The Frankenstein Complex. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

The Frankenstein Complex

Synopsis

The Frankenstein Complex is a lively portrait and appreciation of the greatest movie monsters in film history and the talented crafts people and visual artists who have been bringing them to startling life over the past century. The Frankenstein Complex goes behind the scenes of such classics as King Kong, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings series, An American Werewolf in London, Alien and many others to talk to the filmmakers behind all those dinosaurs, zombies, aliens, Hobbits, dragons, werewolves, giant bugs and oversized apes that have kept us glued to the screen for all these years.

DIRECTORS/SCREENWRITERS: Alexandre Poncet & Gilles Penso
FEATURING: Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Joe Dante, Kevin Smith, Rick Baker, Phil Tippett, Steve Johnson, Greg Nicotero, Dennis Muren, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Chris Walas, Matt Winston, John Rosengrant, Mike Elizalde, The Choco Bros., Mick Garris, Christophe Gans, Joe Letteri, Richard Taylor, John Howe

Bonus Features

  • 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
  • MutantLand (2010) a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary
  • Phil Tippett Museum: A Virtual Gallery of Tippett Creations
  • Joy of Working with Phil: Interview with Paul Verhoeven
  • Phil Will Fix This!: Interview with Joe Johnston
  • Animating with Phil: Interview with Tom St. Amand
  • Phil’s Vision: Interview with Chris Walas
  • Friendship, Robots, and Dinosaurs: Interview with Dennis Muren
  • From Stop-Motion to Computer: 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 featurett
  • 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 Yagher
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Interview with Bernard Rose
  • The Gremlins Pool : Interview with Sacha Feiner interview
  • From Latex to Pixels: The Art of Gino Acevedo

Doppelganger Releasing will release The Monster Collection on Blu-ray on July 13, 2021.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.