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An anonymous donor has uploaded digital images of 90 non-duplicated discs acquired at an August auction of Tippett Studios materials. The free-to-browse collection includes some viewable clips, while most of its contents are available as downloadable ISO disc images; the archive’s full contents have not yet been catalogued in the source report.
An anonymous donor has uploaded the contents of 90 non-duplicated discs from Tippett Studios to the Internet Archive, making a collection of animation and film materials available to browse and download after the Berkeley studio’s closure. The upload may help preserve work and records that were sold at auction, though most of the files are disc images rather than material viewable directly in a browser.
Film Stories reports that the donor, who uses the name TippettFan, attended an August auction of studio property and bought a folder of CD-ROMs and other discs for an undisclosed sum. Tippett Studios had closed on August 28, after a period of financial trouble, and the auction included decades of props, memorabilia and art. The donor says they digitized the discs and uploaded their contents to the Internet Archive.
The collection is described as .ISO image files for 90 discs. Some clips can be watched online, including CGI creature tests and a 2008 interview with Phil Tippett. The larger portion requires downloading the disc images and examining their files. According to Film Stories, file descriptions 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 donor’s reported count refers to discs, not to individual images, clips or documents. The available report does not give a full inventory of the files, their total size or a count of distinct items inside the disc images. The archive is described as free to browse, with files available for download through the Internet Archive.
Preserving Studio Materials Online
The upload offers a way for material bought at a dispersal auction to remain accessible beyond private ownership. The discs may contain production records and images useful to film historians, animation researchers and fans studying how visual effects and stop-motion work was developed. Their appearance online does not mean every item sold at the auction has been preserved or made public; the report concerns this particular group of discs.
The archive also creates a practical opportunity for further research. Some files can be viewed immediately, but the ISO format means other contents must be downloaded and examined. Until that work is done, the collection’s research value and the extent of any previously unavailable material remain difficult to gauge. The upload is a preservation step, not a finished catalogue or a verified account of everything in the studio’s archive.
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From Studio Closure to Disc Auction
Tippett Studios was founded by Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator and visual-effects artist whose work is associated with films including Star Wars, RoboCop and Starship Troopers. Film Stories reported that the Berkeley-based company had been facing financial trouble before it closed in August. Its closure was followed by a two-day auction of studio property, including props, memorabilia and art.
The auction raised concern among some observers that materials could end up in private collections and become hard to access. The donor’s account describes one response: they bought a folder of discs at the sale, digitized it, and deposited the resulting files online. Film Stories also credited Brandon Sheffield with drawing attention to the archive on Bluesky. The report does not establish that the donor acted on behalf of the studio or that the upload represents an official studio archive.
“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 anonymous donor, as quoted by Film Stories
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What the Disc Images Contain
The contents have not been fully described in the source report, and it is not yet clear how many files are on the discs or how much of the material has appeared online before. The cited filenames indicate some subjects, but they do not confirm the complete contents or provenance of every file. Film Stories says the collection may take weeks for historians and fans to examine.
The report also does not specify whether any copyright or access restrictions apply to particular items, whether the Internet Archive upload includes every disc the donor acquired, or whether other studio materials from the auction have been preserved elsewhere. The donor’s identity and purchase price have not been disclosed.
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Cataloguing the Uploaded Files
Researchers and fans can examine the files made available through the Internet Archive, beginning with the clips that can be streamed and the disc images that can be downloaded. A fuller inventory could clarify which materials are present and identify items relevant to particular productions. Film Stories said it would review the archive and report back if it found material of interest; no further findings or timetable were included in the report.
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Key Questions
What has been uploaded to the Internet Archive?
The collection consists of .ISO images of 90 non-duplicated discs that an anonymous donor says they acquired at an auction of Tippett Studios materials and digitized.
Can the archive be watched or browsed online?
Some clips are available to view online, including CGI creature tests and a 2008 interview with Phil Tippett. Most of the collection is in disc-image format and must be downloaded to inspect.
What kinds of material are described in the collection?
Film Stories cites file descriptions referring 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 yet been catalogued in the report.
Who uploaded the files, and what did they pay?
The donor identifies themselves as TippettFan. Their identity and the amount they paid for the folder of discs have not been disclosed.
Source: hn
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