Harrison Ellenshaw

The apple did not fall far from the tree for visual effects wizard Harrison Ellenshaw, son of Academy Award-winning effects pioneer Peter Ellenshaw. Having gotten his start as a matte painter at Disney Studios, Ellenshaw ventured out on his own to provide photographic effects work on the David Bowie sci-fi cult classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976). It was, however, his contributions to George Lucas' space opera "Star Wars" (1977) that altered the trajectory of his burgeoning career. Returning to Disney, Ellenshaw worked alongside his father on the visually impressive galactic adventure "The Black Hole" (1979), prior to taking the lead of the matte painting team on "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). Ellenshaw continued to work as a visual effects supervisor, even as he associate produced the computer-generated sci-fi fantasy "TRON" (1982) and assistant directed "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987). After making his directorial debut on the indie comedy "Dead Silence" (1989) Ellenshaw was chosen to head Disney's Buena Vista Visual Effects division. There, he oversaw work on films like "Honey I Blew up the Kid" (1992) and "Escape from L.A." (1996) before leaving to pursue more personal artistic interests. Although he had firmly established his own stellar reputation apart from his revered father, Ellenshaw also warmly embraced his elder's influence and experience in a career that delivered the best of true movie magic for more than 30 years.