See how They Created the Visual Effects for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Industrial Light & Magic has made as massive impact on filmmaking. ILM's imprint is all over the entirety of the Star Wars saga, and has touched so many of our most visually dazzling films it's hard to understate their impact. We've interviewed multiple ILM employees over the years to find out how they made alien robot-car hyrbids walk and talk, how they created the amazing time travel sequence at the end of Lucy and more. Yesterday, ILM released a look at the visual effects reel showing off how they made Star Wars: The Force Awakens so eye-popping.

In a little over four minutes, this ILM FVX reel shows you just how seamlessly they're able to layer in digital effects over real world sets, the incredible detail that goes into crafting the galaxy's myriad aliens, the creation of the massive ships (interiors and exteriors), and a whole lot more. What we love is that there's no narration or talking head, and the only dialogue is straight from the film. This behind-the-magic video is as visually arresting as you want it to be, showing off how expert ILM has become at making it impossible to see where the real ends and the make believe begins. 

Check out the video here: