After 30 years of continuous work, stop-motion animation pioneer Phil Tippett’s epic movie Mad God has been picked up by streaming service Shudder. The streamer confirmed the news themselves today, announcing that the movie will debut on Shudder on June 16. The film has previously premiered at film festivals the world over including the Locarno Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, and Sitges Film Festival, earning rave reviews along the way (ComicBook.com previously gave the film a perfect 5 out of 5 rating out of last year’s Fantasia Festival). You can watch a previously released teaser trailer for the ambitious project below.
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“It’s been over 30 years, but thanks to the team at Tippett Studio we finally made the dream a reality,” Tippett said in a statement. “I’m proud to partner with Shudder on the release of Mad God, and it’s an honor that my original vision can now be shared with audiences across the country.” Craig Engler, Shudder’s general manager added: “In short, Phil Tippett is a genius, and there’s no better home for him and his visionary mind than Shudder. We’re proud to bring this sure-to-be timeless film to our members.”
The journey to make Mad God began after Tippett had a lull in his work following RoboCop 2, leading to him creating some of the creatures and sets and later shooting the first couple of scenes. Work paused on the film so that Tippett could work on Jurassic Park, resulting in everything getting shelved. After 20 years the concept and the designs were revived by Tippett and “several of Tippett’s key artists and supervisors.” Mad God was revived in that time leading to a successful Kickstarter campaign to help finish it, something Tippett completed in the first part of 2020.
Our review for the movie from last summer reads in part: “Mad God seems to have a lot going on from the subtextual and surface level, but it being a spectacle for Phil Tippett’s multi-hyphenated talents should have everyone excited. That Mad God is an animated movie may perhaps fool some audience members down the road but it should be stated that this is not for kids. There’s a shocking amount of blood, guts, and even feces, that might make stomachs churn. But there’s also a twisted sense of humor that takes glee in punishment, deadly sound effects, and moments like a Minotaur being sexually serviced. This is not a film for everyone, but it will be the film for some.”
A previously released description for Mad God described it as follows: “A corroded diving bell descends amidst a ruined city and the Assassin emerges from it to explore a labyrinth of bizarre landscapes inhabited by freakish denizens.” Look for Mad God to debut on Shudder this Summer!
