Lucasfilm Ltd.

American company

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Lucasfilm Ltd. is an American production company founded by George Lucas in 1971. It is best known for creating the immensely popular Star Wars franchise, which began with the film Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope) in 1977. The company also produced the Indiana Jones film series.12

Lucasfilm has been at the forefront of advancements in special effects, notably through its division Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). In 2012, the Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4 billion, continuing to expand the Star Wars universe with new films and television series on platforms like Disney+.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

George Lucas
THX 1138, the founding of Lucasfilm, and American Graffiti
…Lucas formed the production company Lucasfilm Ltd., which eventually contained a number of divisions, including Industrial Light & Magic (ILM, established 1975), which was regarded as the most prestigious special-effects workshop in American film.
Read More
…Lucas formed the production company Lucasfilm Ltd., which eventually contained a number of divisions, including Industrial Light & Magic (ILM, established 1975), which was regarded as the most prestigious special-effects workshop in American film.
Read More

Pixar
…1979 Catmull was hired by Lucasfilm Ltd., the California-based production company of filmmaker George Lucas, to lead its nascent computer division, and several of his NYIT colleagues followed him there. Aiming to improve graphics technology, the division developed the Pixar Image Computer, which, in its ability to render high-resolution three-dimensional…
Read More
…1979 Catmull was hired by Lucasfilm Ltd., the California-based production company of filmmaker George Lucas, to lead its nascent computer division, and several of his NYIT colleagues followed him there. Aiming to improve graphics technology, the division developed the Pixar Image Computer, which, in its ability to render high-resolution three-dimensional…
Read More

Disney Company
Continuing expansion: ABC, Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, and Lucasfilm
In 2012 Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. from filmmaker George Lucas for roughly $4 billion. The purchase brought the Star Wars franchise under the Disney umbrella, and in 2015 the company released the seventh installment in the series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was directed by J.J. Abrams. Two…
Read More
In 2012 Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. from filmmaker George Lucas for roughly $4 billion. The purchase brought the Star Wars franchise under the Disney umbrella, and in 2015 the company released the seventh installment in the series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was directed by J.J. Abrams. Two…
Read More