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{{short description|American film and television production company}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
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| trade_name = Lucasfilm Ltd.
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = {{hlist|Film|
| founded = {{start date and age|1971}}, in [[San Rafael, California]], U.S.
| founder = [[George Lucas]]
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| divisions = {{Plainlist |
* [[Industrial Light & Magic]]
* [[Skywalker Sound]]▼
}}
| subsid = {{Plainlist |
* [[Lucasfilm Animation]]
* [[Lucasfilm Games]]
▲* [[Skywalker Sound]]
}}
| website = {{official URL}}
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Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker [[George Lucas]] in 1971 in [[San Rafael, California]],<ref>{{cite book| first=Stuart |last=Moss |title=The Entertainment Industry |location=Wallingford, UK |publisher=cab international|year=2009 |page=89|isbn=9781845935511}}</ref> and was incorporated as Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=lucasfilm&SearchSubType=Keyword|title=Business Search - Business Entities – Business Programs – California Secretary of State|website=businesssearch.sos.ca.gov|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=June 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613210649/https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=lucasfilm&SearchSubType=Keyword|url-status=live}}</ref> In the mid-1970s, the company's offices were located on the [[Universal Studios Lot]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Roy |title=Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years – Volume 1 |year=2015 |isbn=9780785191063 |page=4|publisher=Marvel }}</ref> Lucas founded the '''Star Wars Corporation, Inc.''' as a subsidiary to control various legal and financial aspects of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977),<ref>{{Cite video|title=[[Empire of Dreams|Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy]]|medium=Documentary film|date=2004|publisher=Prometheus Entertainment/[[Fox 21 Television Studios|Fox Television Studios]]/Lucasfilm|minutes=17:30}}</ref> including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights. It also produced the 1978 ''[[Star Wars Holiday Special]]'' for [[20th Century Fox Television]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Digiacomo|first1=Frank|title=The Han Solo Comedy Hour!|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2008/12/star_wars_special200812|date=December 2008|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=October 2, 2018|archive-date=December 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230230058/http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2008/12/star_wars_special200812|url-status=live}}</ref> That year, Lucas hired Los Angeles-based real-estate specialist Charles Weber to manage the company, telling him that he could keep the job as long as he made money.<ref name=Life/> Lucas wanted the focus of the company to be making independent films, but the company gradually became enlarged from five employees to almost 100, increasing in middle management and running up costs. In 1980, after Weber asked Lucas for fifty million dollars to invest in other companies and suggested that they sell [[Skywalker Ranch]] to do so, Lucas fired Weber and had to let half of the Los Angeles staff go.<ref name=Life>{{cite magazine |last=Pollock |first=Dale |title=A Man and His Empire: The Private Life of 'Star Wars' Creator George Lucas |magazine=Life |date=June 1983 |pages=94, 96}}</ref> By the same year, the corporate subsidiary had been discontinued and its business was absorbed into the various divisions of Lucasfilm. And of course, it was also the same year when second Star Wars film, ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', was released in cinemas as an official sequel to the original 1977 film.
Between 1981 and 1989, three ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' films, stories by Lucas and directed by [[Steven Spielberg]], were released. While ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983) was in production, Lucas decided not to pursue further ''[[Star Wars]]'' films.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kaminski|first=Michael|title=The Secret History of Star Wars|publisher=Legacy Books Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-9784652-3-0|page=494|orig-year=2007}}</ref> Despite the third film achieving similar [[Classic|classic]] status to its two predecessors, George was unhappy with the cinema presentation of ''Return of the Jedi'', he created the company [[THX]], which was unveiled on May 20, 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@thxltd/star-wars-george-lucas-a-disappearing-cello-the-story-of-thx-cinema-certification-81f6aeabb640|title=Star Wars, George Lucas & A Disappearing Cello: The Story of THX Cinema Certification|date=February 21, 2017|access-date=October 8, 2021|archive-date=March 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301013605/https://medium.com/@thxltd/star-wars-george-lucas-a-disappearing-cello-the-story-of-thx-cinema-certification-81f6aeabb640|url-status=live}}</ref> Lucasfilm produced the [[John Korty]]-directed animated film ''[[Twice Upon a Time (1983 film)|Twice Upon a Time]]'' (1983). 1985 saw the release of [[Paul Schrader]]'s ''[[Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters]]''. The next year, [[Jim Henson]]'s ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]'' and an adaptation of [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Howard the Duck (film)|Howard the Duck]]'' were released. [[Ron Howard]] directed the fantasy film ''[[Willow (1988 film)|Willow]]'' in 1988 (story by Lucas); the same year the children's animated film ''[[The Land Before Time (film)|The Land Before Time]]'' was released. From 1992 to 1993, ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles]]'' (created by Lucas) television series was produced. In 1992, after viewing an early [[computer-generated imagery]] test created by [[Industrial Light & Magic]] (ILM) for ''[[Jurassic Park]]'', Lucas announced his intentions to produce a ''Star Wars'' [[Star Wars prequel trilogy|Prequel Trilogy]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kaminski|first=Michael|title=The Secret History of Star Wars|publisher=Legacy Books Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-9784652-3-0|location=Kingston, Ontario|pages=311–12|orig-year=2007}}</ref> In 1994, the long-delayed ''[[Radioland Murders]]'' (story by Lucas) was released. In 1995, Lucas began production on the prequel trilogy. The trilogy took 10 years to make, ending with the release of the third prequel film ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]'' in 2005
In 1987, the company, which at that time, was expanding from three to five films a year on its own, decided to increase making its Northern California production facilities available to other filmmakers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1987 |title=Multiple Divisions Jell In Bid To Become Ultimate Post-Prod Setup |page=35 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> In 1989, Lucasfilm launched a new subsidiary Lucasfilm Entertainment Group (later LucasArts Entertainment Company) to consolidate all four units, which are [[Industrial Light & Magic]], Lucasfilm Commercial Productions, [[Lucasfilm Games]], and [[Skywalker Sound|Sprocket Systems]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 17, 1989|title=Lucasfilm forms group; consolidates four units (not pics)|page=18|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
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