Hal Hickel, Golden Romics of the 34th edition
From Pirates of the Caribbean to Star Wars: a "legend" of the Golden Romics
Hal Hickel, one of the greatest masters of animation and visual effects in America, winner of 1 Oscar, 2 Emmy, 1 Bafta and 2 Saturn Awards, will be celebrated with the award of the Golden Romics during the 34th edition of the Festival, Scheduled from 3 to 6 April 2025 at Fiera Roma.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Hickel trained at the California Institute of the Arts and began his career at Will Vinton Studios as a clay animator and animatronic supervisor. After his experience at Pixar as animator of the first Toy Story, he found his definitive place in 1996 in George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) where he quickly went from animator in The Lost World: Jurassic Park to lead animator Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, to give life to some of the most iconic characters in the saga.
In 2000 he was promoted to animation supervisor collaborating with visual fx legend Dennis Muren in Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence and then in Star Wars: Episode II - The Clone Wars, e still in Iron Man and the first three chapters of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga. His work on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Phantom Chest was awarded in 2007 with the Oscar and BAFTA for best visual effects.
His most famous works include Pacific Rim by Guillermo del Toro, which earned him a fifth BAFTA nomination, and the animated film Rango, winner of the Oscar for best animation, where he worked as head of animations. Hickel has also starred in some of the epic scenes for Warcraft and oversaw the animation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, earning prestigious Oscar, BAFTA and VES nominations. Most recently, he curated the spectacular train robbery sequence in Solo: A Star Wars Story and brought his talent to the two series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Hal Hyckel is able to animate - in the sense of giving a soul - to any creature from any galaxy, and to print it in our imagination as if it were the closest of our friends or acquaintances," says Max Giovagnoli, Romics' Cinema manager. Hickel’s work has always been distinguished by his extraordinary ability to combine traditional animation techniques with the most advanced digital technologies, giving life to unforgettable characters and creatures.
During the 34th edition of Romics, Hal Hickel will be the protagonist of a special meeting that will retrace the milestones of his artistic career.