Lucasfilm

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The American film production company founded by director George Lucas, known for creating the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises
2. A Hollywood studio established by filmmaker George Lucas that produced famous science fiction and adventure movies
3. The motion picture company started by George Lucas, responsible for landmark films and special effects innovations in cinema

Etymology: George Lucas founded Lucasfilm in 1971 in San Rafael, California, after making "THX 1138" and the film that would become "American Graffiti" under the auspices of his own company, American Zoetrope. The name is simply the filmmaker's surname with "film" attached, a straightforward proprietary compound of the kind studios had used for decades, so the word has no deeper linguistic history to unpack. The more interesting story is what the name came to carry. Because Lucasfilm made the "Star Wars" films, the "Indiana Jones" series, and "Star Wars" sequels and spin-offs, its name became a brand that audiences recognized on screens and on the opening logo, long before most viewers knew who George Lucas was. Its subsidiary Industrial Light & Magic, founded in 1975 to create effects for "Star Wars," gave the company a lasting reputation in visual effects. Lucasfilm was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, and the name has continued as the label for Disney's Star Wars and Indiana Jones productions.