Hal T. Hickel is employed as a visual effects animator at Industrial Light & Magic.
Hickel recounted in an interview on StarWars.com the story of a letter he keeps displayed in his Industrial Light & Magic office, sent from "The Star Wars Corporation" on March 15, 1978. Hickel stated, "I was about 12 years old at the time." He continued, "I believe there was already speculation that George Lucas was beginning production on a second Star Wars film, and I thought that if I wrote him a letter outlining my great ideas for a sequel, I might get the opportunity to contribute to the project." Hickel penned a letter to Lucasfilm, detailing his concepts for a sequel to the original Star Wars film (now known as Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope), and received a courteous rejection from Bunny Alsup, the assistant to producer Gary Kurtz. Hickel recalls, "I was both devastated and thrilled." He added, "However, I have no recollection of the story idea itself." Two decades later, Hickel achieved his dream of working on Star Wars, serving as a lead animator on Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
Besides his contributions to the visual effects of the prequel trilogy, Hickel also lent his talents to The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Hickel, along with John Knoll, Charles Gibson, and Allen Hall, secured the BAFTA and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2007 for their work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Furthermore, he garnered an Academy Award nomination for his involvement in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.