Skywalker Sound

Skywalker Sound, a sound production company, is situated at Skywalker Ranch within Marin County, in California. Its history began in 1975 when George Lucas and Gary Kurtz brought Ben Burtt on board as the sound director for the original Star Wars. Initially, the company was known as Sprocket Systems and shared facilities with the then-new Industrial Light & Magic in San Rafael. The name was changed to Skywalker Sound when the company moved to Skywalker Ranch in 1987.

The Skywalker Sound Library possesses a wide range of sounds from Star Wars, notably Wookiee vocalizations intended for Chewbacca's family in The Star Wars Holiday Special. During the making of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, sound designer David W. Collins discovered these Wookiee sound effects and incorporated them into the scene where Chewbacca's family appears on the Millennium Falcon.

Skywalker Sound's employee count fluctuates between 80 and 160, depending on the volume of work. They offer sound post-production services for various media, including movies, commercials, television, IMAX and other large-format films, theme park experiences, and video games. Their scoring stage is equipped to record and mix music from solo piano performances to compositions involving full 130-member orchestras. Annually, they contribute to twenty to thirty films and have been awarded eighteen Academy Awards in total.