Kerner Optical was an American practical visual effects company based in San Rafael, California.
Originally the practical effects division of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), it was spun off as an autonomous company in 2006. After five years of operating independently, Kerner declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in 2011.
History
Kerner's history dates to George Lucas's founding of Industrial Light and Magic. In the late 1970s, ILM moved to facilities in San Rafael, California, on Kerner Boulevard; the sign outside the building identified it as the Kerner Company.[1] The company hid in plain sight and was known to locals, industry insiders, clients and suppliers as Kerner. George Lucas explained[2] that the name Kerner was a "deception designed to keep kids from rummaging through garbage bins".
In 2006, the practical effects department was, like Pixar in 1986, spun off from Industrial Light & Magic