When I was about fourteen I had a small book about the making of Star Wars; as I read it I remember learning for the first time how much effort went into making a movie.

Here is a great presentation that covers the same themes…

The Force Behind Star Wars: Turning Design Ideas into Reality » SlideShare

It’s worth remembering that Lucas dedicated years of his life to the project that he loved. ILM and Pixar have to be two of the most interesting companies in the world. There is a Horizon program from 1985 called “How to film the impossible” that is well worth hunting down about how ILM worked at the time.