[1][2] He was involved in the Star Wars franchise and many other iconic film and book projects, including an album cover for Jethro Tull's Broadsword and the Beast.

During that time, he directed his first professional film, a 1998 short called The Face, which won multiple awards,[8] including the Year 2000 Notable Video from the American Library Association.

[4] At a 2016 speaking engagement at Academy of Art University, McCaig revealed that the original plan for Padmé's character was for her to almost kill Anakin Skywalker to start a galactic revolution.

[9][10] Among his other credits are Terminator 2, Hook, Interview with the Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Charlotte's Web, Peter Pan, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,[11] The Spiderwick Chronicles,[4] John Carter of Mars, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Jungle Book.

[4] The book is a combination of mini-art classes, an allegorical novella on McCaig's creative process, and a retrospective of 28 years of his film and personal work.