A pang of envy upon seeing the credits for “Toy Story” pushed Masataka Narita on a new career path that turned him into a force in Hollywood’s special effects field.

Narita, 56, has been the creator of the 3-D model of the Millennium Falcon starship for the last five films in the “Star Wars” franchise.

Although he modestly says he landed the job out of “luck,” Narita is known for his acute attention to detail, his relentless self-teaching and his deep research that could be mistaken for corporate espionage.

Using illustrations of the Millennium Falcon, Narita creates computerized 3-D reproductions. He even builds interior parts that are not shown in the illustrations, using his imagination to come up with the gizmos and circuitry that propel “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.”

The pipes, cables and other inside components featured in his completed computerized model add to the realism in the films, especially when the Millennium Falcon is damaged or blown up.

In 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” Narita’s first “Star Wars” work, he created the reproductions of both the Millennium Falcon and the Star Destroyer, the signature vessel of the villains.

He also recreated the Millennium Falcon as a gorgeous pleasure ship that ends up being heavily damaged and under frequent attack in the spin-off movie “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

Narita’s work for that movie was described as an exceptional visual effects achievement, and he was nominated for best modeling at the VES Awards.

In the latest film, “The Rise of Skywalker,” released late last year, Narita had to replace the Millennium Falcon’s commercial antenna with one for military use in line with the story.

He also had to carefully design the interior of the spacecraft, which explodes in a closing scene.

“To my dismay, it cannot be viewed well because of the smoke and flames,” he said.

Although 3-D model engineers around the world have long fantasized about working for the “Star Wars” franchise, Narita won the job after being involved in computer modeling for only four years.

He explained his unconventional route to the stars.

‘CHARADE,’ SOFTWARE AND FINANCIAL COLLAPSE

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1963, Narita fell in love with U.S. films after watching “Charade” as a 10-year-old boy. He was also impressed by “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Bridge on the River Kwai.”

However, the Hollywood film industry seemed a world far, far away, so Narita at the time could not even imagine working there.

After struggling with his English and Japanese language studies, he focused on science and enrolled in the engineering department at Nagoya University.

He worked at NEC Corp. and switched to what is now SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. for a higher salary during Japan’s late-1980s asset-inflated economy.

After he was sent to Silicon Valley in 1993, a film “turned his life around.”

“Toy Story,” the world’s first fully computer-animated feature film, was released in 1995.

The movie’s scenes of various toy characters moved Narita to tears. But the most surprising thing came at the end of the film.

“I found a Japanese name in the credits,” Narita recalled. “I was very disappointed at myself then because I thought I had not done what I really wanted to do.”

Two years later, the second turning point came, when Narita saw a demonstration of computer graphic design software at an exhibition he happened to pass by.

“I can create models with it,” he recalled thinking at the time.
He bought the software priced at more than 100,000 yen ($917.50) at the venue and started learning how to use it as soon as he returned home.

After work, he spent most of his time studying computer graphics. When he had gone through the thick manual that came with the software, he bought a 600-page technical book at a bookstore to study until late at night in his room.

Narita began receiving job offers from a movie production company after three years of sharpening his skills.

And then U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, leading to a global financial crisis. His company curtailed its overseas division in 2008.

Around that time, he heard that a friend had entered a major U.S. film company, so Narita decided to leave the firm where he had worked for 20 years.

At the age of 45, he went to Hollywood to “work in the film industry.”

He learned computer graphics at a school there and was involved in the production of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Iron Man 3” and other titles.

He then transferred to a visual effects company known as ILM that was established by a director who happened to be named George Lucas.

OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALWAYS OPEN

Narita attributes his unexpectedly rapid rise to success since quitting his brokerage job to only “a stroke of luck.”

But his thorough research, fine modeling ability, and hard work are behind his glittering new career.

When he started creating 3-D models, Narita pretended to be a customer at a car dealership. He took photos of the engines for visuals to reproduce a luxury vehicle for a TV commercial. Staff at the dealership gave him suspicious looks.

“Life may seem short, but we are still given much time,” Narita said.

Asked why he did not hesitate to choose what looked like an unpromising career path, Narita said opportunities are always open.

“The world is huge, so there must be places somewhere in which one is needed by others,” he said. “Trying to overcome challenges without worrying about the likelihood of failure is of great importance. It is never too late for anyone to start something.”