01880s nostalgia getspuppet-poweredThe fantastical world Jim Henson helped create 37
years ago for The Dark Crystal is now reborn for a Netflix
prequel. CGI fans should watch from behind the sofaIn the cavernous warehouses of
Langley Studios in Slough, Berkshire, a
fantastical world is taking root. Luscious
forests sprout from wooden stages,
inhabited by mysterious creatures large
and small. The planet Thra is back.
Thirty-seven years after The Dark
Crystal, Frank Oz and Muppets creator
Jim Henson’s cult puppet film, the world
they created returns in a Netflix Originals
series launching on August 30. The Dark
Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel
to the 1982 film, pits peaceful Gelfling
creatures against the evil, vulture-like
Skeksis, with the fate of Thra at stake.
As in the original, all the characters
are played by puppets (and voiced by a
cast including Taron Egerton and Anya
Taylor-Joy). “We’re bringing back an old
technique and an in-camera, physical
effect that you haven’t seen in a long
time,” says Lisa Henson, CEO of the Jim
Henson Company. (Jim died in 2000; Lisa
is his daughter.) “For many years, you’d
expect this type of story to be told in CG.”
One major update is in the filming
techniques: director Louis Leterrier
pursues a dynamic approach, following
characters with a ceaselessly shiftingsteadycam, creating sweeping shots and closeups once thought
impossible. “The way he’s moving the camera fundamentally
changes what a puppet show is,” says visual artist Toby Froud,
who teamed up with father Brian (designer on the original Dark
Crystal) and puppet-maker mother Wendy for Age of Resistance.
The characters are incredibly detailed – you see the pores in
Gelfling Rian’s skin – though Toby Froud says the trick is not
“about creating the best-detailed wrinkles – it’s about finding
the inner character”. Alice Dinnean, the puppeteer behind
Gelfling princess Brea, uses a modified Nintendo Wii controller.
One joystick changes the direction Brea’s eyes are looking in;
another raises or lowers her brow; a clicker makes her blink.
She can also move Brea’s ears and mouth, and by combining
these, Dinnean creates complex, realistic expressions.
While playing the characters, the puppeteers have to
constantly vet what they’re doing on
a monitor. A simple action for human
actors, such as two characters looking
at each other, can take a lot of trial and
error. “I can’t think of any other type of
performance where you’re watching the
final product as you do it,” says Dinnean.
The creators hope to blend the
wonder and craft of the original with
action made possible by new tools and
techniques. As for the plot, writer Javier
Grillo-Marxuach says it will be no less
scary. “This is a dark fairytale,” he says.
“It’s not called The Happy Crystal.Ó VTSTARTLeft: Puppeteer
Warrick Brownlow-
Pike on the Dark
Crystal: Age of
Resistance set.
Below: Brownlow-
Pike up close with a
vulture-like Skeksis09-19-STdarkCrystal.indd 16 10/07/2019 13:10