MirrorMask

MirrorMask is a fantasy film produced by the Jim Henson Company, combining live actors, elaborate sculpted masks, and computer generated characters and settings. 
==Synopsis==
The film tells the story of a girl named Helena, a child of a circus family who wants to run away and join real life. After an argument with her mother, the latter falls ill. A compulsive artist, Helena retreats, through her drawings, into a parallel dream world where she must retrieve the MirrorMask to awaken the sleeping Queen of Light.
==Background==
According to Michael Polis, Vice President of Home Entertainment for the Jim Henson Company at the time, the beginnings of MirrorMask date back to 1999 when the company notes The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth sold extremely well on DVD. "So, we knew there was a decent audience out there for these sorts of titles and we wanted to see if we could try to create new content using either The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth. We looked into doing a prequel to Dark Crystal and sequels for Labyrinth and ultimately decided it made the most sense to try and create something similar or in the spirit of those films and attribute it as a Jim Henson Company fantasy title."Putting on the "MirrorMask": Executive Producer Michael Polis on the Film August 6, 2004 
The producers had preliminary conversations with Brian Froud on designing the world of the film (as he had done on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth), but ultimately shifted to Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean to lead the project.
In February of 2002, Gaiman and McKean stayed for several days in the Henson family house in London, where they wrote the first draft of the script. Inspiration was provided by a number of original Labyrinth puppets, concept art, and a three-hour working print of the movie, featuring the original puppeteers' voices.
Most of the movie was shot against blue screen. McKean and his team of computer animators then created the sets and many of the characters, inserting footage of the live actors into the scenes.
==Cast==
*Stephanie Leonidas as Helena Campbell/Anti-Helena
*Jason Barry as Valentine
*Rob Brydon as Morris Campbell/Prime Minister
*Gina McKee as Joanne Campbell/Queen of Light/Queen of Shadows
*Dora Bryan as Auntie Nan
*Stephen Fry as the Librarian (voice and mouth)
*Andy Hamilton as Small Hairy (voice)
*Simon Harvey as Sphinx (voice and face)
*Lenny Henry as Cops 1-4 (voice)
*Robert Llewellyn as Gryphon (voice and face)
*Eryl Maynard as Mrs. Bagwell
*Eve Pearce as Future Fruit Lady
*Nik Robinson as Pingo/Bing
*Victoria Williams as Nurse
==Additional Credits==
*Executive Producers: Lisa Henson, Michael Polis, Martin G. Baker
*CGI Supervisor: Max McMullin
*Digital Animation/Effects: Hourglass Studios
*Additional Rendering: Jim Henson's Creature Shop
==Release==
MirrorMask premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2005 with both Lisa Henson and Neil Gaiman present at all screenings. It opened in limited release in theaters on September 30th, 2005.
==Merchandise==
===The Alchemy of MirrorMask book===
The Alchemy of MirrorMask is a 208 page coffee-table book, documenting the design process behind MirrorMask, as recalled by director Dave McKean. Collaborator Neil Gaiman provides additional commentary, and Lisa Henson supplies an introduction. 
The densely illustrated book features film stills, production photos, concept sketches, rough designs, and test models, and examines the various visual settings and characters in the film.
Image:Alchemyofmirrormask.jpg
===Dark Horse===
Dark Horse produced a line of MirrorMask merchandise in 2005.
File:DarkHorse MM PVC-1.jpg|PVC figure set #1
File:DarkHorse MM PVC-2.jpg|PVC figure set #2
File:DarkHorse MM PVC-3.jpg|PVC figure set #3
File:DarkHorse MM Sphinx statue.jpg|Sphinx statue
File:DarkHorse MM Queen bust.jpg|Dark Queen bustLE 2500
File:DarkHorse MirrorMask journal.jpg|"A Really Useful Book" journal
===CafePress===
CafePress released web exclusive buttons and coffee mugs for the release of the film. Each button was available in red, white, or pale blue.
Image:Anti_Helena_Button.jpeg|Anti-Helena
Image:Bunny_slippers_p.jpeg|Bunny Slippers
Image:Cat_mural_w.jpeg|Cat Mural
Image:Dark_light_button.jpeg|Dark/Light
Image:Dark_queen_p.jpeg|Dark Queen
Image:Giants_w.jpeg|Giants
Image:Helena_p.jpeg|Helena
Image:Joanne_p.jpeg|Joanne
Image:Key_button.jpeg|Key
Image:Masks_w.jpeg|Masks
Image:Monkeybird_p.jpeg|Monkeybird
Image:Morris_button.jpeg|Morris
Image:Pingo_button.jpeg|Pingo
Image:Princess_helena_w.jpeg|Princess Helena
Image:Shadow_spider_p.jpeg|Shadow Spider
Image:Sketch_w.jpeg|Sketch
Image:Sock_puppets_p.jpeg|Sock Puppets
Image:Sphinx_button.jpeg|Sphinx
Image:Valentine_w.jpeg|Valentine
Image:White_queen_p.jpeg|White Queen
Image:White_queen_reclined_w.jpeg|White Queen (reclined)
Image:City_mug.jpeg|City Mug
Image:Horizon_mug.jpeg|Horizon Mug
Image:Sleep_mug.jpeg|Sleep Mug
==Sources==
==External links==
*IMDb
*Official Movie Site
*The Big Cartoon Database
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Henson Company Movies
Category:Creature Shop Movies