The Popular “The Dark Crystal” Back on the Big Screen

On October 12 and 13, the Dietrich Theater will be showing the 1982 classic “The Dark Crystal.” This film wasn’t considered a hit when it was initially released, though it did achieve a modest profit and critical acclaim for its artistry. While its box office performance was somewhat disappointing (between $40 and 45 million worldwide) and its dark tone scared some parents from having their children see it during its theatrical run, the film has since become a beloved cult classic.

Jen, raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he’s the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings, He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe.

After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard.

When “The Dark Crystal” was initially released in 1982, despite the acclaim that the critics and audiences gave for its technical achievements, initial reviews were heavily mixed, primarily due to the darker tone of the film. Now, this cult classic is appreciated for its groundbreaking puppetry, intricate world-building and a rather unique version.

The lead character’s (Jen) quest is easily one of the most memorable moments of the film. Throughout his journey, the Skeksis, the cruel, decaying bird-like creatures that are truly memorable for their haunting design - no wonder parents thought this was too scary for some of their children!

Jim Henson and his talented team did a remarkable job creating a wholly original, immersive, and detailed world with a palpable sense of place, a concept that had been largely unseen on film at that point. “The Dark Crystal” was also notable for featuring an all-puppet cast and ended up being a technical marvel for its time.

The 1982 classic is a ground-breaking fantasy film that will always be renowned for its stunning, original world-building and intricate puppet-based effects, creating a visually rich and immersive experience of the alien world of Thra. As a departure from Hanson’s more comedic Muppet work, its darker, more dramatic tone later became a celebrated aspect of its unique vision.

Trivia: Jim Henson’s plan with this movie was to get back to the darkness of original Brothers Grimm fairy tales. He felt that children liked the idea of being scared and that was a healthy emotion for them. Early drafts of the script featured Jen and Kira traveling through the underworld, where they encountered a race of underground mining creatures. The concept was later integrated into “Fraggle Rock.”

A Netflix prequel series, titled “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” was announced in May 2017 and premiered on August 30, 2019. The prequel series took place on Thra several hundred years before Jen embarked on his quest to find the missing crystal shard.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 93 minutes)

“The Dark Crystal” will be showing at the Dietrich Theater on October 12 (1 pm and 7 pm) and October 13 (7 pm). If you can’t make it to these special showings, this cult classic is currently streaming on Peacock and Tubi.

• Jim Henson's plan with this movie was to get back to the darkness of original Brothers Grimm fairy tales. He felt that children liked the idea of being scared and that this was a healthy emotion for them with which to deal.

• Early drafts of the script featured Jen and Kira travelling through the underworld, where they encountered a race of underground mining creatures. The concept was later integrated into Fraggle Rock (1983).

• At the time it was made, it was hailed as the only live-action movie in which a human character makes no appearance. With the exception of some wide shots of the Gelflings, it would've been the first live-action movie where no human actors appeared.

• Jim Henson personally trimmed twenty minutes from this movie after a disastrous preview in San Francisco, California. He also ordered many of the character voices re-dubbed to eliminate some of the invented character languages, making this movie more accessible and the plot easier to follow.

• Conceptual designer Brian Froud was behind the look and feel of virtually every aspect of the production, from creatures and landscapes right down to the font of the opening title. In total, it took up five years of his life.

• Conceptual artist Brian Froud and puppet designer Wendy Midener met on the set of this movie and were later married. Their son Toby Froud would work on the prequel series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) as a designer 37 years later.

• This movie was banned in several Muslims and Islamic countries due to content that was deemed sacreligious. Every Arabic-dubbed and Farsi-dubbed copy was destroyed by censors.

• This movie made slightly over $40 million from a $15 million budget. Many parents felt the movie was too scary for their children.

• In May 2017, it was announced that Netflix is producing a prequel television series to this movie titled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), and that the prequel series will take place on Thra several hundred years before Jen embarked on his quest to find the missing crystal shard to The Dark Crystal. The prequel series premiered on August 30, 2019.

• The sixteenth highest grossing movie in North America in 1982.

• The reason Universal Pictures was only the theatrical distributor of the movie (and continued to retain rights to theatrical re-releases) and never got home video rights is because ITC Entertainment sold their share back to The Jim Henson Company, who had control over home video distribution. They made a deal with Disney and one with Sony (Columbia-TriStar) in the 1990s. Even though later on they made deals with HIT Entertainment, Lionsgate and Vivendi Entertainment. This movie, Labyrinth (1986) and The Storyteller (1987) video rights have always remained with Sony.

• This movie received mixed reviews. Some praised its technical aspects and some enjoyed it, but many found the puppet approach to be unrealistic and distracting (particularly the stone-faced gelfling), and the voicing to be over the top. In any case, this movie did fairly well at the box office.