When I was a kid, one of my all time favorite movies was The Dark Crystal. Released in 1982, it was a dark children's fantasy, created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the creators of The Muppet Show. Jim wrote the story, both Jim & Frank directed, and they collaborated with Brian Froud, a fantasy artist, to create a really unique and excellent film with amazing puppets and a lush world. Incidentally, this team went on to create another favorite film, Labyrinth, a few years later.Every single character in the film is a puppet, which is pretty impressive as there are a large number of characters and creatures in the film. Some are humans in costume, some are more animatronic. Henson and Oz really upped the standards for puppetry with the film. I re-watched it a few days ago and I'm impressed by how good it still looks. And watching it reminded me that it kind of scared me as a kid - the Skekis and the Crystal Bats and the beetle things, and, well, a lot of dark creepy stuff happens. And I LOVED it.
