5 Fantastical Facts About Jim Henson’s ‘The Dark Crystal’

Gabrielle Moss October 25, 12:59 pm

THE DARK CRYSTAL, from top: Kira (voice: Lisa Maxwell), Fizzgig (voice: Percy Edwards), 1982. — ©Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

It’s time to fight against the dark side (and those gross Skeksis) this Saturday night, Oct. 26, when the Sven Squad presents Jim Henson‘s film The Dark Crystal as the second part of a double feature on Svengoolie’s MeTV series Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie.

In 1982, Henson was known the world over as the man behind the feisty, kid-friendly Muppets. No one could have guessed that he’d follow all that up with a dark fantasy puppet epic — one that traumatized countless little kids and angered their parents, who couldn’t believe the man who created cute Kermit the Frog would make a movie where puppets fight, die and drain each other’s life forces.

Today, the movie — directed by Henson and Frank Oz (who voiced Miss Piggy and Fozzie) — is considered a classic, and has spawned a prequel TV series, multiple tie-in books, graphic novels and role-playing games. But when it was released, critics and audiences were wildly divided, with one 1982 newspaper article proclaiming, “It is the movie [Henson] wanted. Whether it is the movie anyone else wants remains to be seen.”

How exactly did Henson decide to trade in his adorable felt frog for some evil reptile monsters? Read on to find out!

1It Was Inspired by a Drawing From a Lewis Carroll Book

Henson’s plan for The Dark Crystal was supposedly sparked by seeing an illustration in a book of poetry written by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. The image, which depicts two crocodiles relaxing in a fine Victorian bathroom, made Henson begin to imagine a story that involved corrupt reptile aristocrats.

After kicking around some ideas, Henson joined forces with fantasy artist Brian Froud in 1977. Froud began sketching out character and set ideas, building up the species and settings that make up the world of the film. The next year, Henson wrote out a rough story outline with his daughter Cheryl called “The Crystal,” and work had truly begun.

2It Was Also Inspired by Henson’s Older Show

Before there was The Muppet Show, there was … Gorch. In the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1975, Henson — who had already showcased the Muppets on late-night shows, commercials and episodes of Sesame Street, but had not yet launched the puppets in their own series — produced a series of skits called “The Land of Gorch.” In it, a group of somewhat frightening-looking puppets, who live on a desiccated planet, argued, gossiped, drank and engaged in other non-kid-friendly activities.

The skits were a famously bad match for the show and notoriously unpopular with the SNL crew — some cast members supposedly referred to them as “mucking fuppets.” Both groups agreed to part ways after the first season. But Henson hung on to some of the ideas that had bubbled up in his mind while developing “The Land of Gorch” — mainly that he wanted to create a “world with as much depth and texture as ours and with as much history behind it to explain how those who live there got the way they are,” according to a 1982 profile.

3The Gelfings Were Originally Furry, Blue & 6 Years Old

DARK CRYSTAL, l-r: Fizzgig, Kira, Jen, 1982

The elfin Gelflings are the closest things to human beings who appear on screen in The Dark Crystal. But in original sketches, the Gelflings were more animal-like and covered in light blue fur. They were made to look more human because the blue designs “proved an obstacle to making Kira look pretty.” Kira and Jen were also originally sketched as young children, around 6 years old; in later designs, they were made into the older, teen-like characters seen in the film.

The Gelflings weren’t the only characters that changed a lot over the course of the film’s development; the Landstriders were originally designed as huge fuzzy spiders.

4The Film Featured the Most Complex Puppets Ever Made

DARK CRYSTAL, from left: Jen (voice: Stephen Garlick), Urzah (voice: Sean Barrett), 1982.

The Dark Crystal was marketed as the first live-action film without any human actors. But the puppets used were almost as complex as actual human beings. They utilized the most cutting-edge technology available in 1982 and used animatronic mechanisms to control their mouth movements. Some puppets required five puppeteers to operate, with specific teams devoted to arm movements and facial movements. Many of the puppeteers also received mime and modern dance training while working on the film.

5The Skeksis Originally Had Their Own Language

Henson had originally imagined the evil Skeksis as speaking their own language that would be impenetrable to viewers. Screenwriter David Odell even invented a language for the creatures to use to communicate with each other. Henson envisioned the monsters speaking in the film with no subtitles — viewers would simply have to guess what they were saying, based on their tone.

However, early screenings showed the problem with this approach: Audiences had no idea what was happening and could not follow the plot. Henson and his crew quickly rewrote English dialogue to be dubbed over any scene where the Skeksis speak.