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Rating:  -
The Jim Henson Company, Dave Mckean and Neil Gaiman are binge stealing unique images and ideas from talented artist around the world, making "their big names" out of it.
In 1998 I worked for the Jim Henson Creature Shop in London. They scaned a lot of my artwork during my job interview with them (producer Michael Turoff).
In 2004 Jim Henson Creature Shop in London, Dave Mckean and Neil Gaiman used my imagery without a permission as a blueprint for character design for the Mirrormask.
I won six awards for illustration in Canada and they are published in the Creative Source of Canada in 1996 and 1997.
Shall we stop the mediocre Dave Mckean and Neil Gaiman from robbing unique artist and writers!
Tanya Doskova
Rating:  -
So, basically, this is a special effects piece through and through. And a rather bizarre one at that (my first impression was "Wizard of Oz on LSD"). The imagery is strange, ethereal, slightly jarring at times and occasionally a bit dark (though never frighteningly so).
The movie is, in large part (aside from the beginning and end), a dream-world. And, much as dreams often don't make sense, neither does this world when it comes right down to it. As such the plot seems a bit contrived at times with semi-random events happening and semi-random resolutions to situations.
While the visuals are sometimes cool and the movie is relatively inventive, somehow the movie still didn't do much for me. I can't really put my finger on it. I guess it was the somewhat jarring and unsettled feeling / mood of the movie that was offputting.
The special features are fairly interesting, with some "making-of" material, etc.
Rating:  -
I came to Mirrormask with no expectations other than that the film was Neil Gaiman's pet project, and anything Gaiman passionately believes in is something I wanted to see.
Mirrormask's style is a combination of those psychedelic Beatles cartoons mixed with The Neverending Story, Legend, and Labyrinth - appropriate, since The Jim Henson Company helped create the virtual world where the movie takes place. At its heart, Mirrormask is about a girl, Helena (Stephanie Leonides) and her independence from her mother Joanne (Gina McKee). Like so many impetuous young girls in movies, Helena ranges from clingy devotion to her mother to feckless rage, and it's during one of her darker moments that she wishes Joanne dead ... which ends with Joanne in the hospital.
The guilt that this tantrum engenders in poor Helena is enough to send her on a Hero's Journey. And wrapped up in this journey isn't just a quest to save her mother, but to save herself; as an adolescent, there are clear signs that Helena is on the wrong path. Throughout the bizarre universe that Helena travels, she discovers the duality of self: between darkness and light, affection and possession. Windows are gateways to the real world. Creatures have bizarre features or none at all, and the few humanoids that live in Helena's fantasyland all wear masks, which they believe are their real faces.
And what a strange world it is! Labyrinth was odd, but the protagonist was grounded in reality. Helena comes from a junk pile universe of recycled material and garish display, and her imagination reflects her circus origins in every character and building. In that regard, Mirrormask is a breathtaking spectacle.
Story-wise, Mirrormask isn't quite as interesting. Helena discovers that she's not just in a dream world, she's actually switched places with her evil twin. While Helena is exploring her childlike fantasies her doppelganger is exhibiting, as child advocates say, "risky behavior" in her body. It's up to Helena to take back her real self, both physically and spiritually, and maybe save her mother's life in the process.
Mirrormask is a surprisingly feminine fantasy, all too lacking in a genre dominated by sword and sorcery. It's also marketed to a very specific niche, that of the tween heroine fantasy, and that might not go over well with everyone. My wife thoroughly enjoyed it; I was so caught up in staring at all the backgrounds that I didn't always track the plot.
Ultimately, Mirrormask is more of a tour of a bizarre universe than a movie, and worth watching with female company. You will never listen to "Close to You" the same way again.
Rating: -
There are few comic book writers in the world that are more respected than master storyteller Neil Gaiman, whose combination of whimsical fantasy, dark satire, and comedic absurdism brought him to the forefront of the "British invasion" of comic books in the 1980s. Gaiman's collaborations with celebrated artist/writer, Dave McKean have resulted in some truly unique works, but perhaps their most ambitious collaborative effort is the hallucinatory fantasy film MirrorMask. MirrorMask was produced by The Jim Henson Company, who were responsible for some of the greatest fantasy films made in the `80s. Unlike those previous films, which were populated by quirky characters that were brought to life by puppets, MirrorMask was created using CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery). This heavy use of computer effects feels overwhelming much of the time and undermines the emotional impact of the film.
Helena, a teenaged girl, lives with her mother and father as part of a traveling circus. But Helena long for a normal life outside of juggling, people in costumes and makeup, and the pressures of performing in front of crowds of spectators. After an intense confrontation with her mother, Helena is shocked to discover that her mother has cancer and will need an emergency operation. Conflicted and full of guilt and regret, Helena falls into a troubled sleep where she is transported into a surrealistic nightmare world. In this nightmare world, Helena is mistaken for the daughter of the unforgiving Dark Queen, whose daughter is identical in appearance to Helena. The nightmare world is fragmented and unstable, and in order to restore balance Helena must find the magic MirrorMask and return to her own world where the Dark Queen's daughter has assumed her identity. Helena is aided, and at times hindered, by a host of otherworldly characters and creatures such as stone giants, sphinxes, a griffin, and monkeybirds. She also finds a companion in the roguish jester, Valentine. But can Helena save the dream world and return to her own? And will her mother be all right when she gets home?
While the film is stunningly original in its vision, the plot is typical of the fantasy genre, and is strongly reminiscent of both Through the Looking Glass and The Wizard of Oz. The visual style may remind some people of surrealist artists like Salvador Dali and expressionists like Edvard Munch, but for the most part the film looks like nothing you'll have ever seen before.
Although I greatly admire the filmmakers for their creative audacity, I must admit that I was disappointed with the execution of the story. I think this can be attributed to the fact that director David McKean had only ever directed short films and music videos, which left him ill prepared to tell a complex story on film. The narrative, which feels rushed, will probably be incomprehensible to younger viewers, who will probably be too freaked out by the weird atmosphere to care.
All in all, MirrorMask feels like an experiment that didn't go as planned. It's neither a masterpiece nor a disaster, but rather the first cinematic effort of a director who shows real potential. I hope if and when David McKean makes another film, that he will take more time to develop an emotional investment in characters, and that he'll be given a larger budget, and a better editor.
Also recommended:
The Dark Crystal / Labyrinth - Double Feature
The NeverEnding Story
Jim Henson's the Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
The Pagemaster
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere
Spirited Away
MirrorMask: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
MirrorMask: The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture by Neil Gaiman and David McKean
Rating: -
When I heard about this I was kind of hesitant to watch it because I thought it was going to try too hard. Well... it doesn't. It well exceeded my expectations and was DRIPPING with creativity and imagination. This is a good escape for adults (kind of like the Wizard of Oz) but will also be great for kids as a modern-day fantasy flick instead of appealing to the 80's for imaginative movie making.
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