The trick is not to make it too puppet-like. Gelflings have a very naturalistic movement and demand a more subtle performance. “We really had to grow and expand the world, and they are some of the hardest puppets to create and perform with. “The new Gelflings will make you remember Jen and Kira from the movie,” he notes. We worked on it for a good year and a half, and shooting wrapped in late 2018.”įroud says while the original characters are beloved and amazing to observe, he feels that there are some fantastic new ones introduced on the show that audiences will be excited to get to know. “The studio used to be an old Royal Mail depot, and it was perfect because it also had an area we could use as our workshop space, where we set up the creatures and handled the maintenance of the puppets. Work on the project began in early 2017, and the puppets were designed and made in the Creature Shop in Los Angeles, and then shipped to the U.K., where filming took place at Langley Studios near London. All puppeteers went through all kinds of hell to make everything run smoothly, but they did an amazing job of realizing Louis’s and our producers’ vision.”Īccording to Froud, a total of about 20 main puppets and 90 secondary puppets were created for the first season of the show. But we still had to hide the puppeteers and make sure they all functioned, of course. Our ability to move the puppets in this world has also increased. Our director was able to use the camera as something that was alive within this world. “We now have the use of greenscreen, and we’re able to move the camera through this fantastical world.
“It was a huge undertaking to recreate something that was done 37 years ago and bring in more modern technology,” he says. We put in a lot more details, and everything was pushed to another level.”įroud explains that the designers had to incorporate a lot more detail in the design of both the puppets and the sets. “We had to make sure the series feel like the original film, but was updated for today’s audience.
“It was fantastic to work with my father, who designed the original, and act as an interpreter to help push the design and figure out the 3D forms, textures, feelings and fabrics for these puppets with the team,” says Froud. Toby Froud, whose puppet sculpting credits include Laika’s ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, says he was thrilled to be working with his father on such a monumental show.
Toby Froud today and as a baby with David Bowie in Labyrinth In addition, their talented son, puppet-maker Toby Froud, who played little Toby in Labyrinth, also worked on the series. It looks absolutely stunning.”įans of the 1982 classic will be thrilled to know that master creature designer and illustrator Brian Froud and his wife, puppet-maker and sculptor Wendy Midener, who worked on The Dark Crystal, were also part of the team. We chose the long, hardest road and we’re very thankful. As Leterrier told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year, “It’s so complicated to build a puppet, hire puppeteers, all that stuff. Just like the original movie, the series is a showcase for the beautifully crafted, unforgettable puppets made at the Henson Creature Shop, but it does include CG work for wire removal, set extensions and cinematic shots panning the world of the Gelflings.
The 10-part show, which is directed by Louis Leterrier ( Now You See Me, Clash of the Titans) follows three Gelflings - Rian, Brea and Deet (voiced by Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel) - who inspire a rebellion against the evil Skeksis when they discover a horrible secret behind their power. This summer, fans of the hugely popular cult movie can return to the magical world of Thra thanks to the much-anticipated prequel The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which premieres on Netflix in August. The Jim Henson and Frank Oz-directed 1982 puppet fantasy adventure The Dark Crystal holds a special place in the hearts of kids who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s. ***This story originally appeared in the August ‘19 issue of Animation Magazine (No.
0 kommentar(er)
