Dark Crystal 2? Hell yes!

Vince Twelve · Wed 01/02/2006 11:36:09

Dark Crystal was one of my fondest childhood memories. Normally, when I hear they're bringing my childhood memories back from the grave and fucking around with them, I get nervous or angry. (He-Man, I'm looking at you...) So, when I first heard a year or so back that they were making a Dark Crystal 2, I got real nervous. But it really looks like they're doing it up right!

They've signed Genndy Tartakovsky to direct the thing. The guy behind Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars. That makes me very excited. And of course Froud will stay on board as the character designer. Plus, they're keepin' it real by using puppets for the characters. I'm very excited. How about you?

And check out this plot snippet:

QuoteSet hundreds of years after the first pic, sequel follows a mysterious girl made of fire who steals a shard of the crystal in hopes of reigniting the dying sun.

How can that not be awesome?

Here's the news report. Sorry, you have to watch a short ad to get to it... stupid.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117937178&cs=1

Miez · Wed 01/02/2006 13:49:22

Awe-some!

I still think the original Dark Crystal movie could be turned into a fine fangame... I'd be more than willing to do the artwork. After FoY that is ...

Quintaros · Wed 01/02/2006 13:52:56

The Dark Crystal is a guilty pleasure film for me. It's really not that good but has a strong nostalgia factor. I'd certainly check out a sequel but it'll have to be superior to the original to really captivate me.

Darth Mandarb · Wed 01/02/2006 16:55:19

I've been hearing mumblings about this for some time now.

I am excited and disappointed ...

Why would I possibly be disappointed? I wrote a sequel myself and even started to make an AGS game (which I kept secret) awhile back. So I'm a little disappointed because it takes away from (and probably disproves) my story line.

But I'm REALLY excited because the Dark Crystal is a gem of a movie. There are few films (Labyrinth) that have such an incredibly unique style. I hope they use very little CG and do it all with puppets and real-life sets.

Here is the imdb listing: The Power of the Dark Crystal (still vague, but it does say 2006!)

Here's hoping they do it right.

JimmyShelter · Wed 01/02/2006 19:11:14

It's one of my favorite fantasy movies from the past, along with Willow and Labyrinth. Sounds great, but I hope we won't be dissappointed.

MarVelo · Wed 01/02/2006 22:10:02

God I love Dark Crystal. I have to try to find it on DVD because im afraid that my VHS of it will get to worn out.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Thu 02/02/2006 00:12:29

I'm glad they mentioned that Tartakovsky is being brought in for his cgi company so I know to avoid the film. Thanks!

Vince Twelve · Thu 02/02/2006 01:51:31

It didn't say that he's being brought in for his cgi company. I'd say it's more likely that he's being brought in for his directing skills and unique eye for style.

It does say, however, that his cgi company will be handling the 3d backdrops rather than building elaborate sets like the first movie which is a bit of a let down (like Darth, I was hoping for more practical sets and effects) but they're operating on fairly low budget.

Kinoko · Thu 02/02/2006 05:38:26

The Dark Crystal is in the second layer of my childhood favourites. I remember it fondly, and I watched it a lot as a child, but I find I'm not that interested in it these days. My first level favourites are already filled up with Labyrinth and Goonies in first place, only slightly higher than Return to Oz and the Never Ending Story.

Alongside the Dark Crystal, I may place something like the Navigator... though I recognise the DC is a much better film than that. I have no explanation for why it isn't first level... :/ I just don't still have the spark with it that I've managed to retain with the others.

In that sense, I don't care so much that they're doing a sequel (meaning, I'm not horrified that a dear memory will be tainted)... it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

I'm still REALLY hanging out for the Last Unicorn remake though. Damn! Hope that's still going ahead.

PaulSC · Thu 02/02/2006 11:41:47

My problem with the Dark Crystal was the the actual story isn't really that memorable. I rewatched it a couple of years back but I still can't remember what it's really about. It had one of the creepiest and most 'real' feeling worlds of those 80's fantasies, but I reckon most of the others were better.

And man, people can be such dogmatic luddites when it comes to CGI. It's depressing that the involvement of the hugely talented Tartakovsky is being overlooked because of one of the technologies he's using to make the thing. CGI is not the end of the world, it's just another way of doing things! Judge it after it's done.

Sylpher · Sat 04/02/2006 01:02:17

I am amazed at how much of the original 'cast' is returning. Not something you see happen too often in a sequel this long off.

As far as the CGI thing is concerned normally I would defend when people knock it before they even take a gander at it stance, but I do see some justification in this instance. I said some! The big deal about this movie is how it used puppets. Let's take a great fantasy movie of the 80's for comparison.. Willow. A great movie by its own merits and even though there was puppetry/costume work.. that isn't really what made the movie click. (It was 'little people' O_o) A sequel to Willow could be made today and they might even need to try to make CGI ruin it. I would take a guess things like plot and charactures would ruin it much faster than some 3d trolls...

What made Dark Cystal so awesome is how it portrayed a story using puppets. The craft of creating an object and making it express itself as a characture and interacting with its enviroment. This is similair to CGI, but do not confuse them as the same thing.

And don't get me wrong, mixing in CGI with the puppets doesn't spell instant disaster. It just needs to be understood that there is a good mix and balance.. and then there is Star Wars: Episode 1-3.