MirrorMask (2005)

In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home.

Director:

Dave McKean

Writers:

Neil Gaiman (story), Dave McKean (story),

Stars:

Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephanie Leonidas	...	Helena / Anti-Helena
Jason Barry	...	Valentine
Rob Brydon	...	Morris Campbell / Prime Minister
Gina McKee	...	Joanne Campbell / Queen of Light / Queen of Shadows
Dora Bryan	...	Aunt Nan
Stephen Fry	...	Librarian
Andy Hamilton	...	Small Hairy
Simon Harvey	...	Sphinx
Lenny Henry	...	Cops 1-4
Robert Llewellyn	...	Gryphon
Eryl Maynard	...	Mrs. Bagwell
Eve Pearce	...	Future Fruit Lady
Nik Robson	...	Pingo / Bing (as Nik Robinson)
Victoria Williams	...	Nurse
Rick Allen	...	Man In a Box

Storyline

In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl named Helena who works at the family circus with her father and mother, who wishes--quite ironically--that she could run away from the circus and join 'real life'. But such is not to be the case, as she finds herself on a strange journey into the Dark Lands, a fantastic landscape filled with giants, Monkeybirds and dangerous sphinxes. She must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get back home.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | dream | fantasy world | queen | mother daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

An extraordinary dream quest to rescue a world out of balance.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and scary images

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Carobna maska

Filming Locations:

Black Island Studios, Alliance Road, Acton, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$126,449 (USA) (30 September 2005)

Gross:

$864,959 (USA) (9 December 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Destination Films, Jim Henson Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an interview with Neil Gaiman, the original computers used to do all of the CG were named after the Beatles (John, Paul, Ringo, George). Later a fifth computer was required, so it was named Yoko. Soon after the fifth computer was introduced, the network crashed and could not be restored properly ("the computers refused to talk to each other"). A new server and computers were purchased and named after The Ramones (Joey, Jonny, DeeDee and Tommy). Gaiman said "I wish I knew more about the history of The Ramones; the computers performed brilliantly, vibrantly and died an untimely - and early - death"

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Goofs

Dwarf actor Peter Burroughs is misspelled in the end credits.

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Quotes

Helena: Where's your fruit? I brought you fruit yesterday.
[looks over at other patient; leans in close to Joanne]
Helena: She didn't take it, did she? Did she?
Joanne: [looks over; chuckles] No.

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Connections

Referenced in Coraline (2009)

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Soundtracks

"My Waltz for Newk"
Performed by Iain Ballamy and Stian Carstensen

User Reviews

If Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland had a baby....

MirrorMask is like the crack baby of Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland--but this baby is more stylized, modern, and incredibly beautiful.

I am a huge fan of both Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman's work. I consider myself lucky, because I was able to meet Neil at the Salt Lake Public Library a couple of years ago, and I was treated to a sneak preview of MirrorMask at the San Diego Comic Convention in 2004. And amazingly enough, I got to see the film at the Sundance Film Festival on January 29th-- and Neil and Dave were there again. So, I've felt attached to this project for a while.

This is a film that children and adults will adore. The humor is great, and the characters are immediately enjoyable and identifiable. Helena, the main character, possesses the kind of wide-eyed wonderment and tenacious attitude that all viewers will find believably endearing. The other characters range from strangely beautiful and frightening, as in the Black Queen, to comical and seemingly ordinary, as in the sardonic juggler, Valentine. The background characters are beautifully rendered and reflect McKean's style perfectly. The costume design is particularly outstanding—details are not overlooked. One could view the film a dozen times and still see new surprises.

Like Labyrinth, the film follows Helena through a journey of self-discovery, where she ultimately begins to understand the importance of her herself and her family—and of the ultimate power of hope. As a child, I was captivated by Labyrinth's Sarah character, and I think younger generations will latch onto Helena just as quickly. Helena is more believable though, than Sarah—and her role is a positive one. She is a strong, intelligent, and inquisitive girl, just on the verge of womanhood.

The entire film floored me—I feel so lucky to have seen it. If any of you have a chance to see it, do so immediately. Hopefully, the film will be released to theaters around the country— this would be an especially wise move, as I'm sure it will become a classic fantasy film for all ages.