MirrorMask (2005)

Director:

Dave McKean

Writers (WGA):

Neil Gaiman (story) &
Dave McKean (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 October 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Dream | Fantasy World | Queen | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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
Gina D'Angelo	...	Heir of Insanity Woman
Simon Schofield	...	Heir of Insanity Man
Silvia Fratelli	...	Mimbre
Lina Johansson	...	Mimbre
Emma Noris	...	Mimbre (as Emma Norin)
Peachi Pangea	...	Pyrotechnic Artist
Mark Tate	...	Stilt Walker
Richard Thompson	...	Tat - The Strongman / Gorilla
Robin Thompson	...	Magician
Iain Ballamy	...	Circus band - band leader and soprano sax
Chris Batchelor	...	Circus band - trumpet
Stian Carstensen	...	Circus band - button accordian
Martin France	...	Circus band - drum kit
Stuart Hall	...	Circus band - violin and banjo
Dave Powell	...	Circus band - sousaphone
Trifon Trifanov	...	Circus band - alto sax
Peter Borroughs	...	Red Troll
Rusty Goffe	...	Yellow Gnome
Kerry Jay	...	Music Box Dancer
Fiona Reynard	...	Receptionist
Nick Dainton	...	Politician / Monkeybirds
Nick Jackson	...	Male Giant / Mr. Shoe-Thing / Monkeybirds
Mark Perry	...	Politician / Monkeybirds
Kate Robbins	...	Female Giant / Mrs. Shoe-Thing / Chicken
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stuart St. Paul	...	Ticket Buyer (uncredited)

Directed by
Dave McKean

Writing credits (WGA)
Neil Gaiman		(story) &
Dave McKean		(story)
Neil Gaiman		(teleplay)

Produced by
Martin G. Baker	....	executive producer
Lisa Henson	....	executive producer
Simon Moorhead	....	producer
Michael Polis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Iain Ballamy

Cinematography by
Tony Shearn		(as Antony Shearn)

Film Editing by
Nicolas Gaster

Casting by
Louis Hammond

Production Design by
Dave McKean

Art Direction by
Zöe Trodden		(supervising art director)

Costume Design by
Robert Lever

Makeup Department
Michele Bell	....	hair designer (as Michelle Davison-Bell)
Michele Bell	....	makeup designer (as Michelle Davison-Bell)
Sam Smart	....	hair stylist
Sam Smart	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tessa Beazley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Janine Bevan	....	third assistant director
Oli Blanc	....	second assistant director
Jo Lea	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Guy Bernard	....	construction manager
Paul Frost	....	production buyer
Justin Hayzelden	....	stand-by props
Greg Mason	....	painter
Gwen Murray	....	art department trainee: FT2
Ashley Murray-Fowler	....	carpenter
Gary Nutkins	....	trainee carpenter
Stuart Walpole	....	stand-by props
Kate Wicks	....	production buyer
Jason Wood	....	property master
James Wright	....	carpenter

Sound Department
John Crossland	....	boom operator
Pete Freshney	....	boom operator
Dan Green	....	adr recordist
David Hunt	....	sound effects editor
Hugh Johnson	....	sound designer
Hugh Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Melissa Lake	....	foley artist
Gareth Llewellyn	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Paul Miller	....	boom operator
Stefan Mørk	....	dialogue editor
James Perry	....	adr recordist
Ian Sands	....	production sound mixer
Larry Sider	....	supervising sound editor
Barnaby Smyth	....	foley supervisor (as Barnaby Smith)
Barnaby Smyth	....	sound designer (as Barnaby Smith)
Joakim Sundström	....	supervising sound editor
Jason Swanscott	....	foley artist
David Turner	....	sound technical coordinator
Alan Cridford	....	location music mixer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Kevin Baguley	....	digital coordinator
Dave Barnard	....	post production technical supervisor
Pete Coogan	....	managing director: Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Jocelyn Deborne	....	systems administrator
Daniel Gerhardt	....	animator
Daniel Gerhardt	....	digital effects artist
Pawel Grochola	....	animator
Pawel Grochola	....	digital effects artist
Arjun Gupte	....	animator
Arjun Gupte	....	digital effects artist
Peter Guyan	....	systems engineer: Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Alexis Hall	....	lead animator
Alexis Hall	....	lead digital effects artist
Trevor Harvey	....	animator
Trevor Harvey	....	digital effects artist
Richard Hince	....	head of motion capture: Artem Digital
Sean Hince	....	motion capture supervisor
Eliot Hobdell	....	render wrangler
Katja Hollmann	....	digital lab supervisor: Lipsync Post
Christian Jelen	....	animator
Christian Jelen	....	digital effects artist
Jordan Kirk	....	animator
Jordan Kirk	....	digital effects artist
Ellie Koorlander	....	animator
Ellie Koorlander	....	digital effects artist
Sian Lawson	....	biomechanist
Paul Lee	....	animator
Paul Lee	....	digital effects artist
Katy Lemon	....	scanning and recording: Lip Sync Post
Dave McKean	....	compositor
Dave McKean	....	texture artist
Max McMullin	....	CGI producer
Max McMullin	....	CGI supervisor
Matt Middleton	....	digital effects artist
Matt Middleton	....	lead animator (as Matthew Middleton)
Matt Middleton	....	lead digital effects artist (as Matthew Middleton)
Jamie Niman	....	animator
Jamie Niman	....	digital effects artist
Mike J. Nixon	....	lead animator (as Michael Nixon)
Mike J. Nixon	....	lead digital effects artist (as Michael Nixon)
Evelina Persson	....	animator
Evelina Persson	....	digital effects artist
Mark J.G. Smith	....	render wrangler
Martin Stacey	....	animator
Martin Stacey	....	digital effects artist
Ross Stansfield	....	animator
Ross Stansfield	....	digital effects artist
Toby Taplin	....	lead animator
Toby Taplin	....	lead digital effects artist
Dave Walker	....	animator
Dave Walker	....	digital effects artist
Keith Mottram	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Kevin Phelan	....	head of post production: Lip Sync Post (uncredited)

Stunts
Stuart St. Paul	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Andy Bell	....	electrician
Steve Blythe	....	electrician
Steve Blythe	....	generator operator
Roy Elston	....	rigger
Avelino Fernandez	....	electrician (as Avalino Fernandez)
Kate Filby	....	second assistant camera: re-shoots
Mike Gianotti	....	electrician
Colin Ginger	....	crane operator
Michael Green	....	first assistant camera
Gwilym Hoosen-Owen	....	electrician (as Gwilyn Hoosen-Owen)
Vanessa Kellas	....	still photographer
Jody Knight	....	grip
Nathan Mann	....	first assistant camera
Jem Morton	....	key grip
Pete Murray	....	Steadicam operator
Mark Nutkins	....	second second assistant camera
Sigge Rosen Rawlings	....	video assistant operator (as Siggi Rosen-Rawlings)
Mark Spencer	....	still photographer
Bill Vanderkris	....	grip
Aaron Walters	....	best boy
Gavin Walters	....	gaffer
Colleen Webley	....	second assistant camera
Dave Wells	....	daily grip trainee
Tony Shearn	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Becky Brown	....	costume assistant (as Rebecca Brown)
Yvonne Duckett	....	costume assistant
Debbie O'Brien	....	costume assistant (as Debbie O'Brian)
Nathalie Pateman	....	costume assistant
Jane Spicer	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Ruth Coulson	....	first assistant editor
Keith Mottram	....	post-production conforming editor: HDTV

Music Department
Iain Ballamy	....	music arranger
Iain Ballamy	....	music mixer
Iain Ballamy	....	music producer
Igor Outkine	....	musician
Ashley Slater	....	music mixer
Ashley Slater	....	music producer
Ashley Slater	....	music programmer
Ashley Slater	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Mickey Atkins	....	driver: minibus
John Hogben	....	location driver
Bill Lilburn	....	location driver
Fred Russell	....	location driver
Micky Webb	....	location driver (as Mickey Webb)

Other crew
Tim Adnitt	....	copyist
Jane Ballamy	....	coordinator: circus performers
Brittan Brown	....	post-production accounting services
Valentina Coccia	....	production coordinator
Victor Gallucci	....	stand-in
Nicole Goldman	....	unit publicist
Louise Green	....	assistant accountant
Kathy Hughes	....	script supervisor
Kevin Kelly	....	assistant: Lisa Henson
Nikki Lucas	....	juggling double: Stephanie Leonidas
Anton Mackman	....	juggling double: Rob Brydon
Andy Matthews	....	stand-in
John O'Quigley	....	operator: filmstream s-2 storage
Bill Riddlaw	....	unit nurse
John Sargent	....	financial controller
Lara Sargent	....	first assistant accountant
Michael Scanlon	....	floor runner
Heather Taylor	....	script supervisor
Martin Vance	....	unit nurse
Martin Warnes	....	unit nurse
Mark Williams	....	copyist
Daniel Grant	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Destination Films (presents)
• Jim Henson Company, The (as Jim Henson Company)

Distributors

• Golden Village Entertainment (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Tartan Films (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Blitz (2008) (Croatia) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2006) (Argentina) (all media)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2006) (France) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL8)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Artem Digital Ltd. (motion capture)
• Hourglass Productions (digital animation and effects)
• Jim Henson's Creature Shop (additional rendering)
• Lip Sync Post
• ReelEye Company (lens supplied by) (as Reel Eye Company)

Other Companies

• Artem Digital Ltd.  motion capture by
• AFM Lighting  lighting equipment
• ARRI Media  cameras and lenses supplied by
• ARRI Media  grip equipment
• Big Box Studios  additional sound recording (as Big Box Studios, London)
• Digital Film Lab  film scanning and recording
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Lip Sync Post  film scanning and recording
• Mayflower Studios  sound re-recorded at (as The Mayflower Studios)
• Midnight Transfer  tape transfer
• On Sight  high definition equipment
• Sherman Laboratories  mask created and supplied by
• Soho Images  film laboratory
• Take 2 Film Services  grip equipment
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  sound post-production
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  sound re-recording (as Videosonics, London)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and scary images

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | UK:PG | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Argentina:Atp | Iceland:12 | Brazil:Livre | Malaysia:(Banned) | Italy:T | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:12 | South Korea:All | New Zealand:PG | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

- Total number of scenes in the script: 135 - Total number of pages in script: 107 3/4

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Dwarf actor Peter Burroughs is misspelled in the end credits.

Quotes:

Helena:Riddle? Riddle. So have you thought of an answer yet?
Gryphon:You can''t pass. I give up, I think, no wait, wait... Fine. What's the answer?
Helena:Okay. It's a herring.
Gryphon:But a herring isn't green.
Helena:You can paint it green.
Gryphon:But a herring doesn't hang on a wall.
Helena:You can nail it to a wall.
Gryphon:But a herring doesn't whistle!
Helena:Oh, come on. I just put that in to stop it from being too obvious.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'MirrorMask' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

My Waltz for Newk

Labyrinth for the 21st century

The audience that showed up for the Sundance premiere of this gem was quite diverse. Some came for Neil Gaiman, some for Dave McKean and the rest for the Jim Henson legacy. Based on my informal polls conducted in waiting list lines around Salt Lake City, everyone got what they wanted.

The visuals -- as you would expect from a move involving Henson's company -- are simply stunning. Most of the movie is blue-screen, which is quite unbelievable for a movie made for a mere $4 million. The human actors blend into the gorgeous painting-like backgrounds (google McKean's art and you will understand that this is quite a feat), and do an outstanding job of interacting with the digital characters.

Only 17 people -- all freshly graduated students -- worked on the animation, but the result looks like 170 professionals did. It should be noted however that Dave McKean spent 18 months in post-production, pretty much 24/7.

The weakest part of the movie is the story. Dave and Neil came up with the outline over 3 days, and worked out the details as they filmed. The end result is a run-of-the-mill Alice in Wonderland rip-off, with some elements from Labyrinth and other familiar children's tales.

I have to give extra credit to Stephanie Leonidas, who does a great job bringing Helena, a girl who ends up lost in the world of her Dali-meets-Picasso-meets-McKean drawings, to life.

I hope this movie will get picked up for theater distribution, because it deserves to be seen on the big-screen. In any case, McKean fans will be happy to hear that a Mirrormask picture book is in the works that will contain the 1700 drawings produced for the movie...

If you get a chance, go see this movie. It should be fun for children of all ages. If it comes to theaters, I will go see it again, and will give it an A again :)