MirrorMask (2005)

Director:

Dave McKean

Writers (WGA):

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

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 | Fantasy World | Queen | Dream | Talking Animal

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

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:

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 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Jim Henson Productions

Trivia:

According to Neil Gaiman, this film was made as a straight-to-DVD film; but this film finally got a limited theatrical release in the United States.

Quotes:

Helena: I'm not anyone
[pause]
Helena: I'm... me!

Movie Connections:

References Labyrinth (1986)

Soundtrack:

My Waltz for Newk

Eye Candy, Cake, Cookies and Pastries

This is a visually mesmerizing film that takes movie fantasy into new territory. Think Alice in Wonderland meets Wizard of Oz performed by Cirque de Soleil. MirrorMask takes a comic-book approach to Good vs. Evil, with 15-year-old Helena as the protagonist who must find the MirrorMask and save the Light Kingdom.

But the story isn't nearly as important as the fantastic creatures and hallucinatory imagery that parade non-stop through Helena's fantastic journey. Director and writer (and frequent collaborators) Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman leap into the movie business with extraordinary confidence and derring-do. They are both legendary successes and have a devoted fan base from comic books (the Sandman series, for one), novels, short stories, posters, CD art, and much more.

It quickly becomes clear that MirrorMask is the creation of talented and imaginative artists completely unfettered by the bounds of traditional film-making. As a result, it is a bold departure from anything you have ever seen on the screen before. The story is simple enough and the visuals so wondrous that most children should find the movie enjoyable (unless they've become action-oriented adrenaline addicts). Yet the writing is sufficiently deep to satisfy the most thoughtful of adults.

I spoke to both McKean and Gaiman at one of the Sundance screenings and found them both polite, thoughtful and interesting. I told them that MirrorMask was the kind of movie I wanted to see again immediately. It is lovely enough to warrant a second look. And there's enough meat on the bones to go back and catch what you might have missed. The last movie I felt that way about was Memento, one of my all-time favorites.