Mirrormask (2005)

In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a fifteen-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 | dark fantasy | dream world | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and scary images

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

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 USA:

$126,449, 2 October 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$864,959, 11 December 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Destination Films, The Jim Henson Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

Dwarf actor Peter Burroughs is misspelled in the end credits.

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Quotes

Valentine: The answer to my riddle's still a secret.

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Connections

Featured in Renegade Cut: MirrorMask (2017)

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Soundtracks

My Waltz for Newk
Performed by Iain Ballamy and Stian Carstensen

User Reviews

Who is this film for?

In general, I agree with all of the reviews - both the good and the bad. It's an amazing film, but definitely not for everyone. In fact, who is it for? I grew up on movies like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Legend and The Neverending Story, but I didn't enjoy MirrorMask, for two reasons.

It seemed that the writers decided to rewrite well-traveled children's film territory while just adding some new ideas. Since it was meant to be a children's movie, some viewers will forgive the familiar scenes, but it is a strike against it for all of us who were jarred out of our suspension of disbelief by what seemed more like borrowed ideas than an homage. I just couldn't get into it. The Neverending Story, Labyrinth and Legend in particular seemed almost to be sources for the story. I was disappointed, because I am a big Gaiman fan - except for Coraline, which also creeped me out. He is usually a very original writer.

But I would still have enjoyed the film if it weren't for the aesthetics. Artistically and creatively, it's impressive, and I can understand why it has the beginnings of a cult following: Mirror Mask is better than Labyrinth (a similar Jim Henson Company movie) in a lot of ways. It's more mature, with a better heroine, a decent plot and thoughtful underlying themes. But to me, DM's art seemed bizarre and disturbing - not for children. This is not a light-hearted, pretty movie. I doubt it would appeal to most fans of the familiar fantasy genre. The script was thoughtful and sometimes fun, but the visuals were insane and scary. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares after watching it.

So it's not mature enough for most adults, but too old for most kids. Who is going to love this movie? Probably mostly artists and film students. Just my opinion.