From towering Landstriders to spunky Fizzgigs, the intricate puppetry of Henson and Company creates a world rich with wonder that heightens the tension of the danger it’s in. As Jen and Kira navigate Thra, the lush beauty and natural diversity of the planet becomes clear. The seeds of The Dark Crystal’s environmental activism, however, can be found across the original film. Assembled by the Mother Earth proxy Augra, the young Gelfling from across the planet’s varied ecosystems tasked with saving Thra make the desolate landscape and downtrodden inhabitants of the original film look even more stark. The franchise’s theme of children acting where adults cannot - or will not - on behalf of their planet is revisited more explicitly in the 2019 series, where a mysterious contamination strangling Thra is dubbed “The Darkening” and outwardly denied by both the Skeksis and many of the Gelfling themselves. The Dark Crystal goes a step further, providing a cautionary tale about what happens when concerned citizens don’t stand up.
FernGully, Free Willy, and even the nightmarish junkyard scenes of The Brave Little Toaster warn against waste and urge youngsters to save the planet. A 1982 review from Time points out that the film lacks the “sense of giddy fun” that trademarks most of Henson’s other projects, cautioning parents that “audiences nourished on the sophisticated child's play of the Sesame Street Muppets.may not be ready.” Still, The Dark Crystal has lingered as a cult classic alongside its fellow Henson weirdo Labyrinth, both for its groundbreaking artistic achievement as “the first live-action film with no human characters” and its deft handling of complex social themes.ĭespite its fantastical setting, The Dark Crystal, with its planet-wide pollution at the hands of corrupt leadership, sits alongside a variety of climate anxiety children’s films from the end of the 20th century. These rough edges led to mixed reviews at the time of The Dark Crystal’s original release. The only hope for survival lies in the hands of the sole remaining Gelfling, Jen and Kira.
Where the series dwells in the lush natural imagery of the alien planet Thra and the revolutionary hope of its native Gelflings’ attempts to defeat their colonizing Skeksis “lords,” the original is decidedly dark - both in its intricate puppetry staging and the depiction of a dying planet wracked by climate destruction and systematic genocide.
Fans of the 1982 Jim Henson cult classic The Dark Crystal and its 2019 Netflix Original prequel series will note the dramatic tone differences between the two.