Today only, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA, is offering a free virtual tour of Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: World of Myth and Magic, an exhibit scheduled at the Atlanta facility through June 28, 2020, but is now temporarily closed to foot traffic because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Museum director Jill Nash Malool will be presenting the tour online at the Center for Puppetry Arts page on Facebook here.  It all happens today, Friday, April 10, at 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST.

The exhibit revealed on the virtual tour features more than 50 props and other artifacts from 1982’s classic fantasy film The Dark Crystal, including the actual Jen, Podlings, Skeksis, and Aughra used in the movie.  Original Brian Froud artwork, animatronic prototypes, and other props, artifacts, and ephemera from the film are part of the exhibit.

The museum invites fans of the film and last year’s groundbreaking television series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, into the imaginative world of Thra.  The exhibition discusses how the movie was a passion project for Jim Henson and how he needed the fantastical work of Brian Froud to make it come to fruition.  It explores the intricate artistry that went into the creation of the world brought to life in the 1982 film that would become a lasting influence on the fantasy genre, including films like the Star Wars franchise, Jurassic Park, and more.

The displays also show how the world of Thra has been given new life through fan-films, graphic novels, and last year’s The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance.

Visitors to Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture may have seen some of the artifacts on display before the exhibit moved to Atlanta.

Join the Center for Puppetry Arts for Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: World of Myth and Magic special virtal tour, and follow these hashtags on social media: #TheDarkCrystal #PuppetryAtHome.  Find out more about options to support the Center at www.puppet.org/support-us/.  Find more information about The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta at http://www.puppet.org/.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
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