Why Jim Henson Had To Buy His Own Movie Back

To put it lightly, “The Dark Crystal” is an ambitious film. The lore is somewhat complicated, the characters and creatures are fascinating and the world itself is truly breathtaking. Thus, for as hard as Jim Henson and his team worked when it came time to write, shoot, and edit the film, the team responsible for making the fantastical characters and sets worked just as hard — if not harder. Had the film not been given a fair shot, all of that commitment could’ve gone to waste, which Henson didn’t want to happen. He wanted moviegoers to see the results of their hard work in full effect.

“When you look at them up close, they are wonderful artistic creations. We had this marvelous group of craftsmen, sculptors, jewelers, all kinds of leatherworkers, and they had done such wonderful work on this film, and we wanted to put it out where people could see it,” Henson said during a chat with Entertainment Tonight back in 1982. He went on to explain that prior to the film’s release, they made it a point to share what the inhabitants of the world of “The Dark Crystal” would look like to the public, referring to them as “the value of the film.”

It goes without saying that “The Dark Crystal” is among the most incredible films to release in the 1980s, from its visuals to its narrative. It’s a good thing Jim Henson went above and beyond to make it a viewable reality.