Imagine if a candidate for, say, the California Assembly appeared at a political event and delivered the following remarks:
“No to kosher meat. No to yarmulkes. No to celebrating Easter. No, no, no.”
He, or she, would be roundly — and rightly — criticized for their bigotry and raw prejudice.
Recently, at a candidates forum outside Dallas, Larry Brock expressed the following sentiments as part of a lengthy disquisition on the Muslim faith.
“We should ban the burqa, the hijab, the abaya, the niqab,” said the candidate for state representative, referring to the coverings worn by some Muslim women. “No to halal meat. No to celebrating Ramadan. No, no, no.”
For many Texas Republicans running in the March 3 primary, Islamophobia has become a central portion of their election plank, as a longtime political lance — illegal immigration — has grown dull around its edges.
Aaron Reitz, a candidate for attorney general, aired an ad accusing politicians of importing “millions of Muslims into our country.”
“The result?” he says, with a tough-guy glower. “More terrorism, more crime. And they even want their own illegal cities in Texas to impose sharia law.” (More on that in a moment.)
One of his opponents, Republican Rep. Chip Roy — co-founder of the “Sharia-Free America Caucus” — has called for amending the Texas Constitution to protect the state’s tender soil from Islamification by “radical Marxists.”
In the fierce GOP race for U.S. Senate, incumbent John Cornyn — facing a potentially career-ending challenge from state Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton — has aired one TV spot accusing his fellow Republican of being “soft on radical Islam” and another describing radical Islam “as a bloodthirsty ideology.”
Paxton countered by calling Cornyn’s assertions a desperate attack “that can’t erase the fact that he helped radical Islamic Afghans invade Texas,” a reference to a visa program that allowed people who helped U.S. forces — in other words friends and allies — to come to America after being carefully screened.
In just the latest instance, Democrats are calling for the censure of Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine after he wrote Sunday on X: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” He’s since doubled down by posting several images of dogs with the words “Don’t tread on me.”
In Texas, the venom starts at the top with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who’s waltzing toward reelection to an unprecedented fourth term.
Not to be out-demagogued, Bo French, a candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, called on President Trump to round up and deport every Muslim in America. (French, the former Tarrant County GOP chair, gained notoriety last year for posting an online poll asking, “Who is a bigger threat to America?” The choice: Jews or Muslims.)
Much of the Republican hysteria has focused on a proposed real estate development in a corn- and hayfield 40 miles east of Dallas.
The master-planned community of about 1,000 homes, known as EPIC City, was initiated by the East Plano Islamic Center to serve as a Muslim-centered community for the region’s growing number of worshipers. (Of course, anyone could choose to live there, regardless of their religious faith.)
Paxton said he would investigate the proposed development as a “potentially illegal ‘Sharia City.’ ” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last week jumped in with its own investigation — a move Abbott hailed — after the Justice Department quietly closed a probe into the project, saying developers agreed to abide by federal fair housing laws. That investigation came at the behest of Cornyn.
The rampant resurgence of anti-Muslim sentiment hardly seems coincidental.
What’s more, cracking down on immigration no longer brings together Republicans the way it once did.
General support for Trump’s get-tough policies surpasses 80% among Texas Republicans, said Henson, who’s spent nearly two decades sampling public opinion in the state. But support falls dramatically, into roughly the high-40s to mid-50s, when it comes to specifics such as arresting people at church, or seizing them when they make required court appearances.
“Republicans need to find something else that taps into those cultural-identity issues” and unifies and animates the GOP base, said Henson.
In short, the fearmongers need a new scapegoat.
Muslims are about 2% of the adult population in Texas, according to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study, completed in 2024. That works out to estimates ranging from 300,000 to 500,000 residents in a state of nearly 32 million residents.
Not a huge number.
But enough for heedless politicians hell-bent on getting themselves elected, even if it means tearing down a whole group of people in the process.
2025’s had no shortage of old movies returning to the big screen, and that won’t be changing in 2026. Next year, the Jim Henson Company is teaming with Fathom Events to give Labyrinththe re-release treatment.
The Henson-directed movie turns 40 years old in June 2026 (and December in the UK), and to celebrate, Fathom is bringing the movie back. From January 8 to January 11, audiences can watch a 4K restoration that also includes a special featurette celebrating the film’s longtime fans that was filmed at a recent themed experience ball in the UK.
“We are honored to bring this 1986 epic back to theatres from Sony Pictures for its 40th anniversary in this special presentation and provide a brilliant night at the movies for audiences of all ages,” wrote Fathom CEO Ray Nutt. “The magical combination of Jim Henson, George Lucas, David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly and hundreds of extraordinary creatures and puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop made Labyrinth a landmark fantasy classic, one that is beloved by Fathom Entertainment audiences over the years.”
Marking the feature film debut of Connelly, Labyrinth was a box office bomb in the US, and much more successful in the UK. (Having Bowie as your lead probably helps with that.) Despite the initially mixed response, it’s had a warmer reappraisal in the years since owing to its home video success, and is considered a cult classic. It’s also had a decent shelf life thanks to expanded media like video games and books, including a sequel comic. Sony announced in 2016 it was developing a sequel, and nothing really came of that until this past January when Robert Eggers was tapped to direct.
Until that new flick comes, you can get tickets for the Labyrinth re-release here.
Brian Henson didn’t work on The Dark Crystal. Though the son of Jim Henson worked at length with his father on films like Labyrinth, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper, Brian was in boarding school when Jim, Frank Oz, and the rest of the company made the legendary cult classic. Even so, who better than Henson, who went on to continue his father’s legacy, directing films like Muppet Treasure Island, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and producing shows like Farscape, to speak about the legacy of the film? Not many.
Which is exactly what we did. Last week, io9 hopped on a video call with the filmmaking legend to talk The Dark Crystal, in anticipation of the film’s 4K Fathom Entertainment screenings on October 12 and 13 (get tickets and more info here).
We spoke about his memories surrounding the film, the techniques it pioneers, how it would be done differently today, what’s next for the franchise, and so much more. So grab a glass of Essence, hug your favorite Gelfling, and check out our interview with Brian Henson.
Germain Lussier, io9: What are your memories of when your dad and the Henson Company were making Dark Crystal?
Brian Henson: Well, I was in boarding school at the time, which is why I can talk much more in depth about Labyrinth, because I was [there] right through the shooting. But with Dark Crystal, I was in boarding school when it was shooting, but obviously, my dad had been developing it for years before he shot it, and I can remember him doing tests even in our backyard in Westchester, New York. And he was clearly very intrigued. I mean, for him, that was the big reach. “Can I make an all-puppet movie? Can I make an all-fantasy movie where I’ve created the entire world and I’ve created all of the characters, and there’s nothing that the audience will recognize on screen?” I think that was really intriguing to him.
I actually remember the first time he met [designer] Brian Froud because I think I was on break from boarding school, so I was in England, and it was on The Muppet Show. I remember hanging out in The Muppet Show workshop, and this very unusual little man came into the shop, had a couple of sculptures and some drawings, and was waiting for my dad to finish on set to come back to the workshop. My dad was a huge fan of Brian’s work before he even met him, but I think once they met and talked through what he was trying to do, then that was when Brian Froud was glued to the project.
The Mystics from The Dark Crystal – Univeral
io9: What I love so much about the film and the franchise is how you lose the puppets and get sucked in by the mythology and the world-building. Is there any piece of lore that was created, or a character that you find most fascinating, beyond just the artistry of it?
Henson: Well, I guess sort of the simple concept of these god-like, powerful creatures, that then have been split into their dark sides and their light sides, and the impact that that stress and that conflict can create in this world. I find that very juicy, and something that you walk away with and you can look at our world and you can see reflections of that kind of happening all over the place. So yeah, the Mystics and the Skeksis, and then the UrSkek, which is what they were once they’re re-put back together. I guess those are probably what intrigue me the most. But again, this is as an audience. I didn’t work on it, so this is me watching it and appreciating it.
io9: Oh, totally. But you also obviously then, and since then, have become quite the expert on puppetry and films of this nature. So watching this film now, is there any character or scene that you watch and you still can’t believe that your father, Frank [Oz], and the whole team were able to pull it off?
Henson: Well, there are lots of them. Working with all those Skeksis in those crowded scenes. The scene where they’re all eating, that’s an amazing scene and unbelievably tough to accomplish. I mean, all the way through, what’s most impressive is that’s the first animatronic project that we did, where my dad said, “We’re not making puppets that people will immediately think, ‘Oh, those are puppets.’”
I mean, the delight of Kermit the Frog is, even though you know he’s ping pong balls and felt, you get carried on in his story as a frog, and that’s an incredible and fun journey to bring the audience on. But this idea of adding expressiveness and an organic element in the skin technology that he developed and all of the micro-mechanisms that he developed, to bring these characters to life as a sort of different tier of illusion, sort of much closer to a fully realized and perfect illusion—but also falling short of a perfect illusion, because a perfect illusion the audience doesn’t appreciate as the artwork it is. So it’s just that little bit below so that you do know, “Oh, these are puppets. These are hand-built puppets. These are hand-built sets. They’ve created an entire universe. This is amazing.”
These were all firsts for my dad that then continued through Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, Ninja Turtles, Dinosaurs, on my watch, Farscape, all of these sort of animatronic techniques continue to evolve after Dark Crystal, and were all started with Dark Crystal.
io9: I know we got the Netflix show, and I have a couple of questions about the show, but over the years, there have been lots of rumors about work and development on a direct theatrical sequel to Dark Crystal. How close did that ever come to becoming real?
Henson: You know what, I can’t really comment on development, but what I will say is we will continue to create within this universe, but we’ve looked at several potential tracks, and a movie might be one of them.
One of the Skesis in Age of Resistance. – Netflix
io9: Oh wow, cool. Now, like I said, we did get Age of Resistance, and I honestly think it’s one of the great pieces of fantasy ever. I loved it so much, and I think what I loved so much about it is it kind of recontexturized the original film. You kind of look at it in a different way after watching the show. Do you see it that way?
Henson: Well, when you’re making a movie, you’ve got 90 minutes to tell a story, and every scene has to serve that one story, even if you have B-lines and all of that. When you have 10 hours, that allows you to go much deeper, and it allows you to go on tangents, and it allows you to deepen the mythology and deepen the understanding of the world.
And yes, I think Age of Resistance did that brilliantly, and it was using the best of the techniques that we had in the 1980s, and combining that with the best techniques that we have now, rather than replacing the techniques of the ’80s. It was using those techniques and then enhancing, which I think was brilliantly executed by Louis Letterier.
io9: You kind of touched on it there, and I know we have the show, but if they were to make The Dark Crystal now just on its own, is there anything in particular that would be radically different? Or would it kind of be just kind of the updated puppetry used on the show?
Henson: Well, there are a whole lot of techniques that we used to use in the ’80s that you wouldn’t use today, because you can achieve the same result in a much less labor-intensive way. So there are a lot of techniques—hanging miniatures, trying to paint out rods and wires so that the audience can’t see them—those sorts of techniques you wouldn’t do anymore. There wouldn’t be a reason to. Today, the incredible Aughra’s chamber with those incredible moving pieces, I’m sure would have been in set extension today. That’s just what you would do. You would create it on the computer and let it play behind.
There would have been more expansive shots. You can see as you watch the movie, there’s a minimal use of actors in suits. There’s a minimal use of Jen full figure, minimal use of the Skeksis full figure, because it kind of looks a little too much like what it is, so you use less of it and you use puppets a lot more. Nowadays, with puppeteer removal, you can realize full figure shots of puppets. And I’m sure it would have been wider, more above, sweeping shots, which Louis added into the Age of Resistance, and I’m sure my dad would have done that if he could have.
io9: I also love how, if you watch the show and want to know what’s happening next, since there isn’t a second season, you have the movie to go to as a sequel. Do you view the movie as a sequel to the show?
Henson: No, it doesn’t have to be. Again, I can’t comment on development, other than to say, “Oh, no, you still have a lot of moving parts in the world of Dark Crystal that can create drama and conflict that can generate another story in that world.”
We love Deet and Hup! – Netflix
io9: Yeah, okay. A couple of years ago, I was talking to Louis about Fast X, and of course, brought up Age of Resistance, and I said, “It’s cancelled. The show’s not happening. What can you tell me about what was going to happen?” He goes, “I’m not going to say anything because I’m still holding out hope.” So you are still holding out hope that we get to come back to this world, I take it.
Henson: Oh, to come back to this world? For sure. Netflix, they were really great. They allowed the money to be spent that was needed to really do it right, and it’s a beautiful, beautiful piece, Age of Resistance. But you can understand, they’re a streamer. Their whole point is to get a whole bunch of subscribers that we wouldn’t otherwise get. So they knew by making Age of Resistance that we’re going to get all of the hardcore fantasy fans who weren’t subscribed would subscribe. Season two, it’s the same group. So I was disappointed, but not at all surprised that they didn’t want to drop that much money again for another season.
io9: I understand. When Dark Crystal came out, films like that, Labyrinth, Goonies, the darker family films were kind of the norm, and that continues through the ’90s. Now, they’ve kind of gone away. Where do you see those films, and also films largely driven by puppets, in today’s streaming world?
Henson: Well, you know, they’re always going to be unusual. It’s always going to be very original. Our development staff are always like, “Well, puppets are really hard to sell.” It’s like, “That’s nothing new.” Don’t believe that my dad could just do anything he wanted because he couldn’t. They’re very unusual pieces.
And where do they have a place in the future? Well, we saw a swing to too much CGI [in recent years]. Where the audiences became completely numb to helicopter shots over New York City being sucked into a volcano, and thousands of people falling in. We’ve all become numb to it. It was like, “Okay, it’s big. It’s computer-generated. Give us back the character stuff. Give us back a dynamic that actually happened on set between characters.” Because, I don’t know about you, when Marvel says, “Look at this scene that we did between seven of the most expensive actors in the world. We shot each one individually. They were never in the set together,” I’m going, “Yeah, you can tell! There’s no chemistry. They’re all dropping one-liners.”
So anyway, it’s just a lexicon to use. If you want to use puppetry and physical effects to realize your fantastical story, I think there’s always going to be a place for that.
Directed by Brian Henson. – The Jim Henson Company
io9: You obviously have gone on to make many great puppet films and films in general. What inspiration from Dark Crystal do you bring to your work as a filmmaker?
Henson: Well, I would say more directly from Storyteller. Dark Crystal again, before I was working, Dark Crystal started a whole lot of really cool techniques. And as a kid, I was always sort of the gadgety one in the family. So, like Great Muppet Caper, I did the marionette scenes and stuff like that. I wasn’t initially drawn to the more standard hand puppetry, but I liked the radio-controlled ones and the marionettes. But definitely the main influence of the Storyteller series was Dark Crystal. They are not funny first. They are dramatic first. And that series, I worked very much on all episodes of that. And that really was what probably most influenced me as a filmmaker. And with that was also Steve Barron who created the look and style of the Storyteller, and I’d say his influence too on me as a filmmaker. And it’s really clear.
The very first Muppet movie that I made, we had to say, “Don’t tell Disney it’s not a comedy.” The notes would always come back and say, “It could be funnier,” and it was like, “Don’t tell them it’s not a comedy, it’s a drama.” Every Muppet movie up until I made Christmas Carol [was] more formulaically comedic. Two laughs per page, hold for the laugh. And when I set out to do Christmas Carol, it was very much bringing what I love about Storyteller and combining it with the Muppets. And that could be something that I would feel confident that’s a creative angle that I could rise to. And that worked really neatly, you know, so you can see how it influenced me. And then Farscape and all the other things that I’ve made.
io9: Two more quick things, Brian, and thank you so much for your time today. First is the film is obviously coming back to theaters, which is why we’re speaking. Is there anything you’re particularly excited for people to see on screen when they watch Dark Crystal again?
Henson: The details. I mean, it’s really the details. You know, following the characters and following the story is very compelling. It’s a great film in that sense. But particularly if you know the film, to go see it on the big screen and to really let the sound bring you into that world, and then to really be able to see all of the incredible detail work. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds of artists creating every shot in that movie. And you just can’t really appreciate all of that on a small screen. So when you go into a big screen and it’s so immersive and you can see everything so much clearer, you just basically get a whole lot more from the movie.
The Dark Crystal returns to theaters. – Universal
io9: Yes, I agree. And finally, the internet gives things a new life, right? Being online, you can find a community around a film much more easily than you could in the video store days. In terms of your films, does anything stand out where you couldn’t believe that it still has a life today?
Henson: Well, I’m just I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled that the things that I made that I tried to kind of make sort of timeless do stay timeless, and they do stay relevant. And Christmas Carol,Treasure Island, and all of Farscape are in that vein. I love it, but also as somebody who’s in the business, it’s a little bit of a curse. The fact that anybody who wants to watch television, they’re like, “Oh, tonight I’m going to watch something,” and they can choose something that’s new, or they can choose almost anything that’s been made in the last 70 years. And that makes it harder to make new stuff. But as a viewer, I really appreciate that. As a producer, not so much.
io9: I understand. Well, thank you for all the work that you, your family, and your company have done. I’m excited to see The Dark Crystal again, and hopefully, we get to see more of it in the future too.
The Muppets land at Hollywood Studios is on the chopping block to make room for Monsters, Inc., and fans are once again outraged and confused about what exactly Disney is trying to do with its park that was once themed around movie-making magic.
Shortly after Disney’s parks news showcase at D23, TheWrap reported a tip that Imagineering “has only a few weeks to decide whether to keep Muppet*Vision 3D” and the Muppet-filled Grand Avenue courtyard of the Orlando park. TheWrap’s source told them the attraction’s closure was originally going to be revealed during the D23 panel.
The Aug. 10 Horizons showcase revealed all the new lands and attractions coming to Disney’s parks worldwide. For Disney World, each of the four parks is getting at least one new attraction — Cars and Disney Villains in Magic Kingdom, Indiana Jones and Encanto in Animal Kingdom, Monsters, Inc. in Hollywood Studios and a reimagined Test Track at Epcot.
The concern for the Muppets grew out of TheWrap’s reporting as well as an artist rendering of the Monsters, Inc. land. It wasn’t revealed where in Hollywood Studios Monstropolis would go, but fans spotted a familiar water tower in the background of one of the images. It was the signal the Muppets fandom needed to express their dismay over Disney even considering getting rid of the Muppet*Vision 3D show and the Jim Henson character-filled courtyard.
Muppet Vision 3D isn’t just a great attraction, it was also the final Muppet project Jim Henson was involved with before he passed away
It’s an important piece of Muppet history and to lose it would be losing a significant part of Jim’s legacy and the joy he brought to our world pic.twitter.com/BrIDzllf2d
Outlets like Nerdist, Paste magazine and USA Today likewise decried the possibility of removing the Muppets, calling the move a “colossal mistake” if Disney went through with it. A month before D23, Vulture writer Rebecca Alter waxed poetic about how “the greatest moviegoing experience you can have in America” is at Muppet*Vision 3D. She also called for the 33-year-old attraction to be designated a cultural heritage site on the National Register of Historic Places.
If the Muppets were removed, Disney would cross the line from “typical fan discourse surrounding the removal of an attraction” into further tainting Hollywood Studios’ legacy by continuing to dump random IP they don’t have anywhere else to put.
I say all this as a huge fan of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and the nearby Toy Story Land. Both of those lands — and the upcoming Monstropolis — belong in a Disney park. But at what cost? What is Disney even doing at Hollywood Studios?
There’s no longer a cohesive “ride the movies” theme to compete with Universal Studios Florida. The old Hollywood-themed park that used to have The Great Movie Ride inside a replica Chinese Theatre, a Studio Backlot Tour and actual Walt Disney Animation satellite studios now has crowd control issues for a couple of thrill rides alongside swaths of the park that remain largely empty every day.
Looking at you, Animation Courtyard, Star Wars Launch Bay and Pixar Plaza.
Back to the Muppets. They’re part of a timeless franchise that perfectly balances goofy kiddie pranks and puppetry with subtle adult humor. The Muppets are one of the few franchises that truly appeal to all ages. The absurdist ensemble of lovable felt puppets remains as relevant today as 70 years ago when Jim Henson created it.
Speaking of Henson, Muppet*Vision 3D was the last project the creative legend directed before he died in 1990. It was also one of the last times Henson performed as Kermit, Waldorf and Swedish Chef, and veteran Muppeteer Richard Hunt played Scooter, Statler, Beaker and Sweetums.
With that status, Muppet*Vision 3D is a cultural landmark and place of remembrance.
It’s no secret Disney has struggled to land a sustainable future for The Muppets. Their comedic storytelling style doesn’t need any changing, but they do need to be included in more Disney projects to stay relevant. Still, there are few franchises and stories from seven decades ago that are still funny, entertaining and appropriate for all ages like The Muppets.
Plus, everything is made better with The Muppets. Let them host the Oscars. Create alternate-universe short stories like “what if Kermit the Frog was Iron Man?” Put Swedish Chef in an episode of The Bear. Let Miss Piggy guest star on Drag Race (not a Disney property, but can you imagine?).
Critics will cry that The Muppets is no longer relevant to today’s kids. That families are more interested in immersive lands based on blockbuster IPs that aren’t more than several decades old (I’ll remind you that Monsters, Inc. came out in 2001). That older kids want thrill rides and escapism — not reminders of the past or anything that could possibly educate them on entertainment history.
Bringing Monstropolis to a Disney park is a great idea. The Monsters, Inc. films are fun, sweet and beloved by several generations of Disney fans. And that door vault coaster is going to be epic.
But sacrificing the one tiny area of the park that celebrates The Muppets is too high a cost. The Muppets — and Henson’s masterful puppetry — deserve better than to be written off into obscurity because they aren’t “trending” in today’s screen-obsessed world.
Removing The Muppets and Muppet*Vision 3D would not only further taint Hollywood Studios’ legacy but also the legacy of Disney parks as a whole. One of the core tenets of Disney parks has always been immersive, relatable nostalgia. In every park are attractions that let fans get a taste of childhood whimsy. Time slows down in a Disney park, letting you stop and smell the flowers (and churros) and get a small taste of historic days gone by.
Few things exemplify that joyous, comedic mentality quite like The Muppets. Closing Muppet*Vision 3D and the surrounding courtyard would rid the world of a priceless and irreplaceable piece of cultural magic.
For many of us, our first introduction to puppetry came through children’s programming — but now this ancient art form is having a moment and taking centre stage.
