After purchasing the Jim Henson Fantasy Film Collection a few months ago, I finally sat down to watch Mirrormask. I had my doubts initially (if you're sandwiching a movie between Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, chances are it's not strong enough to sell on its own), but all those doubts disappeared as soon as I pressed play. 

The screenplay for Mirrormask was written by Neil Gaiman of Sandman and Good Omens fame. Already it's racking up the bonus points in my book. Mirrormask tells the story of a 15 year-old girl named Helena who works as part of her family's traveling circus.

Like most 15 year-old girls, she has a tempestuous relationship with her mother, Joanne. They're very close, but fight often, usually about Helena wanting to run away from the circus and join "real life."

After a particularly nasty fight, Joanne collapses during a performance and is rushed to the hospital. The circus' touring schedule grinds to an indefinite halt, jeopardizing the family business and testing the loyalty of the performers.

While her father deals with medical and financial problems in the real world, Helena wakes one night to find herself in a dream world with plenty of problems of its own. The White Queen has fallen asleep, and the only thing that can wake her is a charm called the Mirrormask. Unfortunately, no one knows what the Mirrormask is, which makes it impossible to find, and there's just a little bit of opposition from the Queen of Shadows, who is taking advantage of the situation to expand her territory.

Helena, along with her companion, the often reluctant, always self-enterprising Valentine, decides to find the Mirrormask and restore balance to the dream world. Along the way, she'll discover just how connected her own world is to the world of dreams.

I feel a little uncomfortable writing about Mirrormask, because no amount of text will do it justice. It's very much a movie you have to experience for yourself, mostly because the story is very connected to the visuals.

The landscapes and characters are based on Helena's artwork, which was created by director and designer Dave McKean. He's even designed CD covers for Alice Cooper, Dream Theater, and The Misfits. The bonus points just keep adding up.

I absolutely love that her (his) artwork and the resulting characters and landscapes have a very organic, handdrawn feel to them. They *look* like somebody's artwork, not like impossibly glossy computer-rendered robots. Or robot houses, I guess, if we're talking about the landscapes.

Here's an example:

What makes the visual aspect of the film even more appealing is that the screenplay is not just an excuse to make a lot of pretty pictures. Gaiman's excellent writing and solid plot provide a stable foundation, so Mirrormask stands up strong under the weight of its visuals.

It's Memorial Day weekend. Why not hit up the movie rental place on the way home? In case I haven't convinced you, here's the trailer to speak for itself:

And last but not least, one of my favorite scenes. Valentine eats the future fruit and gets a glimpse of a future in which he uses the Mirrormask to get to Helena's world and has to survive on his own:

So true to life it's almost scary. :)