Working on the film was “a wonderful experience,” Froud recalls. The design was pure Froudian enchantment: equal parts ethereal and monstrous, and darkly beautiful in its meticulous craftsmanship.
The Skeksis, monsters with sharp beaks, fierce, beady eyes, gangly claws and twisted bodies, presented an uncompromising vision of fantasy-horror, the kind of nightmare fuel that endures. Soon, he found himself in New York City, working alongside the entertainment industry legend to craft the cult 1982 epic about a peaceful planet, Thra, ravaged by an evil force called the Skeksis. He saw my work in my book and thought that was the look he wanted for the movie,” says Froud, a self-professed fan of The Muppets. Enraptured by the fantastical images contained within its pages, Henson moved quickly to bring the artist onto his team for The Dark Crystal. His instantly recognisable imagery likely both captivated and frightened you as a child, lingering long after you saw his otherworldly creature designs in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986) and The Dark Crystal (1982), two films on which he served as the conceptual designer – and the latter of which was initially inspired by his artwork. Over three decades later, fans are as enchanted as ever by Froud's mythology, particularly The Dark Crystal's mysterious, haunting world: amid the release of Funko Pop collectibles, a licensed novelization ( Shadows of The Dark Crystal), a sequel comic book series ( The Power of the Dark Crystal) and an official visual guide ( The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History) over the past few years, Netflix has announced its very own prequel series, with both Froud and the Jim Henson Company at the helm.įroud first met Henson back in the late 70s, after someone had gifted him a copy of the illustrator’s 1977 art book, The Land of Froud. Brian Froud is the fantasy visionary whose name you may not know, but whose work you’ve definitely encountered if you came of age in the 80s or 90s.
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