MirrorMask: Neil Gaiman's Incredible, Bizarre, Flawed Hidden Gem

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Some films are so striking, so imaginative, so magically unusual that it becomes shocking that people aren't always talking about them. Seventeen years after the release of Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman's MirrorMask, it remains one of those films, and it only takes a frame or two to see why.

CGI has a generally negative cultural context, typically only regarded positively when it isn't noticeable at all. Fully CGI characters are common to modern blockbusters, as are entirely CG animated movies, but their use in any given project typically stands as a target of criticism. The classic digital backlot concept has been made unlikable by films like The Phantom Menace. Though the modern take on digital special effects can create truly fantastical dreamscapes, it's mostly used to make superheroes fly or fake objects explode. Films like MirrorMask, however, use the unique elements of CGI to create a wholly new type of art.

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Explaining the plot of MirrorMask is almost a fool's errand. It's a Wizard of Oz style journey into a mystical land, complete with a radical change in visual style. A fifteen-year-old girl named Helena dreams of running away from her family's circus to live a more normal life. Her world is rocked as her mother suddenly takes ill, and she wanders from her home to find herself in a strange new reality. Helena is quickly embroiled in a conflict between the City of Light and the City of Shadow, the latter of which is gaining ground swiftly. She must go on a journey to acquire a mystical item, meet strange figures, and save both this new world and her own home. It's a classic fairy tale, but with the unique twists one would expect of the creative team.

MirrorMask