By now all your presents have been bought, wrapped, and opened, but take a look at our 2017 year end holiday special anyway.
In this video we showcase the year's best holiday gifts, a surprise unboxing, our pick for the #1 Muppet production of the year (featuring a few people you may recognize), and a special holiday treat for fans of our videos all in less then ten minutes! Enjoy!
This year's donations include Diamond Select Muppet Minimates, Funko Labyrinth and Dark Crystal Pops, a McFarland Jareth, Playskool Sesame Street figures, Disney Tsum Tsum and metal figures, and Sesame Street stickers!
If the past past few days of new holiday videos weren't enough, Miss Piggy, Walter, Scooter, & Lew Zealand are here to send more holiday greetings your way!
Archaia begins a new Storyteller series today. This time the four issues comic features stories based around Fairies.
In JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER: FAIRIES #1, Matt Smith reimagines “The Elf Queen and the Shepherd,” a tale of elven fairies in Iceland. When a Fairy Princess is cursed to the human realm and cursed to bring death with her, Grettir the Strong must discover the source of the trouble and break her curse. Future issues will focus on fairies from Hawaiian and Danish folklore.
JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER: FAIRIES #1 features covers by Matt Smith and Sas Milledge
Check out a the first few pages below:
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Fairies #1 is available through comic book stores today and on Amazon.
Various Muppet and Henson properties released Holiday videosthis year, though none featured Kermit. That changed today, when The Muppets released these new holiday videos featuring our favorite green amphibian.
You may notice the ad for DisneyLife at the end and wonder what that is. Well, that's Disney's new streaming service. So far it's only available in the UK, but I'm sure it'll be stateside sometime in 2018.
Hard to believe, but yesterday The Dark Crystal celebrated it's 35th Anniversary. The party continues is March when Sony will release a new 4K version of the film. As you'll see below, there will be a few different configurations. 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital:
4K and Blu-ray:
Blu-ray only:
Update: There will also be a digibook:
In addition to all those, Best Buywill have an exclusive steelbook, and we hear rumor of a gift set similar to the one for Labyrinth.
The only version up for pre-order yet is Best Buy's steelbook, but all the version will be released on March 6th.
To help promote the release Fathom Eventsis bringing the new 4K print to theaters for two nights only - February 25th and 28th.
Tickets go on sale January 12th.
We'll keep you posted as more details emerge!
Update: We now have info on the bonus features.
Legacy extras include:
Deleted Scenes
Commentary with Brian Froud
Picture-in-Picture Storyboard Track
Original Skeksis Language Scenes with Introduction by Screenwriter David Odell
The World of The Dark Crystal Documentary
Reflections of The Dark Crystal: “Light on the Path of Creation” & “Shard of Illusion”
Photo Galleries
Theatrical Teaser & Trailer
Plus the all-new bonus "The Myth, Magic and Henson Legacy’" a behind the scenes look at the film with Lisa Henson and Toby Froud.
After teasing us for some time, Enjoy The Ride Records finally revealed the full details about their upcoming Deluxe Edition Dark Crystal Soundtrack.
Not only was the full version of the cover, gatefold, and back images finally revealed...
they also released images and edition sizes of the variant vinyl colors well.
Web Exclusive Variants (hand-numbered for each respective color run): 100 - Black 150 - Three Suns Color In Color 200 - Purple Inside Clear with Purple Splatter 250 - Aughra Split** 300 - Tri-Color Stripe**
In celebration of the 35th Anniversary of The Dark Crystal, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available across five deluxe anniversary edition vinyl variants*, courtesy of The Jim Henson Company and Enjoy The Toons Records. This Deluxe 35th Anniversary Edition is pressed on 180-200 gram limited edition colored vinyl, complete with die-cut center labels** and housed in a 400gsm gatefold jacket. This release also includes a 24-page photo booklet, which includes rarely seen production photos, interviews, original poster art from around the world, and concept art from The Jim Henson Company archives.
The soundtrack features Trevor Jones' musical score written for the groundbreaking fantasy classic directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, and was arranged specifically for an album listening experience. The album was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1982.
While Supplies Last, each order will receive an exclusive 12" x 12" art print with randomly selected orders receiving a signed print by Josh Bodwell.
Full Track Listing:
Overture (3:11) The Power Ceremony (3:57) The Storm (1:03) The Mystic Master Dies (0:51) The Funerals / Jen's Journey (5:25) The Skeksis Duel (1:41) The Pod Dance (3:14) Love Theme (3:17) Gelfling Song (1:11) The Gelfling Ruins (1:43) The Landstrider Journey (0:44) The Great Conjunction (4:13) Finale (7:14)
That's not all, eagle eyed reader may have also spotted that along with withe anew aforementioned news, Enjoy the Ride also announced that this will be available at their online store starting this Friday!
The Muppet Christmas Carol premiered 25 years ago this week. To celebrate this milestone we scoured the internet, as well as our own our archives, to look at some of the many products and stories related to the movie.
Before the internet, we found out about upcoming movies in these things called newspapers and magazines!
Magazine ad
Cinefantastique
But, much like today, we saw our first real glimpse of the movie in the trailer:
A few weeks before the film was released, Jim Henson Records released the soundtrack,
Which included the songs "Room in Your Heart" and Chairman of the Board" that were scrapped early in the production process. Though they were never filmed, the producers liked the songs enough to include them for the fans.
The Hal Leonard company released the sheet music so you could play the tunes at home.
In addition to the soundtrack a storybook, tape set, and book based on the film of were released as well:
The Muppets appeared on an Ed Sullivan Show Christmas Special to promote the film:
Newspapers ran ads touting critic's praises:
Here's the original review from The Philadelphia Inquirer:
The Disney Channel aired a short behind the scenes special:
Both Taco Bell and Hardee's offered Kids meal toys:
There were TV commercials advertising the film of course:
Golden books released a "big coloring book":
A commemorative magazine was also released:
The following year, The Muppet Christmas Carol was first released for home viewing on VHS and laserdisc.
Where it received even more critical praise and advertisement.
Video stores (remember those) had window clings touting the film's home video release:
Large Window Cling
Small Window Cling
As well as special deals with Pepperidge Farms:
Pepperidge Farm Window Cling
Magazines and Sunday circulares ran ads and reviews for the video:
TV Guide
Philadelphia Inquirer
With all this promotion, The Muppet Christmas Carol VHS was second most bought tape of year, while the laserdisc was the 10th most bought disc.
Entertainment Weekly
Both the VHS and the laserdisc included the song "When Love is Gone" which was omitted from the original theatrical release.
The song was was again omitted from the recent Blu-ray and DVD editions.
The fact that the just the theatrical cut is included is even more mind boggling when you consider that the behind the scenes special included on the disc features a look at the recording of the song!
The face you make when you realize you're watching the theatrical version
Since it's release, film has remained a holiday classic. In 2003, Palisades Toys released figures of the characters from the movie in both Muppet Show red boxes and blue packaging,
and this year's Hallmark Muppet ornament celebrates features Kermit and Robin as from the film:
We'll end our our Muppet Christmas Carol 25thh anniversary celebration with some bloopers and a look at a signed poster for the film:
