"The Storyteller" Complete Collection Coming To Blu-ray!

Australian company Via Vision Entertainment will release the blu-ray debut the classic Henson anthology series The Storyteller this summer.

While the series has been released on DVD and streaming before, this will be the series first time on Blu-ray and the first time the series will be available on physical media since being remastered. 

This set includes all nine stories from the original The StoryTeller series plus the Greek Myths sequel series as well. 

For those unfamiliar, the original series starred John Hurt, and his cynical dog, who narrates fascinating tales that combine humor, intrigue, and magic. Featuring both human actors and creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop retelling classic folk tales, fables, and legends, the series marked a more mature direction for Henson, more in the vein of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, then The Muppets. 

Be aware Bluray.com has the release as Region B only, which will not play in most US players, though that may change closer to it's release. 

The set comes out August, 20th, and you can pre-order the set on Blu-ray and DVD from Via Vision Entertainment.  

"Jim Henson Presents" Comic Coming This December!

Archaia has a new comic book on the way celebrating the many worlds of Jim Henson.

"Jim Henson Presents" is a 4 issue comic anthology based on worlds of Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Storyteller, and Farscape.

From the official description:

"The iconic work of Jim Henson birthed some of the most beloved stories and characters of all time.

Celebrate that rich history with this anthology of all-new tales set in the worlds of Jim Henson, from an incredible line-up of creators including Shannon Watters, Cameron Chittock, Jill Tew, and more!”

"Jim Henson Presents" hits comic book shelves Dec. 4th

Breaking News: Shout! Factory Inks Worldwide Distribution Deal With Henson Company!

According to Deadline, Shout! Factory has made a worldwide distribution deal with The Jim Henson Company.

The multi-year distribution deal provides Shout! Factory and its streaming service Shout! Factory TV with all worldwide rights — across broadcast, streaming, on-demand, home entertainment, and non-theatrical arenas — to Henson’s Emmy-winning fantasy anthology The Storyteller and subsequent miniseries The Storyteller: Greek Myths, Jim Henson’s World of Puppetry, The Jim Henson Hour specials Monster Maker, Lighthouse Island, Living with Dinosaurs, and Dog City (But NOT the Muppet Television or bridging segments). 

Farscape will make its global AVOD premier along with its follow-up miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. 

Also mentioned were little known Henson series The Ghost of Faffner Hall, The Fearing Mind, Mopatop’s Shop, and Brats of the Lost Nebula.

From the Deadline article:

In collaboration with The Jim Henson Company, Shout! Factory will support each one of these projects with a long-term growth strategy that entails streaming media initiatives, content syndication (digital, EST, VOD and broadcast), and packaged media (Blu-ray/DVD). In prepping its aggressive rollout of the fan-favorite series Farscape on streaming, broadcast, transactional platforms and packaged media, Shout! Factory will leverage extensive access to archived content from The Jim Henson Company. Further news as to The Jim Henson Company’s initiatives with Shout! Factory and Shout! Factory TV will be forthcoming.

“FAST Channels are the wave of the future in terms of getting your content front and center for both devoted fans and new audiences,” said The Jim Henson Company’s Vice President of Global Distribution, Kerry Novick. “Shout! Factory is one of the best in this business, and audiences will enjoy watching beloved Henson productions, like The Storyteller, as well as discovering new favorites through this partnership. We’re especially excited for the global fans of Farscape to once again explore the uncharted territories with John Crichton and the crew of Moya in its long overdue premiere on AVOD.”

“The entire team at Shout is enthusiastic to be working with The Jim Henson Company on Farscape and other popular series,” added Shout’s Senior Vice President of Programming & New Business Development, Jeffrey Peisch. “The Jim Henson Company has produced some of the most acclaimed television programs of the last several decades; we are humbled and energized to be given the opportunity to make Henson programming available to the widest possible audience.”

Recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation, The Jim Henson Company has remained a leader in family entertainment for over 60 years. Henson’s most recent television credits include Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, all for Apple TV+, as well as Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time for Discovery+, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The company is currently in production on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, as well as the feature The Portable Door, with Sam Neill, Christoph Waltz, Miranda Otto, Jessica De Gouw and more.

Shout! Factory, LLC is a multi-platform media company devoted to film and TV distribution, development and production. Founded by Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and CEO Garson Foos in 2003, Shout! owns and manages a large portfolio of films, contemporary and classic TV series, animation and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including Gkids, Sesame Street, Laika Studios, The Carol Burnett Show, The Johnny Carson Show, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, ALF, ITV Studios and Major League Baseball Productions, to name a few. Shout! Factory Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties as well as anime, with the company releasing films and television shows in other genres under the imprints Scream Factory and Shout Select. Shout! develops, acquires and distributes new films via Shout! Studios, and owns and operates libraries including Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson) and the Roger Corman New Horizons Pictures Library, all while operating Shout! Factory TV.

The Storyteller: Shapeshifters #1!

The next wave in BOOM! Studios Jim Henson’s The Storyteller anthology comic arrives in stores today. Get a sneak peek before you pick it up.

The premier issue of the new four-issue comic book series is written by Andre R. Frattino, artist Nori Retherford, colorist Kieran Quigley, and letterer Jim Campbell, who spin a fresh new tale about the ancient Celtic myth of the swan Children of Lir.

Dain, a nefarious, power-hungry magic user and Lir’s brother-in-law, plots to steal the throne from Lir and his family by turning Lir’s children into swans and ascending the throne himself. Fionna, the oldest, wants only to gain revenge against Dain, in order to continue her quest to help her father secure his fierce and fearsome legacy as a renowned warrior. While Fionna attempts to find a way to break their curse, the swan-children are forced to wander near and far for nearly a thousand years. They endure much hardship and sorrow, but face the curse together…finding solace and strength in one another.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Shapeshifters #1 features a main cover art by illustrator Mike del Mundo and variant cover art by artist Mateus Manhanini.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Shapeshifters #1 is available today at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) and the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies are available from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

First Look: Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters #4!

BOOM! Studios revealed the first look of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters #4, the final issue of the new comic book series.

Real-life siblings Robin Kaplan and A.L. Kaplan present the next standalone chapter of the Jim Henson-inspired epic limited series, available in June 2021.

The main cover art above is by artist Peach Momoko and variant cover below by artist Dani Pendergast.

Can the Norse trickster god, Loki, get the legendary god of thunder, Thor, to embrace his feminine side? When Thor’s hammer ends up in the possession of the King of the Giants, only his clever brother will be able to aid him in retrieving it, but only if Thor can use his brains rather than his brawn.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters #4 will be available June 16, 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters the complete hardcover collection will be available at local comic book shops on November 24 and bookstores November 20.

Creative Teams Announced for The Storyteller: Tricksters!

BOOM! Studios announced not only a new Storyteller comic, Tricksters, but the creative teams behind the 4 issue mini-series as well. 

JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER: TRICKSTERS, a comic book series based on the Emmy Award-winning classic television show, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, presenting several extraordinary folk tales of legendary tricksters from the four corners of the world. Each issue will feature a new creative team, with the first issue, by writer Jonathan Rivera (Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye), artist Jade Zhang, and letterer Jim Campbell, featuring the most famous trickster of all—Anansi.

Every issue will feature main cover art by artist Peach Momoko and variant cover art by artist Dani Pendergast.

Fans of this fantastical series can also look forward to even more stories about their favorite tricksters of legend with the second issue, written by The New York Times bestselling YA author Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer) and illustrated by rising star artist Erin Kubo, featuring a teen Yoruba village girl who matches wits against the great god of mischief, Eshu.

The third issue, written by poet and Hugo Award-winning author Amal El-Mohtar (This is How You Lose the Time War) and illustrated by cartoonist Isa Hanssen, about the legendary fox Reynard and his scheme to get rich quick.

The fourth issue by cartoonist Robin Kaplan (The City on the Other Side) and illustrator and comics artist A.L. Kaplan featuring gods Loki and Thor as they crash the wedding of the century!

Probably not this Thor & Loki

The Storyteller: Tricksters will be available for sale on March 17, 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore.

Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.

Jim Henson Company Favorites Available on Amazon Prime Video!

The Jim Henson Company and Amazon have inked a deal to release "2,500 hours" of programming to Prime Video. 

The official press release: 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, Amazon Prime Video will offer 2,500 hours of The Jim Henson Company's classic and award-winning programming on its streaming platform, providing a one-stop destination to enjoy and rediscover many of the Company's most popular specials and series. 

Prime Video will be offering a plethora of the Company's popular content to 68 English language territories including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics, with on-demand access to titles like Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, and Pajanimals (certain territory exclusions apply).  

"Featuring masterful puppets and creatures from the world-famous Jim Henson's Creature Shop, these popular titles reflect the magic and wonder that has become synonymous with The Jim Henson Company brand," explained Anna Moorefield, Vice President, Global Distribution for The Jim Henson Company. "These beloved shows will all be on Amazon Prime Video, providing immediate access for our legions of fans as well as an entirely new generation of viewers."  

Available in up to 68 territories including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics, the collection includes: 

Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series (13 x 30'): Based on the original, live-action puppet show, this animated series features new stories and songs. 

Doozer Music (1 x 15'): Features popular songs sung by the hardworking Doozers of Fraggle Rock. 

Fraggle Songs (1 x 60'): Showcases favorite songs from the first season of Fraggle Rock. 

The Song of the Cloud Forest (1 x 30'): A blend of music, puppetry, and animation echoes the natural beauty found in the real world's rain forests. 

Living with Dinosaurs (1 x 52'): A troubled boy confides in his toy dinosaur to help him come to terms with the changes and difficulties in his life.

Lighthouse Island (1 x 30'): Rivals fight for a mysterious, stolen pearl that has the power to transform the shape of whoever possesses it.

Monster Maker (1 x 73'): A young teen is confronted by the fantastic and frightening creations of his own imagination.
Certain English-speaking territories can also view:

Fraggle Rock (96 x 25', excluding the United States): The International Emmy-award winning series stares the musical Fraggles, the industrious Doozers, and the royal Gorgs, who all learn about living together in Fraggle Rock.

The Storyteller (9 x 30', excluding the United States): An anthology series starring legendary actor John Hurt in the title role telling European folk tales to his cynical dog.

The Storyteller: Greek Myths (4 x 30', excluding the United States): Starring Michael Gambon in the title role, this spin-off series features a new Storyteller who finds himself trapped with his dog in the ruins of an ancient Labyrinth.

Pajanimals (26 x 22', excluding Canada): Four sweet characters embark on amazing adventures of discovery, modeling the skills preschoolers need to move through their day successfully.

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (40 x 30', excluding the United States): An Emmy-award winning puppet series featuring the fun, music, and adventures of some of the characters created by celebrated children's author Dr. Seuss.

Mother Goose Stories (13 x 24', excluding the United States): A live-action puppet series featuring well-known nursery rhymes.

Fans are encouraged to follow The Jim Henson Company's official social channels for specific Prime Video territory details. 

This is a great start, especially for those who want to see the remastered versions of The Storyteller, and The Storyteller: Greek Myths who don't have STARZ and Fraggle Rock who don't have HBO or the DVDs/ Blurays. 

It's nice that they include The Jim Hour specials The Song of the Cloud Forest, Living with Dinosaurs, Lighthouse Island, and Monster Maker, but not odd that Dog City wasn't included. Hopefully one day Henson and Disney will come together and release the entire 13 episodes series. 

A couple things, the 73 minute listed run time for Monster Maker is a typo. The actual run time is 44 min.

Also currently on available with a Prime membership are Farscape, Jim Henson's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, and Dreamchild.


However, 2,500 hours and still no Ghost of Faffner Hall, City Kids, Brats of The Lost Nebula, or Dog City: The Animated Series. It's about time Henson opened the vaults to these rarely seen gems!

First Look: Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Sirens #1

Next month Achaia presents another 4 issue Storyteller mini-series, this one focusing on beautiful, but deadly, sirens.

Check out the artwork for the first issue's opening pages and covers

While no official date has yet to be released, Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Sirens #1 will arrive in comic stores in April and can be ordered from Amazon. 

More Henson Comics!

If you're a fan of the comic collaborations between The Jim Henson Company and BOOM! Studios be prepared for even more as they have just signed a new 5 year agreement.

From BOOM! Studios

The Jim Henson Company, an innovative leader in family entertainment for over 60 years, has signed a new five-year agreement with graphic novel and comic book publisher BOOM! Studios to develop and publish at least seventeen new titles for its beloved classic brands, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock and The Storyteller.

An earlier agreement between The Jim Henson Company and BOOM! Studios resulted in the publication of twenty new titles under its Archaia imprint for the four brands, including The New York Times Best Seller and YALSA-nominated Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths; and two Harvey Award-nominees, Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock Classics Volume 2, for Best Domestic Reprint, and The Storyteller: Witches #4, for Best Single Issue or Story. Additionally, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Tales won The Diamond Comic Distributors Gem Award for Trade Book of the Year.

Also, to celebrate this year’s 35th Anniversary of The Dark Crystal movie release, Archaia began publishing an official sequel, a 12-issue comic book series titled The Power of the Dark Crystal that picks up long after the events of the original film. Most recently, it was announced that Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Tales, a children’s book by acclaimed writer and artist Cory Godbey (Have Courage, Be Kind: The Tale of Cinderella), will be released this summer. The publication is a follow-up to last fall’s best-selling Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Tales, also written and illustrated by Godbey.

“We have worked very closely with BOOM! Studios to develop and publish titles that represent the level of innovation, imagination, and quality our fans expect from these classic brands,” commented Nicole Goldman, Executive Vice President, Marketing/PR and Education Initiatives. “There are so many compelling storylines and fascinating characters that our talented partners at BOOM! can continue to draw upon to deliver more magical experiences.”

“Jim Henson was a singular creative visionary whose imagination has influenced and inspired multiple generations,” said Filip Sablik, BOOM! Studios President of Publishing and Marketing. “Everyone at BOOM! Studios has been honored to work with The Jim Henson Company over the last nine years and contribute to the rich legacy of these magical properties. We cannot wait to share with fans all of the exciting things we have planned for the next five years. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!”

Directed by visionary Jim Henson and executive produced

by George Lucas, Labyrinth is a fan favorite and wonder of puppetry. Stuck babysitting her brother, teenager Sarah resentfully wishes the Goblin King (memorably portrayed by David Bowie) can take him away. When her wish comes true, Sarah must head into the Labyrinth herself to save him. Since its 1986 release, the film has become a fan-favorite and is still reveled in today’s era as a timeless classic.

The Dark Crystal, directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, brilliantly weaves a timeless myth of good and evil. In another time, the Dark Crystal, a source of balance and truth in the universe, was broken, dividing the world into two factions; the wicked Skeksis and the peaceful Mystics. Now, as the convergence of the three suns approaches, the crystal must be healed, or darkness will reign forever. The Dark Crystal’s fanbase has only risen since the film’s debut, and the film has also developed a devoted following across the world.

From creative genius Jim Henson, Fraggle Rock stars a cast of puppet creatures called Fraggles, quirky cave-dwellers who live in an underground world alongside their industrious green neighbors, the Doozers, and a family of enormous Gorgs. The series follows the fun adventures of the furry subterranean creatures and features a unique mix of music from all genres including folk, blues, gospel, country and rock, all while embracing themes of friendship, tolerance, diversity, and caring for the planet. With 96 episodes, 100 original songs and millions of fans around the world, Fraggle Rock has been seen in over 98 countries.

The anthology series, The Storyteller, features both human actors and creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in this retelling of classic folk tales, fables, and legends. The series stars John Hurt in the title role. Aided by his cynical dog, Hurt narrates fascinating tales that combine humor, intrigue, and magic.