Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance began streaming this past weekend (add it to your queue here) and reintroduces viewers to Jim Henson’s breathtaking and frightening world of Thra. The series is ambitious and stunning as a fantasy epic, and Jason Isaacs (who voices the Skeksis Emperor) went into detail with us about making the series, but Netflix has now released a behind-the-scenes look at how much work went into bringing Thra to life. The resulting featurette (above) shows puppet magic, along with nuggets from producer Lisa Henson (daughter of Jim) and the voice cast.
What results is an abbreviated glimpse of what one can witness after the series’ season finale, when a suggested subsequent watch — a documentary episode called “The Crystal Calls: Making ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” — pops up. If you don’t have time to watch that episode yet, or if you want a spoiler-free preview, then the above featurette will do (for now). You’ll see how the series uses cutting-edge visual effects to update classic puppetry, which refreshes the look of Henson’s 1982 feature film for today’s audiences.
In addition to the visuals and the epic storytelling of Age of Resistance, the voice cast includes Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nathalie Emmanuel as leaders of a rebellion on Thra. It’s up to them to save the Crystal of Truth, which has been corrupted by the antagonistic Skeksis and now threatens the species of Thra. This leads to a series of adventures and quests and dangerous moves from these main characters, along with those voiced by Lena Headey, Benedict Wong, Awkwafina, Caitriona Balfe, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alicia Vikander, Mark Hamill, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, and more.
