Paradise Reel

Mirrormask

It has been said that this film was the result of a dare. Universal pictures ventured to bet with writer extraordinaire; Neil Gaiman and partner in diabolical crimes of the literary nature, Dave McKean; that they could not result a family fantasy film for a mere budget of $4 million. Three years later, one terribly exhausted director and many a lesson learnt, the precocious pair have delivered us not only fantasy film fit for families outings, but a visual rollercoaster ride through a world of dreams that none
of us would ever want to wake up from.

In every generation there will be one film that will tap the audience’s desire to explore a place where magic persists and oddities are the norm. In 1939 we were whisked off to a faraway land by “The Wizard of Oz” and in 1986 we were introduced to the fantastic underworld of “Labyrinth”. For the new millennium, we have “MirrorMask”. The story is not a new one nor is it one that is going to reinvent any genres. But in the hands of the dynamic duo of storytellers, Gaiman and McKean, we are treated to a refreshing take on a very tried and true storyline packed with quirky characters, perculiar situations and a mystery most bizarre.

“MirrorMask” follows a circus girl, 15 years of age, who wants nothing more than to leave the life of carnival festivities and lead a ‘normal’ one. Her wish is granted one night and she is transported to the kingdom of dreams only to realise that she has no avenue to return. All is not well in this plane of existence as the balance between light and shadow is lost and the only way to restore equilibrium is by finding a certain ‘charm’. Off our teenage heroine goes on her quest to seek out this treasure and return it to its rightful owners.

Those totally clueless about Neil Gaiman’s literary genius, shame on you. But fret not, his modern-day fantasy tales “Neverwhere” is HIGHLY recommended, followed by “Coraline”) should be available in your local library and if not, complain vehemently to your librarian. Dave McKean on the other hand, does for art what Neil Gaiman has done for literature, and that is to push the envelope of visual imagery. He has produced countless covers for Neil’s Sandman comics and co-written numerous books (a notable one, “The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish”). With that token, it is not a wonder why the pacing of the film turned out the way it did. Although retaining the standard three part acts, the film feels more akin to reading book than watching a typical Friday night blockbuster. It is as if Dave McKean separated the scenes into individual chapters for more palatable viewing. This may deter some from enjoying the film but it is a style does work very well for the kind of story that he is trying to tell. This method of pacing is reminiscent of the film “Serenity” which possess similar pacing and editing styles where the different scenes are portioned out in small segments.

The visual style of the film is unmistakably McKean. Imagine a pop-up book of his designs brought to life and you have only scratched the cover of this immense collection of his artwork. The film is a mixture of live action, a bit of puppetry and healthy dose of 3D animation which McKean handles with care and delicacy. Primarily filmed on a “blue screen”; it is the process of filming actors separately on a blue or green screen (hence the name) and digitally inserting a background that was not present at the time; the actors do not look out of place in this 3D created world as he treats them as part of the overall artwork. What results is a successful suspension of disbelief that has been lacking from previous attempts at a fusion of live action and 3D animation. It was reported that Dave McKean took a full year and a half after shooting wrapped to work on the visuals and design of the entire film.

There is a definite underlying concept to the entire film. There is the theme of duality that runs throughout the film. We are exposed to the dull reality of Helena’s real world further enhanced by the bland and pale colours, contrast by the vibrant hues of the dream world. Even the title of the film “Mirrormask” is a to amplify the theme of duality. The figurative connotation of a ‘mask’ is something that one wears to disguise or conceal our true emotional self. The Mirrormask takes it one step further by implying that not only does that mask conceal our true self, we ‘become’ whoever we look upon and whoever looks upon us.

Stephanie Leonidas turns in a surprisingly experienced performance as the plucky Helena (Stephanie looks strikingly close to a younger version of Helena Bonham Carter…). A huge chunk of the films believability rests squarely on her shoulders and she knows it, delivering exactly what the role requires. The rest of the cast follow up with decent performances all around. A notable mention for the ‘acting’ abilities of the computer generated actors as the animators manages a brilliant job of rendering a palette of convincing facial expressions for the key digital characters.

My only gripe with the whole film, which is just me being my nitpicky self, is that director Dave likes to cut between an extreme long shot to that of a close up. Such a change in perspective can be jarring for some viewers but this does not occur throughout the film and is mainly isolated in the beginning. This is an excellent first attempt for novice director Dave McKean as he proves himself that he is able to tell a story not only text but by the screen as well. Mirrormask IS a fun movie that more kids than adults will enjoy. They movie is so laden with archetypical icons that one is still able to enjoy the film sans dialogue.

I would highly recommend this movie for fans of fantasy and all things quirky. Kids will love this film and adults will enjoy it. And for those of you who are inclined to watch rather than read, this will allow you to experience a taste of the witty, the odd and the literary, all neatly packaged in this pop-up book come to life.