#MirrorMask

[theniftycat]

What other Neil Gaiman work might you like?

The biggest thing to know about Neil Gaiman is that each work of his is a mixture of horror, fantasy, and subtle comedy.

That being said, each of his projects is pretty distinct from one another and there might be some that are more up to your tastes than others.

I haven't read some of his newer stuff (because I largely stopped reading as much since the early 2010s), but I'll do my best to remember what matters in other works.

Horror

The Sandman is a great work for horror fans. It's also great for mythology fans and other nerds, but horror is a major push and pull factors.

The comic is probably the greatest body of work Gaiman produced and it's recommended if you're a goth at heart and are comfortable with themes of death and humans being gods' toys.

The Sandman (TV) is a great adaptation, but it's very short so far and doesn't cover the best stories.

Coraline is a horror story for children. It doesn't have anything that's not suitable for kids, but it can be viscerally scary to some people. Both the book and the film are great.

Mirrormask is my personal favourite, it's a low budget film with mindblowing surreal imagery and one of the best soundtracks ever.

It's about a teenage girl who has troubles with her parents (who run a circus, btw) and who gets swiped up by her imagination into a bizarre world that is being eaten by her depression. Not a scary film, per se, but it's disturbing. However, it's a very warm film and it always makes me feel better.

Fantasy

Neverwhere is set in a dimension of twisted London Underground where everything that's straightforward in our world becomes weird and too real.

It really tickled my imagination, I highly recommend the book.

Stardust is set in a more high fantasy setting.

It features kings, witches, ghosts, and a star that fell to the Earth. It has a young protagonist who's not exactly the best or the brightest person, so if you hate such things, stick to the adaptation. In my opinion, the book is just lovely.

American Gods is a darker fantasy that asks the questions: "What if every god people ever believed in became real through the power of their worship? And then what if that worship started fading?"

It's set in the USA and because that country is such a melting pot, there are many gods. And not all of them are happy. This is the book that gave Neil Gaiman his reputation of a writer who loves weird sex scenes.

Humour

Stardust the film is often compared to Princess Bride. It's lighthearted, funny, full of imaginative adventures.

Just a very nice film with an all-star cast.

Anansi Boys is a spin off of American Gods, but it's a lot more lighthearted.

Anansi is a trickster god, so you know things will get funky.

I haven't read The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane yet, but I hear they're very good as well.

Also, short story collections or Norse Mythology might be a good place to start if you want to get a feel of Neil Gaiman as an author first.

[neil-gaiman]

So I religiously watched Mirrormask as a young child since it was one of the only movies in the house we had. Problem is, literally NOBODY I've ever talked to has seen this movie. Pretty sure you wrote it, so can you tell me if my memory of this movie is some kind of weird and REALLY messed up looking fever dream?

No, your memory of it is fairly accurate.

[taraljc]

Instead of throwing away your Neil Gaiman-related books, box sets, statues, comics, etc. how would fandom feel about banding together to auction them off for charity with all the profits going to RAINN?

I do not have the spoons to run a charity auction because dealing with fulfillment and listening fees is currently beyond my reach.

But what I do have is a lot of very rare very cool stuff that--rather than putting it in a box or throwing it in the bin--could find a new home instead, and do some good for a good cause.

So fans of Good Omens, Dead Boy Detectives, Stardust, Coraline, Sandman, American Gods, and other assorted related fandoms, whatcha think?

ETA: when I say I have a lot of stuff I mean I have a lot of stuff. everything in that box came off a single shelf, and I haven't even gotten to the other shelves yet. there's art by Dave McKean, Jill Thompson, Mark Buckingham, Charles Vess, and so many more. Lots and lots.

[jellogram]

I'm surprised Mirrormask (2005) isn't more popular on tumblr. Like what more can you ask for?

Gorgeous and original art and design!

A darkside emo version of the protagonist with a punk haircut!

Cats with creepy little human faces!

These things, which are inexplicably all named Bob (except for one that is named Malcolm)!

Also Neil Gaiman is involved!

If you like fantasy, early CGI, steampunk aesthetics, jazz music, dreamscapes, creative costume design, or generally weird movies then please watch Mirrormask (2005) I need everyone to know about Mirrormask (2005)

[goodsirs]

Mirrormask (2005)

[aurlworthfightingfor]

Jay and Silent Bob movie influences my life when I was a teenager- when I first saw it back in like 2003? Turns out said movie took inspiration from Good Omens.

In turn it means that even though I had never heard of him yet, Neil Gaiman was influencing my life. I didn’t watch my first Neil Gaiman thing until like maybe 2007 when I stumbled upon mirrormask. But even then I didn’t know who he was, I didn’t care who wrote things. Still he influenced my life.

Gradually, I accumulated more and more experience with Neil’s works. I don’t remember when I learned of his existence- but it wasn’t until 2019 when I realized just how long I’d been following his works unintentionally.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I realized he’d been influencing me since before I’d ever consumed any of his work. Dudes been a part of my life longer than I can truly grasp. It just blows my mind. No wonder he’s my favorite writer.

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[neon-witch-ritual]

Does anyone remember MirrorMask ?

Like I had this very weird memory of this film and for a LONG time I couldn't find absolutely anything about it. I remembered the scene in the circus with the ambulance, the dark daughter look and- I think I always thought it was something Alice related (eating at a table, weird imagery, fantasy etc.), and then the final scene with the painted door/window on the roof

BUT THEN-

This lovely person did a video essay

And ALL the memories came flooding back (and of course Neil G was involved in this story)

And I have no idea if anyone else remembers this film

[persephonaae]

This is not a drill! One of my favorite movies is free with ads (or… if you have a decent ad blocker…) on YouTube!

I really absolutely extremely implore people to go watch MirrorMask right now! Right over here: https://youtu.be/kbHgfCwXqVU?si=jzVXaRVJ-TfCt4Xz

Directed by LEGENDARY artist Dave McKean, written by @neil-gaiman , and produced by Jim Henson Studios, this really is the surreal fantasy movie you’re missing from your life that you need to watch. It is esoteric in the best possible way, I think capturing exactly what it’s like to be in the dreaming world, and a great blend of both practical and cg effects that play so well into your suspension of disbelief. I’m always quite sad this film hasn’t gotten the reception it’s deserved due to how very strange it can be, but I think it’s the perfect movie to share to tumblr audiences haha.

Don’t want to give too much away but for those who want a brief premise, the story surrounds a young family circus performer who wakes up in another world after her mother falls ill, needing to rescue the queen of light who has fallen asleep after a princess of shadows has run away. It’s dark, dreamlike, and elegant, perfect for fans of other Gaiman works like Sandman and Coraline; I was introduced to the movie because I got it in a box set with Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, so if you like those as well, I’d give this movie a shot!

Please go watch this, it’s one of my absolute favorites and it’s so underrated!

[thelastofthebookworms]

I used some others of your suggestions for this one, keep making those, they're quite helpful !

[stretchscreamers-news]

For awhile I've been trying to identify an unspoken subgenre of children's fantasy movies with pretty heavy commonalities.

With a few exceptions they all share some pretty obvious and not very rare traits, like most of them are about a live action child protagonist venturing to some whimsical unknown place, Dark Crystal being the exception with a nonhuman puppet protagonist.

But more specific genre traits I've identified are 1. The worlds they visit being mostly dreary, crumbling, and largely pretty hostile. Often not very colorful. 2. Heavy emphasis on special effects, especially with lots of intricate costumes, puppets, and animatronics (mirror mask being a partial exception for its stronger adherence to CGI). And 3. At least one sequence that people who discussed the movie later would describe as borderline traumatizing, and which some have gone as far as to call TOO scary or disturbing for a children's movie.

If anyone has any other movies in mind that they would say fits within this subgenre, or any idea what this subgenre could be called, please lmk.

[black-and-yellow]

He's a very important man, you know. He has a tower.

[neil-gaiman]

This is just to say thank you to Burt Bacharach. I loved that we put this into Mirrormask.

[impossibletragedykitten]

MirrorMask (2005) is a whole vibe. It's what made me fall in love with art.

[goodsirs]

Why do birds suddenly appear Every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be Close to you

Mirrormask (2005)