The best children’s films are the ones that make the viewer question whether or not they are actually appropriate for children. By combining the dark with the sweet, movies such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Last Unicorn, The Secret of NIMH, and The Neverending Story manage to lodge firmly in the minds of children who are surprisingly, preternaturally savvy of the ups and downs of existence. The Dark Crystal definitely comes from this proud tradition of unnerving the bejebus out of the youngsters who watch it. Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz and featuring their masterful puppetry, The Dark Crystal’s serious study of life and death, good and evil—not to mention its occasionally shocking scenes of puppet violence—makes it a bit more memorable than Space Chimps.
Thu., Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., 2008
