Culver City, Calif. (July 20, 2009) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the prolific puppeteer Jim Henson with the Blu-ray™ High-Def releases of quest-fantasies Labyrinth™ and The Dark Crystal™ on September 29, 2009 for the SRP of $27.95 each. As co-writer on both films and director of Labyrinth and co-director of The Dark Crystal, Henson created alternative worlds full of mystics, magic and mystery complete with a host of creative characters. From the furious to the feathered, the squat to the tall, and everything in between, Henson’s unparalleled talent constructed surreal realms where the bizarre and extraordinary come to life.
These fantastical films sparkle in high definition with an array of exclusive Blu-ray special features including commentary with fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, who collaborated with Henson on both films, behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes. On The Dark Crystal, fans can play “SkekTek’s Crystal Challenge” Trivia Game and save themselves from the scientist’s evil efforts to drain their living essence. Additional Blu-ray exclusives include a Picture-in-Picture “Storyboard Track” and “The Book of Thra,” a feature that allows fans to learn about and collect their favorite characters and objects from the movie. On the Labyrinth disc, fans can get the inside story behind Labyrinth in the “The Storytellers” Picture-in-Picture track which includes all-new interviews with Cheryl Henson and others from the cast and crew.
Labyrinth Synopsis
David Bowie (The Hunger) and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) invite you into a magical universe where nothing is what it seems. Babysitting infant stepbrother Toby on a weekend night isn’t young Sarah’s (Connelly) idea of fun. Frustrated by his crying she secretly imagines the goblins from her favorite book, Labyrinth, carrying Toby away. When her fantasy comes true, a distraught Sarah enters a maze of illusion to bring Toby back from a kingdom inhabited by mystical creatures and governed by the wicked Goblin King (Bowie). Labyrinth has a run time of 101 minutes and is rated PG.
Bonus Features Include:
• “The Storytellers” – Picture-in-Picture Exclusive
• Making of Documentary: Inside The Labyrinth
• Commentary with Brian Froud
• Journey through the Labyrinth: Kingdom of Characters
• Journey through the Labyrinth: “The Quest for Goblin City”
The Dark Crystal Synopsis
Travel back in time to the faraway planet of Thra where the peace-loving Mystics are fighting to overthrow the evil Skeksis and take back control of their planet. Jen, a member of the Mystics, sets out to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal that will restore balance to the planet. From the brilliant imagination of Jim Henson, this masterpiece of animation recounts the timeless tale of good vs. evil and has become a cult favorite of children and grown-ups alike. The Dark Crystal has a run time of 93 minutes and is rated PG.
Bonus Features Include:
• Commentary with Brian Froud
• Picture-in-Picture Storyboard Track
• The Book of Thra: Dark Crystal Collector
• SkekTek’s Crystal Challenge Trivia Game
• Original Skeksis Language – Test Scenes with Introduction by Screenwriter David O’Dell
• Deleted Scenes
• The World of “The Dark Crystal”
• Reflections of the Dark Crystal: “Light on the Path of Creation”
• Reflections of the Dark Crystal: “Shard of Illusion”
Labyrinth The Dark Crystal
BD Catalog Number: 26330 BD Catalog Number: 19684
BD UPC Code: 043396263307 BD UPC Code: 043396196841
BD Pre-Book: 8/27/09 BD Pre-Book: 8/27/09
BD SRP: $27.95 BD SRP: $27.95
Artwork and digital clips are available for download at www.SPHEPUBLICITY.com Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com
The Blu-ray Disc versions of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are BD-Live™ enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the discs via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club rewards consumers in the U.S. for purchasing and registering BD-Live enabled Sony Blu-ray movies. Members can redeem accumulated points for cool Sony products, plus enter to win cash and prizes in daily sweepstakes and more. For details visit www.sonyrewards.com/bluray.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com. For more info on Blu-ray Disc™, visit
www.sonypictures.com/bluray.
Contacts: Jason Allen Kristin Farrell/Alisha Ciolfi
SPHE Cohn & Wolfe
jason_allen@spe.sony.com Kristin.Farrell@cohnwolfe.com
Alisha.Ciolfi@cohnwolfe.com
(310) 967-2973 / (310) 967-2917
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The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,” “MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi cult series “Farscape.”
With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010” by Entertainment Weekly.
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