WHERE can I get the Dark Crystal on video?


DVD: $14.97
(List Price: $24.95)
Order The Dark Crystal DVD or VIDEO from Amazon!


VHS: $12.99
(List Price: $14.95)

After being impossible to find for years, The Dark Crystal has finally made for another re-release, and this time on DVD as well as video, and with all the extras! (See the news section). Release due September 21st, 1999.
WHERE can I get the Dark Crystal Soundtrack???

Order The Dark Crystal DVD with seperate FILM SCORE audio track from Amazon!


DVD: $14.97
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The 1982 soundtrack LP and cassette have been out of print for years, and are quite difficult to track down. Keep your eyes open for those at used record stores. More recently, a bootleg CD was available, combined with the soundtrack to a movie called "The Wicked Lady". It typically sold for about $30, and as it was copied from the original cassette soundtrack, it's quality was perhaps a little less than could be hoped for. NY's Footlight Records had the bootleg in stock at one point. Your best bet is to order the DVD special edition,which includes the soundtrack as a seperate audio track.
Where can I get the documentary on the making of The Dark Crystal?

Order The Dark Crystal DVD with seperate World of the Dark Crystal documentary from Amazon!


DVD: $14.97
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After years of being impossible to find, the World of the Dark Crystal is showing up regularly! Not only has it been regularly playing on the Odyssey channel, it is also included on the new Dark Crystal DVD (and probably the new video as well).

Previously you could try and track it down on 16mm film, or on the rare 1990 Collector's Edition laserdisc.
WHERE can I find The World of the Dark Crystal (and other Dark Crystal books)?

All Dark Crystal-related books including "The World of the Dark Crystal", and "The Making of the Dark Crystal" are out-of-print. There were no editions published after the first editions. If your library has an Interlibrary loan service, you may be able to borrow them. (Check the Dark Crystal Merchandise section for the info you need to locate them). There is a small amount of material from these books included in Jim Henson The Works and No Strings Attatched as well as lots of other info on the films themselves. The Dark Crystal novel is frequently found in sales of used fantasy and science fiction books.
How can I get a video-tape of the Dark Crystal recorded in the PAL-system?

Hopefully the new DVD and video re-release in the US will be the first step towards making the film more available everywhere. If you can't wait for that, you might try any good British or European movie mail-order places, look for the PAL version on LASERDISC, (Even if you do not have a laserdisc player, perhaps you can find someone who does who will let you make a video-tape viewing copy), or buy an NTSC version and transfer it to PAL with a multi-standard VCR.

 What extra footage does the laserdisc include? What about the Collector's Edition laserdisc? Is there a Collector's Edition videotape?

The rare 1990 Collector's Edition laserdisc included the trailer, deleted scenes and documentary, as does the NEW DVD that repleces it. The new video will probably also include the documentary.

The 1994 Jim Henson Home Video laserdisc, has no extra footage. It is the same as the 1994 Jim Henson Home Video cassette (in the big green cover), except it is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. The total running time is 93 min.


DVD: $14.97
(List Price: $24.95)
Order The Dark Crystal DVD from Amazon!

Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, Filmographies,
Separate Film Score Audio Track, Production Notes,
Deleted Scenes, Documentaries, Cast/Crew Bios; Widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio,
Dolby Digital Stereo,
Running time of 94 minutes

Release date 9/21/1999


The old "Collector's Edition" laserdisc was put out in 1990 by Image, and retailed for about $100. It was widescreen, and ran an extra 67 extra minutes with the making-of documentary, release trailers, and the (now legendary) deleted Emperor's funeral scene. Apparently there were high defect rates in the copies released, the transfer was very, very dark, and some of the frames may even have appeared damaged. The funeral scene was tacked on as supplementary material, (and non-widescreen), and had the original (and also legendary) Skeksis' language. It was not released on videotape.
What museums (or other places) have Dark Crystal & Labyrinth stuff on display?

Q: Does anyone know anything about Dark Crystal toys & action figures?

A: The New Figures Are were released in 2003 and as of Janurary 2003 were SOLD OUT!

The retail price was originally $80 for the pair from the manufacturer's website, although some stores were selling them for around $35 each. Your best bet now might be E-Bay, or if you are patient, keep your eyes open at stores like Spencer Gifts or other stores at the mall that sell movie action figures.

The beautifully crafted and costumed figures are fully poseable, and were released in a limited edition of 7500 sets. Accessories include Crystal Shard, Jen's flute & Fizzgig.

And unfortunately Sideshow has decided NOT to release a
24" SKEKSIS figure, due to technical issues. :(


And for the historical reference, here is the story on the old ones:



Dark Crystal Action Figures

Three original Dark Crystal action figures that never made it to the market, as shown in an old action figure magazine. Out of four figures that were produced (and others that were to be produced), here are three pictures sent in by Jarrod Canepa.

I had the unique opportunity to see some of the original packaged prototypes of the action figures in the collection of a Dark Crystal crew member. The actual action figures were listed in an old Starlog magazine article about the Dark Crystal, which listed a lot of merchandise that never made it to the shelves.

There are two collections of miniature pewter figurines that, while rare, may still be found. (If you do find a box and plan to paint them, you might consider buying some new paint though).

There have also been unresolved rumours of an extremely rare Fizzgig plush toy.

What's all this about an "Ultimate Edition"???

In 1996 I started (at the urging of many fans), a campaign to Jim Henson Productions to try and get a 15th Anniversary "Ultimate" release of the Dark Crystal in 1997. The things requested included having the Skeksis language restored, the longer Trial By Stone scene, the deleted Emperor's and urRu master's funeral scenes, and enough laserdiscs to meet the market demand, laserdisc, DVD & video tape copies, and support for the PAL video standard. The campaign had a HUGE response, so big that I actually recieved a phone call from Jim Henson Productions a few months into it requesting that I please not continue with it as it wasn't going to happen. A quote from Jim Henson himself may help explain JHP's feelings on the matter. Their feeling was rather similar to this quote from an article on Jim Henson & Labyrinth in Starlog 109:

Whatever his past successes--be they Muppets of movies-- Jim Henson has no intention of looking back. "I love to work, I love doing what I do," he says. "It's always exciting to me to try and do things that we've never done before--that is always more interesting then just repeating what has been done in the past."

The hilarious thing is that now, (some years later), they HAVE gone and released the film on DVD and video, with almost everything we asked for! (See the news section). So what happened at JHP since their phonecall? Who knows. I am just happy to be able to buy the DVD. :)


 DVD: $14.97
(List Price: $24.95)
Order The Dark Crystal DVD or VIDEO from Amazon!


VHS: $12.99
(List Price: $14.95)

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Updated 1/15/2003 by Monica J. Roxburgh