Fridae

Writer Neil Gaiman and illustrator Dave McKean are the sensational
duo behind the cult graphic novel series Sandman, loved
by comic fans the world over. Now they have combined forces to make
their first film MirrorMask, written by Neil and directed
by Dave.

MirrorMask tells a strange but enchanting tale of Helena
(Stephanie Leonidas), a lovely 15-year-old girl who hates being
part of her parent's traveling circus. She longs to run away and
live elsewhere, and these yearnings manifest themselves in her elaborate
drawings of imaginary places. When her mother falls sick, she finds
herself entering the magical world of her own drawings where everyone
wears masks, fish swim in the air and books fly like butterflies.

MirrorMask is an extraordinary film. There wealth of bizarre
images and surreal concepts is testimony to the amazing imagination
of Neil and Dave. Oftentimes, it reminded me of Jim Henson's superb
fantastical films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

The film employs all kinds of animation techniques, from puppetry
to digital animation, to make its wondrous world come alive. The
film plays out like a long dream, without a conventional story structure.
So be patient and keep an open mind, and it might just reward you.