A complete disconnect from much of Henson's earlier work, "Dark Crystal" is darker, more mysterious, heartfelt, and mystical. It combines the movie magic of puppetry, which is one of the more nuanced art forms, and a magical story about the last of a race of people, hidden from a villainous race of vulture-like creatures. Jen, a "Gelfling", who looks like an elvish character, is the only humanistic character included in this film, which was completely without any human actors, the first of its kind. He is cared for by one of the masters, who is kidnapped, prompting Jen to go off into the torrid jungle settings of a world complete with a plethora of other creepy crawlies. Much of the film circles upon two stories: one is between Jen and Kira, another Gelfling who can communicate with animals, as they realize their role in an ancient prophecy surrounding a shard and the infamous Dark Crystal. The other surrounds the vulture-like society of Garthim, who destroyed the Gelfling race to keep the prophecy of the reunion of the crystal from happening. The Garthim scared the crap out of me as a child, and here they are as menacing and dark as the subject matter suggests. They are ostensibly creepy as they act like real and malicious animals, including engaging in duels, snapping at one another with their beaks, and tearing each other to bits at the behest of their leader. The sets are beautiful, airy affairs that are just as whimsical and spritely as Henson's later film "Labyrinth". The Gelflings speak with light voices and speak intermittently through their minds. Though it is darker than past Henson projects it is his seminal best and most interesting, much less ostentatious than Labryrinth, and more versatile than The Muppets.