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Mirrormask Unrealism

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MirrorMask An Unrealistic Fantasy World

Known for its innovative imagery, the 2005 fantasy film MirrorMask rejected realistic special effects. In one of the film’s most engaging sequences, the main character Helena is transformed into an evil princess by a group of mechanical dolls singing, “Close to You” by the Carpenters. An underground ‘cinema of attractions’, the sequence sought to engage the audience in the artistic wonder of inventive special effects. By experimenting with special effects, the scene rejected both perceptually realism and photorealism. By rejecting the normalized standard of realism in special effects, MirrorMask’s “Close to You” sequence opens the doors for a new version of special effects—one not trapped by perceptual realism and photorealism, but instead free to transform and reach towards the sublime.
Instead of embracing the photorealism found in special effects since the influence Star Wars and Star Trek, which Julie Turnock discuses in her article, “The ILM Version”, films should explore the possibilities of special effects beyond realism (Turnock, Julie). The MirrorMask’s “Close to You” sequence begins to explore the freedom of special effects through various experimentation. In her article, Turnock describes how films have conditioned …show more content…

While the spectacle engaged the audience, it didn’t burst off the screen. It remained a part of the film’s reality. In a way, the “Close to You” scene is very much a like a musical number. The mechanical dolls perform a type of song and dance routine designed to excite the audience. Furthermore, as a tamed attraction, the sequence remains within the film narrative. While the sequence celebrates special effects as an art form, it also subtly participates in the plot. The mechanical dolls dance routine hypnotizes Helena into thinking she’s the evil princess, so in the next scene she docilely accepts her

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