If you take a character and you call him a frog, or like Rowlf, our dog, call him a dog, you immediately give the audience a handle.
But with The Dark Crystal, instead of puppetry we’re trying to go toward a sense of realism – toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive and we’re mixing up puppetry and all kinds of other techniques.
I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone. I promised me.
I hope that something better comes along.
Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on an evening star? Somebody thought of it and someone believed it, and look what its done so far.
If you can’t beat them, join them.
At the time of Polaroid – and I did a couple of other commercials just before I stopped doing that stuff – at that point I was at the level where they respect you and your opinion and all that sort of thing.
Actually the copies of characters is something I don’t particularly like to talk about in articles but just for your information, most characters there’s only one.
At the University of Maryland, my first year I started off planning to major in art because I was interested in theatre design, stage design or television design.
A film is not done by one person. It’s done by a lot of people. I love this whole collaborative aspect. When it works well, you end up with something better than any of us started out to do.
I do remember doing shows strictly in black and white, too, so you’re right.
It has always been difficult to get Big Bird to be very pretty. Big Bird in England is much more gorgeous.
Television is basically teaching whether you want it to or not.
Somebody like a Piggy or a Kermit, there needs to be several versions and so there will be several of them.
All of a sudden you realise that you are the person who has control of your life.
I know that it’s easier to portray a world that’s filled with cynicism and anger, where problems are solved with violence. What’s a whole lot tougher is to offer alternatives, to present other ways conflicts can be resolved, and to show that you can have a positive impact on your world. To do that, you have to put yourself out on a limb, take chances, and run the risk of being called a do-gooder.
Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling. May each of yours be that – having each of you as a child of mine has certainly been one of the good things in my life. Know that I’ve always loved each of you with an eternal, bottomless love. A love that has nothing to do with each other, for I feel my love for each of you is total and all-encompassing. Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.
Here’s some simple advice: Always be yourself. Never take yourself to seriously. And beware of advice from experts, pigs, and members of Parliament.
Someday we’ll find it the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.
I think there are lots of ways of leading very good lives and growing spiritually. This process of growth goes on whether we believe it or not.
I think it’s not particularly necessary to lead a religious life. People progress just as well in music, or art, or math or science or gardening or whatever. It all seems to work as well and the process is good.