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I may be showing my age here, but when I think of something with a bit of whimsy, I think of Jim Henson - his 1982 film, The Dark Crystal, to be specific. There is something primal that's activated in so many of our minds when we see puppets, thanks to the fact that humans have been using puppets to tell stories for thousands of years at this point. But before I start gazing too hard into the sunset of human civilization, I've got a bit of exciting news: as part of the preview for this month's Lorwyn Eclipsed set, Magic: The Gathering and The Jim Henson Company have come together to create a new short documentary film showing off the magic and whimsy of the setting. 

As revealed by Polygon, Brian Henson of the Jim Henson Company was quick to highlight why Lorwyn Eclipsed was the perfect chance for the storied production company to collaborate with Magic. “We are a world-building company," Henson began. "The worlds of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor are relatives to Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. Working inside fantasy worlds is our favorite place to be." Amen, Mr. Henson. 

I'm sure many of us would consider a collaboration with The Jim Henson Company to be a dream come true, and that's certainly the case with the folks at Magic: The Gathering. Art director Deborah Garcia told Polygon, "Early in development, we always ask ourselves, ‘What’s the dream trailer?’ I joked about the Henson Company being that dream. I never actually thought it would happen."

The setting of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor is populated by creatures such as kithkin (who are essentially halflings or Hobbits, if you will), boggarts (small goblin dudes), treefolk (Ents within the world of Tolkien), elves, and, of course, giants. Lorwyn is a lush, flowery, and sunshine-filled plane of wonder, while Shadowmoor, as I'm sure you may have guessed from its name, is the darker, scarier side of the same coin. This duality is a core element of the Lorwyn Eclipsed set, which will come out on January 23. 

You can catch the debut of The Jim Henson Company's film when it drops on YouTube and Twitch on Monday, January 5 at 1 PM EST. 

Whether you are a Commander player, a regular at your local game shop's FNM event, or simply love collecting Magic: The Gathering cards, you've landed in the right place. From Universes Beyond to the furthest reaches of the Magic Multiverse, we've got you covered here at Popverse. 

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