The Dark Crystal (UMD Video)

🎬 Overview

• Title: The Dark Crystal (UMD Video)

• Platform: Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)

• Format: UMD Video (Universal Media Disc)

• Studio / Publisher: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Jim Henson Company

• Original Film Release: 1982

• UMD Release: Mid-2000s (around 2005–2006, as part of the PSP movie library)

• Genre: Fantasy / Adventure / Puppet Animation

• Runtime: Approximately 93 minutes

• Rating: PG (mild fantasy violence, thematic elements)

📖 Film Background

The Dark Crystal is a legendary 1982 fantasy film created and directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz — the same creative team behind The Muppets. Unlike Henson’s other works, this movie stands out for being a completely serious fantasy epic told entirely through animatronics and puppetry, without any human actors.

The movie became a cult classic for its groundbreaking puppetry, dark tone, and richly imagined world — a precursor to later fantasy hits like Labyrinth (1986).

🧭 Plot Summary

The story takes place in the mystical world of Thra, where a magical crystal — known as the Dark Crystal — maintains balance and harmony. A thousand years ago, the crystal cracked, splitting the world into light and dark and dividing its dominant race into two species:

• The Skeksis – cruel, decaying vulture-like creatures who rule through greed and fear.

• The Mystics – wise, gentle beings who live in peace and await the crystal’s healing.

The prophecy speaks of a Gelfling, a small elf-like creature, who will heal the crystal and restore balance.

You play witness to Jen, the last male Gelfling, who embarks on a perilous quest to find the missing crystal shard and return it to its place before the Great Conjunction — when the planet’s three suns align. Along the way, Jen meets Kira, another surviving Gelfling, and together they face the sinister Skeksis and their servants, including the terrifying Garthim.

🎥 UMD Video Features

This PSP UMD version contains the full theatrical film, adapted to play on Sony’s handheld console.

Format Details:

• Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

• Resolution: 480×272 (optimized for PSP’s widescreen display)

• Audio: Stereo (Dolby Headphone compatible)

• Language Options: English (primary); some UMDs include subtitles or multiple audio languages depending on region.

• Region Coding: Region 2 (Europe) or Region 1 (North America) — depending on your copy.

The menu interface lets you:

• Play the movie

• Select scenes

• Access language/subtitle options

• In some editions, view bonus material such as behind-the-scenes clips or production notes.

🎨 Visual & Audio Quality

While the PSP’s small screen limits the resolution, the UMD transfer of The Dark Crystal was praised for its sharp picture and faithful color reproduction, capturing the movie’s dark fantasy visuals — from the eerie castles of the Skeksis to the glowing forests of the Mystics.
The soundtrack by Trevor Jones remains intact, giving the experience a grand and mystical tone even through PSP speakers or headphones.

💡 Legacy & Collectibility

• The Dark Crystal UMD Video is now considered a collector’s item, as UMD movies are no longer produced.

• It represents a unique period in gaming and media history when Sony attempted to make the PSP not just a gaming device, but a portable entertainment center for movies and music videos.

• The film itself retains a cult following — later inspiring the Netflix prequel series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” (2019).

🧙♂️ Summary

The Dark Crystal (UMD Video) for PSP delivers one of the most imaginative and visually ambitious fantasy stories ever made, presented in portable form.
It combines Jim Henson’s groundbreaking puppetry, Frank Oz’s direction, and a rich, mythological narrative that explores themes of balance, destiny, and renewal.

Even today, it stands out as one of the most beautifully crafted fantasy films of its era — and owning it on UMD offers a nostalgic piece of PSP and film history.