GBBP 55: Brian Froud

The Great Big Beautiful Podcast, Episode 55: Brian Froud

You can listen on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and YouTube; you can follow the RSS feed; or you can listen right here!

This week, we’re joined by legendary artist Brian Froud. If you’re a fan of Jim Henson, puppetry, or fantasy art, then you’re already well aware of who he is. Froud worked with Henson on The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and The Storyteller as a conceptual and costume designer. It’s no exaggeration to say that he had a vital hand in determining the look and feel of those projects, especially the various species in The Dark Crystal and the goblins of Labyrinth.

Froud continues to create amazing art and put out jaw-droppingly beautiful books such as Trolls, Faeries’ Tales, and the classic Faeries (with Alan Lee). His illustrations were also used in the recently reissued novelizations for his three Henson collaborations (from Archaia Press).

On this week’s show, we chat with Froud about his career, working with Jim Henson, the long-rumored sequels to The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and collaborating with his wife Wendy (who, among many other accomplishments, sculpted the original Yoda puppet used in The Empire Strikes Back).

This one was a personal thrill for me since I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time, and both The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth had a very strong, formative influence on me as a kid. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I do!

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