Yamasong: March of the Hollows Nathan Fillion Toby Froud. Toby Froud is so much more than the man who once played Sarah’s baby brother in Labyrinth! The son of two puppeteers, Froud has previously directed the live- action puppet short Lessons Learned, and is now an Executive Producer alongside Heather Henson on the puppet feature Yamasong: March of the Hollows, the tale of a young girl and a tortoise warrior. Yamasong features Nathan Fillion, Abigail Breslin, Whoopi Goldberg, Freida Pinto, Peter Weller, Malcolm Mc. Dowell, and George Takei. Excited to see what Yamasong has to offer?(via Topless. Robot and Geek. Dad)—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?
Upcoming Steampunk Space Opera 'Yamasong: March of the Hollows' Is About to Revolutionize Fantasy Filmmaking. Photo by Andrew Ernst — passionateeye. When I say the word puppets, what images come to mind?
Yamasong realizes a fantastical puppet vision in conjunction with executive producers Toby Froud and Heather Henson.
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March of the Hollows Releases Trailer, Poster. Streaming Yamasong: March of the Hollows free movies online, Yamasong: March of the Hollows free movies online without downloading.
Do pictures of bright- colored Muppets singing and dancing run through your head? Or perhaps, the word conjures hand- puppet shows you may have watched in elementary or Sunday school. Well, forget all you remember, because Los Angeles filmmaker Sam Koji Hale is about to shatter your preconceived notions about puppets. Growing up, I watched Jim Henson’s puppet films “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal” till the cassettes practically melted my VCR.
I was amazed at how real the puppets seemed in their made- up Hensonian fantasy worlds. This healthy dose of 8. After Jim Henson’s tragic death in 1. Couple that with the rise of computer- generated imagery over the past twenty years, and it’s easy to see why puppetry has suffered serious neglect. In fact, the last full- length feature puppet film made was “Team America: World Police” in 2. Heather Henson, Jim Henson’s talented daughter, wanted to change all that.
- Yamasong: March Of The Hollows film 2015. Home; Trailers; Sinopsis; Plot; Forum; Years. 2015 Films; 2016 Films; 2017 Films; 2018 Films; 2019 Films.
- Watch Yamasong: March of the Hollows online free. An automated girl and tortoise warrior journey with a band of outlaws on an incredible quest.
Her production company Ibex Puppetry has been diligently working to fund puppet projects including films as well as raise awareness by creating a traveling puppet festival (Handmade Puppet Dreams) to show shorts in cities across the United States and abroad. Her support has now ushered in a puppet- film renaissance. Hale is front and center of this rebirth along with filmmaker and artist Toby Froud (son of Brian and Wendy Froud – designers of “Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth”). I first heard of Hale’s work when filmmaker Toby Froud released his puppet film “Lessons Learned” to a sold- out audience in Portland, Oregon in 2. Hale served as producer on “Lessons Learned”, as he has on many Henson projects since Heather supported the creation of Hale’s own short film “Yamasong”. Desperately needing some escapism from the wake of the election aftermath, I was thrilled and privileged to attend a screening of Hale’s sci- fi/fantasy adventure short “Yamasong” at Seattle’s Theatre Off Jackson — hosted by Julie Baroh of Krab Jab Studios.
Not only did it lift my spirits, but what I saw was a marvel of storytelling and special effects beyond any I’d ever imagined. In the spirit of Jim Henson’s “Dark Crystal” and Hayao Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke”, Hale’s work picks up the trail where Henson left off in the 8. But it is so much more than that. Judging from the unreleased “Yamasong” trailer screened on Saturday, and what I saw of the short film that has now been extended into a full- length feature (“Yamasong: March of the Hollows”), I couldn’t help but think “Star Wars”, with a female lead, steeped in a universe of Japanese mythology.
The plot follows an automaton girl and tortoise warrior who team up with a host of creatures to stop the world of Yamasong from the tyranny of mechanization. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, the special effects will. The film includes slow- motion fight- scene sequences with puppets! Yes, with puppets (see trailer at the end of this post).
Additionally, epic, mechanized steampunk space sets, including a planet that is reminiscent of the Deathstar, make- up the gorgeous set pieces of the film. It truly is a genius hybrid of computer- generated imagery, real objects, and props. In a wasteland full of Hollywood reboots and remakes, Hale’s story is not only original and refreshing, but his use of live- action puppetry is blazing a trail in a very neglected genre of filmmaking. Puppet detail Photo by Andrew Ernst — passionateeye. To those who love the fantasy- puppet films from the 8.
He also discussed materials used to make his props, sets, and puppets, which was captivating to see. Every puppet is sculpted from paperclay vs.
During the screening, he was very open about his struggles as an Asian American growing up in the Midwest. I pushed my Japanese heritage to the sidelines, instead focusing on blending in,” Hale confessed.
It wasn’t until later when Hale went to Japan to visit his extended family for the first time that the desire to connect with his family’s roots and Japanese culture sparked. Puppet detail Photo by Andrew Ernst — passionateeye. The flame that would become the “Yamasong” storyline happened when Hale listened to On Ensemble, a Japanese- style taiko band based in Los Angeles. After hearing their album, Hale began storyboarding for his short film immediately. After finishing the project, Hale shopped his short film “Yamasong” around Hollywood, but failed to find a studio who shared his vision for a full- length feature. Down but not out, Hale decided to make another puppet short entitled “Monster in the Sky” and fund it via a Kickstarter campaign. This time, not only did Hale get his funding for the short, but a generous international backer enthusiastically approached Hale about making “Yamasong” a full- length film.
This backer, Sultan Saeed Al Darkmaki, now runs Dark Dunes Productions, and “Yamasong: March of the Hollows” is one of their flagship films. Photo by Andrew Ernst — passionateeye. Shortly following Hale’s success, his Dark Dunes producers started waving their wands to recruit his dream cast, which includes the talents of: Nathan Fillion, Whoopi Goldberg, George Takei, Peter Weller, Freida Pinto, Abigail Breslin, Malcolm Mc. Dowell, Ed Asner, and Bruce Davison. For Hale, the experience has been a dream come true, and his work highlights the importance of art and storytelling in different forms from all ethnicities and cultures.
I have to say I walked out of the theatre feeling just a little lighter and most importantly inspired by truly beautiful art.“Yamasong: March of the Hollows” is in post- production and does not have a release date yet, but you can bet I’m counting down the days until the film will be released in theaters. In the meantime, I will be stalking their Facebook page for updates, and so should you!
Photo by Andrew Ernst — passionateeye. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read this post. Please like and share, and if you don’t want to miss updates on all things fantastical, subscribe to my email newsletter below.
No one likes that, especially me, and that’s just evil and punishable by unicorn horn impalement. And if you’d like to read my interview with the Jim Henson Company’s Dark Crystal Film Contest finalist, director Joshua Hoareau, please click here. Thanks again, and stay magical!