"Faeries" (not to be confused with a far less interesting 1999 film), was inspired by the artwork in the famous and gorgeous illustrated book of the same title by Brian Froud and Alan Lee. It dates back to 1981, and this would have been around the same time as the (relatively) better known "Flight of Dragons" and "Gnomes", though somehow I managed to miss it until now.
Now, you'll immediately notice that "The Dark Crystal" or "Labyrinth", this isn't. The animation is very wonky. Froud's elaborate creature designs suffer badly under the limitations of the television budget. But the short is weird enough to be worth a look, and the story is pretty cool as far as 80's fantasy goes. You need something a little weird to ring in the new year.
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Sketch of the Day!
Yeah, it isn't Christmas anymore, but while we're on the subject of strange book-based fantasy-themed made-for-television animation from the early 80's...
