The effects look cardboardy by today’s standards but the puppets and animatronics are great, especially Falkor, the dog-like “luck dragon”.

There’s no doubt of the rousing urgency and terrific design of this likable movie.

This was sweet and charming at the time but now it just lacks either the comedy or sophistication of kids' fantasy film that we've all become accustomed to.

Though not as wonderfully bizarre as Jim Henson's Labyrinth, it does have an existential monster called the Nothing—it's something like a black hole that sucks the life out of a fantastic world.