Watch the Jim Henson Company Bring ‘Magic: The Gathering’ to Life

Before Magic: The Gathering kicks off a year laden with even more “Universes Beyond†crossovers, it’s starting 2026 off with a highly anticipated return to a beloved plane in Lorwyn Eclipsed, an original Magic expansion that revisits the diametrically aspected plane of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor for the first time in full since 2008. To celebrate its launch, Wizards of the Coast set about a collaboration of a very different sort—one that puts Magic‘s original storytelling and worldbuilding first, rather than bringing a known property into the mechanical world of the game.

Ahead of the set’s release later this month, Wizards of the Coast revealed a new collaboration with the Jim Henson Company to promote Lorwyn Eclipsed with a new short film, “The Ballad of Squen and Craggâ€â€”a wonderfully whimsical, puppet-laden rock ballad about two contrasting Boggarts wondering what life is like on the other side of the auroras that keep the light-filled Lorwyn and the shadow-clad Shadowmoor connected, yet separated.

It’s a pitch-perfect idea, blending together the kinds of whimsically dark fantasy the Henson company already mastered in things like The Dark Crystal and Magic‘s own playful spin on a traditional fantasy fairytale land—and the right amount of cheese to go with it, as the two Boggarts sing and rock their hearts out at the existential crisis of never fully knowing who they really are as long as Lorwyn and Shadowmoor keep their mirrored aspects split off from each other.

But it’s also fun because it’s a wonderfully handcrafted celebration of an original piece of Magic. The Henson Company could’ve been a very easy fit for the kinds of collabs we’ve been used to with Magic over the past few years: maybe not a full set, but at the least a Lorwyn-themed Secret Lair drop filled with puppet-variant cards or even specific crossovers with something like Dark Crystal. And people would’ve likely still grumbled, as they do at many of the ever-encroaching amount of collaborations in Magic, but at the same time, it would’ve made a good deal of sense.

Instead we got an original idea that exists outside of the game and, first and foremost, celebrates Magic‘s original worldbuilding rather than its status as another high-profile collaboration—one made with as much love and craftsmanship in turn. In a year when Magic‘s buzzy crossovers are going to start outnumbering original sets, it’s a nice reminder that Wizards is willing to champion its own material as much as its partnerships.

Lorwyn Eclipsed hits shelves on January 23.

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