The iconic bar scene from Gremlins has been created in an impressive new piece of toy art. Released in 1984, Gremlins was both a critical and financial hit, introducing audiences to the titular mischievous creatures. The film was praised for its practical effects work and innovative puppetry techniques to bring the Gremlin creatures to life. The film proved popular enough that a sequel, Gremlins: The Bad Batch, was released in 1990, and a third sequel is reportedly currently in development along with Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, an upcoming animated HBO Max series.
While Gremlins features several standout sequences, one that has lived on as one of the movie's more iconic moments takes place at Dorry's Tavern. After invading the town, the Gremlins, led by Stripe, take over the bar and have a wild party. The scene features Gremlins drinking heavily, smoking, playing poker, eating large amounts of popcorn, and occasionally even shooting each other. The sequence ends with Kate, the bartender, after discovering that bright lights are fatal to Gremlins, using a camera flash to repel the creatures long enough to escape.
In a new piece of toy art posted to the Articulated Comic Book Art subreddit by an artist named Robotwig, the Gremlins bar scene was impressively recreated using only toys. The image features two Gremlins drinking and smoking at the bar while other Gremlins engage in hijinks behind them. Amazingly, the image, which looks good enough to have appeared in the original film, was created with no digital effects and used only practical elements. Check out the image below:
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The toy-art image is incredibly detailed and even features drops of condensation on the outside of the Gremlins' beer glasses and a candy cane in the ashtray. The image's lighting is also very reminiscent of the original Gremlins film, capturing the dark but dramatically lit interior of Dorry's Tavern. A behind-the-scenes image within the same post shows the same scene but from a different angle, showing the lengths Robotwig went to recreate the atmosphere from the original movie faithfully.
More than 30 years after it was first released, Gremlins is still inspiring artists like Robotwig is a testament to the quality and staying power of the original film. With a third movie reportedly on the way, hopefully, the filmmakers choose to honor the ways of the original movie and use puppetry and practical effects instead of CGI to maintain the same unique atmosphere of the first two. While there's likely still a while to wait for the third movie in the franchise, Robotwig's impressive toy art will probably have fans wanting to revisit the magic of the original Gremlins.
Source: Robotwig/ Reddit