A new visual effects breakdown video for The Sandman reveals how Dream's impressive escape scene in episode 1 was created. Based on Neil Gaiman's comic series of the same name, The Sandman season 1 was released on Netflix earlier this month. Despite its vast fantasy themes and source material that had long proved unadaptable, The Sandman has been a big hit with audiences and critics alike. Like the comics, the show tells the story of Dream (Tom Sturridge), the personification of dreams, who attempts to reclaim his lost equipment after decades of imprisonment.Like many fantasy shows, much of The Sandman episode 1 is spent establishing the world of the series. After setting the stage for the show with an opening voiceover, Dream is promptly captured by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) by way of an ancient ritual. A distraught father, Burgess had been attempting instead to capture Death to demand that his late son be brought back to life. Refusing to speak, Dream spends much of the The Sandman episode 1 imprisoned in a glass sphere until, after a hundred years, he is finally able to escape back to the Dreaming.Related: The Sandman: Dream's Shapeshifting ExplainedIn a new video posted by Netflix Geeked on Twitter, Dream's escape scene is broken down to show how both visual effects and practical elements were used to create the stunning moment. The video starts by revealing a surprising amount of the set was created practically, including Dream's spherical glass prison. Different visual effects layers were then composited on top of the practical elements, including lots of smoke and dust, creating a glowing portal of sorts. Surprisingly, the scene also involved Sturridge himself suspended on wires to provide the illusion that Dream is being lifted into the air. Check out the illuminating video below:

The comic book source material for The Sandman features plenty of stunning imagery, and Dream's escape sequence in the show is remarkably close to how it was illustrated in the comics. Gaiman previously spoke about how The Sandman could only have been made in the age of streaming, because of the show's scale and the budget required to pull it off in a believable way. With a number of similarly complex and visually stunning sequences throughout the other episodes of the show, Gaiman's assertion certainly seems to be correct.

While some parts of Netflix's latest fantasy series can obviously only be created using visual effects, the breakdown video shows just how powerful CGI and practical effects can be when used together. It remains to be seen whether any additional breakdown videos will be released for the other effects-heavy scenes, but sequences from The Sandman like Dream's journey to Hell or John Dee's escape are also ripe for behind-the-scenes exploration. After years of false starts, it's clear that the creative minds behind The Sandman are pulling out all the stops when it comes to crafting breathtaking visuals.

More: Netflix Geeked/Twitter