A New Era of Fantasy: Masters of the Universe Reimagines the Genre
Masters of the Universe is already making waves as a fantasy blockbuster that seems to be reviving the magic that Hollywood has long forgotten. In an era where most fantasy films drown in dark grey palettes, lifeless CGI worlds, and a lack of visual imagination, this upcoming film stands out with its vibrant colors, massive practical sets, and a commitment to embracing the fantastical rather than hiding behind realism.
Here are three key reasons why Masters of the Universe feels completely different from most modern fantasy movies.
Masters of the Universe is Bringing Color Back to Fantasy
One of the most striking features of Masters of the Universe is its bold use of color. The production designer, Guy Hendrix Dyas, revealed that the team intentionally stayed true to the bright color palettes of the original He-Man cartoons and Mattel toys instead of toning everything down for “realism.” From red-accented Roton vehicles to glowing forests and the massive city of Eternos, the film embraces vivid fantasy visuals without apology.
Dyas even joked that while most sci-fi films default to grey spaceships, “not in this world.” This creative choice not only brings back the nostalgic feel of the original animated series but also aligns with He-Man’s original identity. Unlike franchises like Dune and Star Wars, which often lean into muted palettes, Masters of the Universe pushes toward loud, surreal aesthetics inspired by the animated series that many of the film’s creators grew up watching.
Additionally, the team removed green tones from parts of Eternia’s forests to create a strange “alien” feeling for audiences, showcasing how carefully the movie approaches its visual world-building.
How Masters of the Universe is Bringing Back Real Sets, Costumes, and Creature Effects
While most modern fantasy blockbusters rely heavily on green screens and unfinished CGI worlds, Masters of the Universe reportedly took a different approach. The film built massive practical sets, physical props, creature prosthetics, and detailed costumes almost entirely from scratch. Costume designer Richard Sale worked closely with prosthetics artist Barrie Gower to create practical creature designs for characters like Goat Man, Spikor, Pig-Head, and especially Skeletor, played by Jared Leto.
One of the film’s biggest achievements came through Skeletor himself, with the team spending months testing cloaks, textures, and different shades of purple before finalizing his on-screen design. Sale explained that they moved away from the traditional bone idea to make Skeletor more snake-like, given his home in Snake Mountain. However, they still incorporated elements of the bone design to keep it referential to his character.
The production built nearly every prop, weapon, belt, and costume piece in-house instead of outsourcing assets. According to prop master Steven Morris, the movie operated through a massive 40,000-square-foot workshop dedicated to crafting Eternia from scratch. The team focused on weathering, textures, hidden details, and practical realism to ensure the world felt “lived in” rather than digitally artificial.
Travis Knight is the Masters of the Universe’s Biggest Secret Weapon
Travis Knight, the director of Masters of the Universe, comes from the world of stop-motion animation through LAIKA, the studio behind films like Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings. According to Knight, the original He-Man cartoon’s “riot of color” became the film’s visual North Star from the beginning. He admitted that modern productions naturally drift toward grey palettes during filmmaking, which forced the team to constantly push the movie back toward vivid fantasy aesthetics.
Knight emphasized that the film was never approached as just another toy adaptation or CGI-heavy franchise project. Instead, every department worked together to create a cohesive fantasy world blending practical effects, prosthetics, costumes, and digital visuals into one unified experience. He praised prosthetics artist Barrie Gower and the crew for adding countless hidden He-Man details throughout the movie, proving that Masters of the Universe may ultimately stand apart because the people making it genuinely cared about the world they were building.
Conclusion
With its bold use of color, practical sets, and a passionate team behind it, Masters of the Universe is set to bring audiences back to the kind of colorful, unapologetically wild fantasy spectacle that modern blockbusters have slowly drifted away from for years.
