Igniting the Spark, The Story of Magic: The Gathering
| Igniting the Spark | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster. | |
| Detail | |
| Genre | Documentary |
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Release date | August 2, 2025 |
| Production | |
| Directed by |
Kelley Slagle Brian Stillman |
| Starring |
Peter Adkison Richard Garfield Lisa Stevens Jesper Myrfors Mark Poole |
| Cinematography | Brian Stillman |
| Edited by |
Ben Howard Kelley Slagle |
| Produced by |
Cavegirl Productions The Nacelle Company X-Ray Films |
Igniting the Spark, The Story of Magic: The Gathering is a two hour feature-length documentary, chronicling the game's history since its 1993 release.[1] It was originally expected to be released in 2023, but was delayed several times. It premiered as part of the Gen Con Film Festival on August 2, 2025.[2][3]
Description
The Toys That Made Us producer Brian Stillman co-directed Igniting the Spark alongside Kelley Slagle. Rounding out the producing team was Seth Polansky. All three previously produced the documentary Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons.
Brian produced the documentary Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys. Kelley and Seth made a narrative feature film called Of Dice and Men. An additional producer for Igniting the Spark is Brian Volk-Weiss, CEO of The Nacelle Company and the same man behind Netflix's The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us.
Featured in the film are Richard Garfield, Peter Adkison, Lisa Stevens, Skaff Elias, Beverly Marshall Saling and Dave Howell. The film production includes over 70 interviews, with appearances by Jesper Myrfors, Luc Mertens, and Sheldon Menery; Magic artists like Mark Poole, Jeff Menges, Donato Giancola, Liz Danforth, Jarel Threat, Winona Nelson, Rob Alexander, and Steve Argyle; Wizards of the Coast current and former staff like Jess Lanzillo, Mark Rosewater, Gavin Verhey, Elaine Chase, Mike Turian, Ken Troop, Jefferson Dunlap, Melissa DeTora, and Aaron Forsythe; and Magic players and influencers like Reid Duke, Brian Kibler, Olivia Gobert-Hicks, The Professor, and Dana Fischer.
The film's runtime is 116 minutes, and has a TV-PG rating.
Official synopsis
| “ | IGNITING THE SPARK, The Story of Magic: The Gathering explores Magic's origins, its rapid growth, its enduring popularity, and its massive influence on the gaming industry and people's lives. How did a card game developed by students at the University of Pennsylvania, ”simply constructed but with highly sophisticated rules,” turn into a multi-billion-dollar pastime and pop-culture juggernaut? Why has it been so passionately embraced by millions of players for three decades and counting? What makes Magic so magic? Through interviews, archival footage, and deep dives into hidden vaults of long-lost treasures, IGNITING THE SPARK answers those questions, and so many more![4] | ” |
References
- ↑ Julia Lee (February 14, 2020). "Magic: The Gathering documentary on the way from the team behind The Toys That Made Us". Polygon.com.
- ↑ Mike Turian (July 12, 2025). "Igniting The Spark - The Story of Magic: The Gathering - Feature Film will be debuting at GenCon.". Bluesky.
- ↑ Igniting The Spark - The Story of Magic: The Gathering - Feature Film. Gen Con. Retrieved on July 18, 2025.
- ↑ IGNITING THE SPARK - The Story of Magic: The Gathering. Filmfreeway.com.