Labyrinth (1986)

Director:

Jim Henson

Writers:

Dennis Lee (story) and
Jim Henson (story) ...

Release Date:

27 June 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.

Plot:

15-year-old Sarah accidentally wishes her baby half-brother, Toby, away to the Goblin King Jareth who will keep Toby if Sarah does not complete his Labyrinth in 13 hours.

Plot Keywords:

Goblin | Labyrinth | Baby | Castle | Rescue

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 nominations

Cast

David Bowie	...	Jareth the Goblin King
Jennifer Connelly	...	Sarah
Toby Froud	...	Toby
Shelley Thompson	...	Stepmother
Christopher Malcolm	...	Father
Natalie Finland	...	Fairy
Shari Weiser	...	Hoggle
Brian Henson	...	Hoggle / Goblin (voice)
Ron Mueck	...	Ludo / Firey 2 / Goblin (voice)
Rob Mills	...	Ludo / Firey 3
Dave Goelz	...	Didymus / The Hat / The Four Guards / Left Door Knocker / Firey 3 (voice) (as David Goelz)
David Alan Barclay	...	Didymus / Firey 1
David Shaughnessy	...	Didymus / The Hat / The Four Guards / Goblin (voice) (as David Shaughnessy)
Karen Prell	...	The Worm / The Junk Lady / Firey 2
Timothy Bateson	...	The Worm / The Four Guards / Goblin (voice)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Elstree, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Henson Associates (HA)

Trivia:

In the scene where Toby is seated on Jareth's lap, the baby has a fixed and hypnotized look off-camera as Jareth murmurs evilly into his ear. In fact, Toby screamed so much during the many takes of this scene, that something had to be done to keep him quiet. Fortunately, a crew member had a glove-puppet Sooty. For the duration of Jareth's speech, David Bowie had the Sooty puppet on one hand (out of shot) gently wiggling to distract Toby. The child was entranced, hence the hypnotic stare, and the perfect silence.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Jareth's first song, he holds Toby, throws him upwards and leaves him for a goblin to catch. When Toby is in Jareth's hands he is with his face towards the camera. When in the air he turns around before being caught by the goblin - but his face remains towards the camera.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sarah: Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great...
[thunder rumbles]
Sarah: For my will is as strong as yours, my kingdom as great... Damn. I can never remember that line.
[Sarah looks up the line from the Labyrinth book]
Sarah: You have no power over me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in MirrorMask (2005)

Soundtrack:

UNDERGROUND

Viewing it again at the age of 25 just made me appreciate it even more, for all of it's breathtaking imaginative figures, rich scenery and original plot

Growing up as a child in 1980's New York, I remember being inspired by many fantasy and science fiction films, that eventually led me to start writing short stories myself (from there to my current occupation of journalism the road was quite short, BTW). Titles like The Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? captured my imagination and filled me with aw, and with time found their way to my ever growing DVD collection, as did Jim Henson's Labyrinth, the latest addition to my nostalgic bundle of joy.

The saddest thing about all this is that no one seems to make films like Labyrinth anymore. Viewing it again at the age of 25 just made me appreciate it even more, for all of it's breathtaking imaginative figures, rich scenery and original plot; especially when some of the scenes seem somewhat dated while the essence and heart of the film remain in tact, even twenty years down the road.

In short, Labyrinth is one of Jim Henson's last attempts at creating cross-age entertainment through his world famous puppets, after bringing life to the eternal beloved characters of The Muppets and Sesame Street, and before his sudden and premature death. The story presents us 16 year old Sarah (a very young Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind), who has an extremely vivid imagination she uses to escape her everyday worries... or so it seems. After asked to take care of her baby stepbrother, Toby, Sarah finds herself dealing with a screaming infant, instead of wondering away in her thoughts to a world filled with Goblins, Yeti-like creatures, and a King Atrhur-ish talking dog. After several lacking attempts at calming the baby down, she wishes Toby to the evil Goblin King Jareth. Fantasy and fiction clash when Jareth (the one and only rock singer David Bowie, who appears on screen with an extravagant 80's outfit and some cute yet unnecessary songs) actually takes Toby away to his evil kingdom, where he threatens to transform the baby into a Goblin, if Sarah won't find a way to cross a tricky and mystical Labyrinth on the way to his kingdom. Determined to save her brother, Sarah makes her way through the Labyrinth, meeting helpful friends along the way, whilst magical fantasy happenings occur around her...

This is a true 1980's gem. Treat it with care, and enjoy!