Labyrinth (1986)

A 16-year-old girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King.

Director:

Jim Henson

Writers:

Dennis Lee (story), Jim Henson (story)

Stars:

David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Bowie	...	Jareth
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)

Storyline

The teenager Sarah is forced by her father and her stepmother to babysit her baby brother Toby while they are outside home. Toby does not stop crying and Sarah wishes that her brother be taken by the Goblin King. Out of the blue, Toby stops crying and when Sarah looks for him in the cradle, she learns that her wish was granted and the Goblin King Jareth has taken him to his castle in the Goblin City in the middle of a labyrinth. Sarah repents and asks Jareth to give Toby back; but the Goblin King tells her that she has to rescue her brother before midnight, otherwise Toby will be turned into a goblin. Soon Sarah teams up with the coward goblin Hoggle, the beast Ludo and the knight Didymus and his dog Ambrosius in her journey. Will they rescue Toby in time?

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Plot Keywords:

baby | rescue | labyrinth | masquerade party | goblin | 

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Taglines:

A' mazing tale of never-ending fantasy.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Laberinto

Filming Locations:

West Wycombe Park, West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,729,917

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henson Associates (HA),Lucasfilm,The Jim Henson Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo 70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When he learned that the Ludo rig weighed over 100 pounds, Jim Henson told the Creature Shop to start all over again and make it lighter. It was brought down to just over 75 pounds, still too heavy for one person to operate all the time. Puppeteers Ron Mueck and Rob Mills split the performance.

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Goofs

After the cleaners scene when Sarah and Hoggle climb out of the vase, the shadow of the sundial nearby is at 10, but when they are standing next to it a few seconds later it reads 8.

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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.
[pulls the Labyrinth book out of her pocket]
Sarah: I can never remember that line.
[reads]
Sarah: You have no power over me.

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Connections

Referenced in Community: Analysis of Cork-Based Networking (2014)

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Soundtracks

Within You
Performed by David Bowie
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin

User Reviews

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!