Labyrinth (1986)

Sixteen-year-old Sarah is given thirteen hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother Toby when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King Jareth.

Director:

Jim Henson

Writers:

Dennis Lee (story by), Jim Henson (story by)

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)
David Alan Barclay	...	Didymus / Firey 1 (as David Barclay)
David Shaughnessy	...	Didymus / The Hat / The Four Guards / Goblin (voice)
Karen Prell	...	The Worm / The Junk Lady / Firey 2
Timothy Bateson	...	The Worm / The Four Guards / Goblin (voice)

Storyline

Teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is forced by her father (Christopher Malcolm) and her stepmother (Shelley Thompson) to babysit her baby brother Toby (Toby Froud) while they are outside home. Toby does not stop crying and Sarah wishes that her stepbrother be taken by the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie). 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 (Brian Henson), the beast Ludo (Ron Mueck), and the knight Didymus (David Shaughnessy) and his dog Ambrosius (Percy Edwards) in her journey. Will they rescue Toby in time?

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Plot Keywords:

rescue | labyrinth | fantasy world | masquerade party | cult film | 

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Taglines:

The Excitement of David Bowie...

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brian Froud explains that Hoggle is part goblin and part dwarf. The back of Hoggle's waistcoat features the design of a face, with a tongue sticking out which becomes the strap around his chest.

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Goofs

During the battle in town, the summoned rocks that are supposed to roll from the left to right of the screen, has at least one rock that isn't rolling at all, showing it's being dragged by an unseen wire or rope of some sort.

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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 Star Wars Rebels: Double Agent Droid (2017)

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Soundtracks

Chilly Down
Performed by David Alan Barclay, Karen Prell, and Rob Mills
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin

User Reviews

I wish someone had handed me over to the Goblin King when I was a kid!

Cool film! Way too good for children. Jim Henson, as ever, is the absolute master of every kind of puppetry known to man or muppet.Particularly adorable is the little punk worm who invites Sarah to "Come inside and meet the missus"... very cute. The plot has all the essential elements of a good fairy tale with the added bonus of a heroine who manages to get through all her trials and tribulations without squealing feebly or fainting into the arms of any poxy bloke. David Bowie is wonderfully sexy (despite the fright wig) and his natural humour shines through although his character does a pretty good job of being spiteful and menacing. I get the feeling the he really enjoyed making this film. The soundtrack is excellent and "As the World Falls Down" is quite hauntingly beautiful ('though I have to agree with an earlier reviewer that the ballroom sequence in which it was played did slow the action down a little - but it was a visual feast).

All in all, a beautiful film with a wonderful cast of creatures and humans. Makes me miss Jim Henson's talents lots but at least we've still got Brian (his son). My friend's three year old now has a crush on the Goblin King (I dread to think how that's gonna shape her life!).

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Labyrinth

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,549,243, 29 June 1986

Gross USA:

$13,758,362

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,935,204

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 Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1