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	...	Voice of Didymus / The Hat / The Four Guards / Goblin
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:

rescue | labyrinth | masquerade party | female protagonist | goblin | 

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Taglines:

The Imagination of Jim Henson...

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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

The original script had Sarah accidentally entering the Goblin dimension by grabbing Jareth's mantle as he flees. After she enters the Labyrinth she tracks down Jareth who eventually offers her a deal. In the final script the 13-hour deal comes right after Jareth invades Sarah's home. Earlier drafts also depicted Jareth explicitly as an ideal man that Sarah subconsciously conjures from some pictures of a charming man in the newspaper. This would lead more fluently to the blur ball room scene where the Goblin King tempts Sarah with everything she always wanted. The original meeting in the house was also more elaborate with Jareth giving a creepy performance with an ugly doll which ultimately turned into a goblin. This was simplified for the film with Jareth coming after the unwitting wish.

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Goofs

In the Goblin City, a sign with a pair of scissors on it becomes alternately broken/fixed.

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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

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies Turning 30 in 2016 (2016)

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Soundtracks

As The World Falls Down
Performed by David Bowie
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin

User Reviews

You have to admit it's magical!

The first time I saw this movie was two years ago. Don't ask me how I managed to miss it as a child but I did.

It is obvious that this movie was made for the kiddies but I don't think it can just be enjoyed by the younger crowd. I think perhaps if I had seen this as a child instead of a teenager I would have enjoyed it more but I didn't and I still enjoyed never the less. There is something magical about watching Labyrinth. You just feel the happiness that rubs off from this movie. It almost makes you wish you were a kid again. I admit seeing it now I have to say some parts are beyond corny but I think that's just part of it, I mean that was the 80's right? I am not even a David Bowie fan but I can't help but smile whenever he starts singing (which is quite often). I recently showed this to my 4 year old cousin and he couldn't get enough of it. It was so great to watch him turn his head back to look at me with a giant smile to make sure I saw the puppets doing whatever they were doing at that moment. He really loved it so I bought him the dvd for X-mas this year along with myself a copy. This is really just one of those movies you have to see at least once in your life, just because there isn't another like it. Sure the story isn't much when it comes to plot but try to watch this film all the way through without smiling once, I dare you!

A great movie for the kids or kids at heart! 8 out of 10 stars.