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:

Jim Henson, George Lucas and David Bowie take you into a dazzling world of fantasy and adventure.

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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

A sequence that didn't make it to the film had Sarah discovering paintings which depicted other sites of the Labyrinth. The paintings were lifelike and as Jareth and Toby moved through the maze , their images would relocate accordingly.

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Goofs

In the party in Sarah's bedroom, Sir Didymus asks if anyone is up for a game of Scrabble while wearing a paper crown. In the next shot, you can see the crown being knocked off of his head.

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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 Movie Mazes (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

better than "the Dark Crystal"

Jennifer Connelly is Sarah, an immature spoiled narcissistic bratty teen whom after wishing her baby brother, Toby, away to the Goblin King (a great David Bowie, who's a highlight of the film) and has to traverse a complex labyrinth to get him back learning to be a lot less selfish in the process. Bowie's songs highlight and punctuate a magical film that is sure to appeal to both the young and young at heart. Better then Jim Hanson's other more mature film of the 80's "The Dark Crystal", because it's a tad more humane and more easily to relate to, but both these films are fun to watch. Loving this film from when I was a kid myself might have shading my opinion of it a bit, yet re-watching it just now, I still find it very enjoyable.

My Grade: B+

Collector's Edition DVD Extras: "Inside the Labyrinth" 56 minute making-of featurette; Four photo galleries; posters gallery; Filmographies; Storyboards; Theatrical trailer; and trailer for "The Dark Crystal box set"

Random Notes: Comes packed with animation cell/scene composite card and postcards