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 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 stepbrother be taken by the Goblin King Jareth. 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. Soon Sarah teams up with some allies. 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:

Three Extraordinary Talents take you to a World of Fantasy and Adventure, The World of Labyrinth!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The split sculpture was an invention of Jim Henson and Debbie the Roboteer for this movie. It looks like a series of rocks until the camera pans to the correct angle, then it resembles Goblin King Jareth's (David Bowie's) face. It was developed over several gruelling evenings with hot, noisy robots and Plastina Romana at the Robotorium, Inc. on Mott Street in New York City during the early 1980s.

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Goofs

In the Escher-style sequence at the end, when Jareth goes from underneath the walkway that Sarah is on, and turns up onto the top of the walkway, the hydraulic rod that propels him up there can visibly be seen in the shadow that is cast on the wall behind him.

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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 Smother (2008)

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Soundtracks

Underground
Performed by David Bowie
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin

User Reviews

A wonderful fantasy tale!

By today's standards "Labyrinth" may look dated and cheap but there's something about it that makes it special.

David Bowie makes it a stand alone movie in the weird ranking. The man is crazy but his performance is excellent!

Jennifer Connely (being 16 at the time) delivers a solid and tender performance. She was very, very cute and her performance totally gained the audience's love.

The tale is fantastic and keeps you interested from the beginning to the end. The musical moments are also great! The f/x were great for it's time and I wonder how they came out with the idea for creating such original characters.

The thing that I liked the most about the movie is it's art direction. The world that is created is taken directly from everyone's fantasy world idea. Colorful and dark at the same time.

Better than the "Neverending Story" movies, "Labyrinth" should be watched for lovers of sci-fi.

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:

$13,723,253

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,158,995

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