Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro

Stars:

Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López

Top Rated Movies #142 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 106 wins & 115 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ivana Baquero	...	Ofelia
Sergi López	...	Vidal
Maribel Verdú	...	Mercedes
Doug Jones	...	Fauno / Pale Man
Ariadna Gil	...	Carmen
Álex Angulo	...	Doctor Ferreiro
Manolo Solo	...	Garcés
César Vea	...	Serrano
Roger Casamajor	...	Pedro
Ivan Massagué	...	El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte	...	Francés
Eusebio Lázaro	...	Padre
Francisco Vidal	...	Sacerdote (as Paco Vidal)
Juanjo Cucalón	...	Alcalde
Lina Mira	...	Esposa del alcalde

Storyline

In 1944 Falangist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | hiding | maze | spain | labyrinth | 

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Taglines:

What happens when make-believe believes it's real?

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Proposed as the middle film in a trilogy about the Spanish Civil War. This would make The Devil's Backbone (2001) the first film in the series. As of 2016, Guillermo del Toro has no immediate plans (or indeed time in his schedule) to start work on the third film.

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Goofs

Vidal is using a Luger P-08 pistol. When he "fires" it, although smoke can be seen coming out of the barrel, the distinctive cartridge eject mechanism of the P-08 doesn't move, nor do any spent cartridges eject. This is due to a prohibition on pyrotechnics in the forest used for filming and the sound of gunfire and muzzle flash having been added later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pan: A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew...

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Crazy Credits

The title and the names of the actors and the production staff are not shown until the end of the film.

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Connections

Spoofed in Robot Chicken: Fila Ogden in: Maggie's Got a Full Load (2019)

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Soundtracks

Mercedes Lullaby/Nana de Mercedes
Written by Javier Navarrete
Produced by Emmanuel Chamboredon Ian P. Hierons
Courtesy of Milan Entertainment

User Reviews

Wonderful combination of fantasy and reality

Few would dispute that 'Pan's Labyrinth' is one of the best foreign language films of the 2000s, but I would go one step further and argue that it's also one of the best modern day fantasy/adventure films in general. There aren't many films that manage to blur the lines between fantasy and reality as effectively as 'Pan's Labyrinth'. The effortless transition between the real world and the underworld and the way the two worlds are interlinked really is something special and I've never seen it done as well before.

The combination of a convincing and easy to buy into storyline and the magical fantasy underworld works perfectly. The fact that both parts of the story could easily stand alone without the other, and yet go together seamlessly, is an indicator of just how good it is. The horror elements also bring something completely different and unexpected to the film, though they are tastefully added and never overdone. Overall, a wonderful film and one of the best fantasy/adventures of the 00s.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Pan-Européenne [France]

Country:

Mexico Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pan's Labyrinth

Filming Locations:

Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$568,641, 31 December 2006

Gross USA:

$37,634,615

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,850,267

Company Credits

Production Co:

Estudios Picasso, Tequila Gang, Esperanto Filmoj

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1