Labyrinth

"Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems."

1986 1h 41m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 2,878

AdventureFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.

“Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.”

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Cast

David Bowie
Jareth
Jennifer Connelly
Sarah
Toby Froud
Toby
Shelley Thompson
Stepmother
Christopher Malcolm
Father
Brian Henson
Hoggle / Goblin (voice)
David Shaughnessy
Didymus / The Hat
Ron Mueck
Ludo / Firey 2 / Goblin (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jim Henson
Writers: Terry Jones, Jim Henson, Dennis Lee
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jim Henson, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Grover shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly and Toby Froud carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jim Henson directs. Alex Thomson behind the camera. Trevor Jones scores. John Grover cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 51% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Jim Henson, shot by Alex Thomson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor John Grover shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly and Toby Froud carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.".
9IMDB entry: tt0091369 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "rescue", "race against time", "maze", "castle".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Original score: Trevor Jones
Editing: John Grover
Production design: Elliot Scott
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $12,729,917
Return: 51% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Labyrinth (1986)

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Jim Henson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-28
★ 7/10
"Sarah" (Jennifer Connelly) is having to babysit her baby brother "Toby" and she's not best pleased. Indeed, as he won't stop wailing, she implores the "Goblin King" of lore (David Bowie) to take him forever! As good as his word, the child is gone and "Jareth" expects some gratitude from the girl. Of course, she realises that she can't be without the little brat and so implores him to return him. Well maybe, but only if she can find the way through the labyrinth that guards his castle - and she has only twenty-four hours! Luckily (or not) she encounters the goblin "Hoggle" whom she bribes to take her through - but he's not exactly trustworthy and that's what leads to an enjoyable series of adventures as they both have to face the perils of a maze that is full of weird and wonderful creatures - some friendly, some not so - as she races the clock to find the boy. Jim Henson has had a field day here with multiple beasties of all shapes and sizes coming alive on the big screen and coupling with a storyline that shouts "Monty Python" at us on more than one occasion - especially with the derring knight "Sir Didymus" and his cowardly (or just intelligent) steed "Ambosius" - who's really just a sheepdog! Luckily, they also encounter the mighty "Ludo" who is on good terms with boulders large and small - especially useful as they find themselves uncomfortably close to the 'Bog of Eternal Stench" which bubbles and festers so you can almost smell it in the cinema. All the while, the manipulative "Jareth" is putting obstacles in her way as well as offering a couple of decent songs along the way. Bowie doesn't actually feature that often, here, but when he does he brings a mischievous charm to the proceedings (even if he doesn't look that comfortable in his hoes!). The visuals are great fun, mixing the costumed with the manufactured skilfully and energetically and though I don't suppose there's really any jeopardy at all, the film has something akin to the "Wizard of Oz" in it's storytelling. If you can see it on a big screen, then do - it looks so much better than on the telly, and is a good watch.

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