Jim Henson’s Cult Classic “Labyrinth” Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary This Year

The 1986 cult classic, “Labyrinth,” is celebrating its 40th anniversary and some theaters nationwide (including the Dietrich Theater) are bringing this 80s classic back to the big screen for a few days for a new generation to enjoy!

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. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah befriends the Goblins, in hopes that their loyalty isn’t just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems.

When “Labyrinth” was initially released forty years ago, it was met with a mixed reception from both critics and audiences. Once the film was made available in the home media market, the Jim Henson-directed film quickly gained an immense cult classic status due to its really unique Henson puppetry, Bowie’s truly iconic performance, memorable music and so much more!

The practical effects and puppetry that are featured in this 80s cult classic are one of the many aspects of the film that are really amazing to see. There are a couple times throughout the feature that the visuals can be a bit on the dated side, yet the dated visual effects actually helps with the film’s visual style and gives the film its charm and unique look. The world created by Jim Henson and designer Brian Froud is simply unforgettable and helps build an immersive, dream-like atmosphere.

We also get to meet some intriguing and beloved characters in this journey that have become fan favorites over the years, including the big, kindhearted Lardo and the

frantic, foxy knight Sir Didymus. The character arc of the Hoggle the dwarf character from being a reluctant guide to a friend of Sarah’s was also a point of positive audience connection and is also one of my favorite moments of this film.

David Bowie’s iconic performance of Jareth the Goblin King really stands out and helps carry the film. Throughout the film, Jareth is seen as a master of illusion, controlling the Labyrinth and using fear, trickery and temptation (like the infamous ballroom scene) to wear Sarah down and make her stay.

He can also be viewed as a captivating showman who challenges Sarah, teaching her about responsibility and growing up through games. Bowie’s contributions with the music in a few scenes are also some of the major highlights of this 80s classic and the tracks like “Underground,” “Magic Dance,” “As the World Falls Down,” and “Within You” are still incredibly popular with fans of the film.

“Labyrinth” is a beloved Jim Henson fantasy film that can be seen as a coming of age story, exploring themes of growing up, self-discovery and balancing childhood imagination with adult responsibility, disguised as a whimsical yet dark fairy tale. Despite being a box office disappointment, “Labyrinth” has since achieved popularity as a cult classic and its themes and artistic originality have solidified its place in pop culture, with new generations of fans discovering its imaginative world.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 111 minutes)

The fantasy film will be showing at the Dietrich Theater on January 8 and 11, so make sure to check the theater’s website for showtimes!! “Labyrinth” can also currently be streamed on Netflix, Hulu/Disney Plus, Tubi and Peacock!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjxb2-BU2KM

• The various things that Jareth does with the crystal balls (rolling them around his arms and in his hands and so forth) are not camera tricks or any other kind of special effect. They are actually done by choreographer Michael Moschen, who is an accomplished juggler. Moschen was actually crouched behind David Bowie with his arm(s) replacing Bowie's. Unlike a typical Muppet performance, however, he had no video screen to view his performance. In other words, his manipulations were performed completely blind.

• The owl in the title sequence is computer generated. The first attempt at a photo-realistic CGI animal character in a feature film.

• One of the reasons why Hoggle is always making groaning noises between lines was to keep his mouth open as much as possible, so that actress Shari Weiser was able to look out.

• In the scene where Toby (Toby Froud) is seated on Goblin King Jareth's (David Bowie's) lap, the baby has a fixed and hypnotized look off-camera as Jareth murmurs evilly into his ear. In fact, Toby screamed so much during the many takes of this scene, that something had to be done to keep him quiet. Fortunately, a crew member had a glove-puppet Sooty. For the duration of Jareth's speech, David Bowie had the Sooty puppet on one hand (out of shot) gently wiggling to distract Toby. The child was entranced, hence the hypnotic stare, and the perfect silence.

• The "Dance Magic" scene consisted of over 48 puppets, 52 puppeteers, and eight people in goblin costumes (as revealed by Brian Henson in the Inside the Labyrinth (1986) special).

• Executive producer George Lucas chose not to do any interviews during the release of this movie as to "Not steal Jim Henson's thunder," who was one of his best friends until his untimely death.

• Due to its failure when originally released, this is the final movie directed by Jim Henson. His son has revealed that the time after Labyrinth's release was very difficult for Henson. However, it wasn't long before the "flop" gained a huge cult following, restoring his faith in his work.

• Michael Jackson, Prince, and Mick Jagger were considered to play Goblin King Jareth. Jim Henson preferred Sting, until his kids convinced him that David Bowie would be best suited to it. Bowie wanted to make a children's movie and liked the concept and script, so agreed to take the part.

• In 1986, two video games based on this movie were released, one in Japan and one in Western markets. Pack-In-Video and LucasFilms Limited released the English language game Labyrinth: The Computer Game, in the West. In Japan, Nintendo released a Japanese language game, for the Famicom system, called Labyrinth: Maze of the Goblin King. In both games follow the plot of the movie, and the player has 13 hours to solve the labyrinth and thwart Jareth's plan, but the gameplay is completely different.