Labyrinth (1986)
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A teenager must navigate a treacherous maze to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King.
The story
While in the park with her dog, 16-year-old Sarah Williams finds herself unable to remember the last line of a book titled The Labyrinth. After a frustrated wish leads to the disappearance of her infant half-brother Toby, the Goblin King Jareth appears. He offers Sarah her dreams in exchange for the baby, but she refuses. Jareth grants her 13 hours to navigate his labyrinth and find Toby before he is transformed into a goblin forever. Sarah is thrust into a wasteland where she must team up with a dwarf named Hoggle to navigate the maze and find her brother before time runs out.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Sarah's reckless wish causes her baby brother Toby to vanish, the Goblin King Jareth offers her a choice: her dreams for the baby. She refuses, and Jareth gives her 13 hours to find Toby in his labyrinth. Accompanied by a dwarf named Hoggle, Sarah navigates various perils, including a trapdoor, a forest, and the 'Bog of Eternal Stench' where she meets a troll named Ludo and a guard named Sir Didymus. After a period of being drugged by a magical peach, Sarah eventually reaches the heart of the labyrinth. In a final confrontation, she faces Jareth and realizes his power comes from her fear. By reciting the final line of her book, 'You have no power over me!', she weakens him. Jareth transforms into a barn owl and returns Toby to her. Sarah returns home to find her family, and the characters from the labyrinth appear in her room for a celebration.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jim Henson
- Writers
- Terry Jones · screenplay; Dennis Lee · story; Jim Henson · story
- Cast and characters
- David Bowie · Jareth; Jennifer Connelly · Sarah; Toby Froud · Toby; Shelley Thompson · Irene; Christopher Malcolm · Robert
- Genres
- musical; fantasy
- Themes
- coming-of-age
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; dreamlike
- Premise and plot tags
- quest; fantasy adventure; mythical creatures
- Source material / true-story basis
- A story conceived by Henson and Dennis Lee, based on a novella by Dennis Lee.
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and has gained a large cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- British Academy Film Awards · Best Special Visual Effects · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Fantasy Film · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Costumes · Nomination; Hugo Award · Best Dramatic Presentation · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film features the first use of a realistic CGI animal in a film (an owl).; The film's set of the Goblin City required 120 truckloads of tree branches.; The character of Jareth was influenced by literary figures like Heathcliff and Rochester.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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