ETERNAL CLASSICS: Labyrinth

In 1986 Jim Henson, creator of The Muppet Show, teamed up with George Lucas to create one of the most fascinating fantasy worlds ever created for the big screen. This was no mere maze, this was Labyrinth, the greatest puppet movie ever done.  Unfortunately, this was Jim Henson's last movie before he suddenly died in 1990 of pneumonia at age 53. 

Labyrinth tells us the story of a young teenage girl who enters a fantasy realm to conquer her fears of growing up and facing reality, a theme used often by writers like Lewis Carrol in the classic Alice in Wonderland and, most recently, by Hayao Miyazaki, creator of anime classics like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. In this case, the girl has to find her way to the center of the Labyrinth in order to save his baby brother from Jareth, the Goblin King, after she wishes for him to take his brother.  But, what exactly makes Labyrinth stand out from the rest?

No, it's not Tina Turner. David Bowie, as the Goblin King, stares at the back of a young Jennifer Connelly (who would later star in Dark City and Requiem for a Dream).

VISUAL EFFECTS

In these days where every visual effect is done by computer it's remarkable to go back and see how real craftmen created a breathtaking story using puppetry, make up, and even magic. For instance, there is a part in the movie where the Goblin King twirls a crystal ball down his arm and around his palm, a juggler had to hide behind him and substitute his arm for the character’s in the shot and then do the trick without watching his hand. Today, the effects team would just figure out how to do it with a computer, but in 1986, you needed magicians who could figure out how to do it for real. 

Hairy thing riding a dog, Hoggle and Ludo

FANTASY CREATURES

Both simple and complex puppets were used to create the vast variety of creatures that inhabit the labyrinth. I remember being really impressed by the plant with eyes and almost scared by the tunnel full of hands that made faces when I saw the movie for the first time back when I was still young and innocent. And what about the hairy thing riding the dog? Simply adorable.

The amazing talking hands.

ART DIRECTION

Taking elements from Henson's previous fantasy movie The Dark Crystal, The Wizard of Oz and even from M. C. Escher's famous logic defying rooms, Labyrinth features a visually rich world whose parts are very different from each other yet they remain coherent with the general aesthethic of the film. 

This part of Jareth's castle is inspired by Escher's Relativity, painting that appears in Sarah's room back in the real world. This is a clue that reveals us that this fantasy world exists only in her mind based on the things she sees in real life. 

DAVID BOWIE

After considering offering the part of Jareth, the Goblin King to Michael Jackson, Jim Henson finally decided to cast pop music sensation David Bowie. The addition of this rockstar brought a very interesting look for the villian few times seen before: a metrosexual-punk-TinaTurner lookalike, singing superstar who really is not that evil. Bowie contributed with 5 songs for the movie, some of them cheesy, some of them catchy. Some people really hated his songs, but I think they helped setting the tone for the movie.

Jareth and his goblins sing to his terrified  prisioner.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

At the end of the movie, Sarah finally saves his baby brother from the clutches of Jareth and takes him back home, where the good goblins appear on a mirror waving goodbye.  Sarah is ready now to leave her fantasy world behind and become a mature woman... 

... But what about Toby the baby? Well, as the Return to Labyrinth manga tells us, Jareth and the goblins become his secret guardians thoughout his whole childhood granting him wishes until he reaches puberty and has to go back to the Labyrinth, chasing a goblin that steals his homework. This manga was published in 2006 by TokyoPop and promises to be as fun as the movie although the artwork is not as detailed as I would have hoped. Check it out!