Labyrinth

By Jane Louise Boursaw

Average User Rating:

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements.

• Share
• Comment
• Mixx It!
• Print

Good grief! Has it been 20 years since Labyrinth first appeared in theaters? Apparently so, because this 2-disc edition celebrates its 20th anniversary. Any time a movie morphs across generations, you know it must be good. And Muppet master Jim Henson, who directed and co-wrote this film, is an expert at appealing to different age groups. 

The story begins with young teenager Sarah (15-year-old Jennifer Connelly) lamenting the fact that she really doesn't belong anywhere. She's too grown-up for toys and too young for boys, and her parents – including new stepmom – don't understand her. Sarah is miserable, as reflected in David Bowie's mournful tune, "As The World Falls Down."

It doesn't help that she's stuck babysitting her little stepbrother, Toby (Toby Froud). Frustrated by his crying, she secretly wishes that goblins would carry the little guy away. And sure enough, that's just what happens.

The distraught girl realizes she must find and save him – which won't be easy because he's at the center of a huge maze (thus the movie's title), in a mystical kingdom ruled by the wicked Goblin King Jareth (Bowie, in disturbingly tight pants).

As Sarah makes her way through the maze, she faces a number of horrific challenges, not the least of which is the Bog of Eternal Stench. But she also meets some fantastic pals, including grouchy gnome Hoggle (voiced by Brian Henson), slow-witted monster Ludo (Ron Mueck) and fiery half-pint knight Sir Didymus (David Shaughnessy).

It's an imaginative and playfully weird world, featuring some of Henson's most complex Muppets. One massive, sword-wielding creature turns out to be a robot with a little goblin perched in its helmet. And a collection of human hands turns into a lively wall of faces when Sarah stumbles across them.

You might think this movie is a total rip-off of "Alice in Wonderland," "The Wizard of Oz," and Maurice Sendak's "Outside Over There," because…it is! The script, by Monty Python's Terry Jones, steals mercilessly from these classics, and, sure enough, the books of Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and Sendak are prominently displayed on Sarah's bookshelves.

Henson's Muppets stand the test of time, as does this fantasy film, a masterpiece of special effects and production details (remember, this was in the 1980s, before CGI was in every other movie). Upping the movie's cool factor is David Bowie, who wrote and sang much of the score. Thank goodness he won the role of Jareth over Michael Jackson, a piece of casting that would have gone horribly wrong.

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): Yes, it's Muppetry, but the characters and situations might be too scary for preschoolers – like Toby being stolen by goblins and Sarah's weird, wild journey to get him back. A good alternative is "Franklin and the Green Knight." Franklin's family is expecting a baby in the spring, but the little green turtle isn't sure about being an older brother. When his mom reads him a story about a frog's heroic efforts, he decides to emulate it, hoping to gain attention. Like Sarah, Franklin learns that solving problems rather than avoiding them is the best way to go.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): For the reasons mentioned above, I don't recommend this movie for kids younger than 8. Also, the story meanders a bit and might bore kids raised on a steady diet of computer-generated movies. A good Muppet movie for kids aged 6 to 8 is…"The Muppet Movie"! Inspired by the compliments of a passing show-biz agent, Kermit hits the road on a bicycle and heads west to Hollywood, gathering along the way a menagerie of equally ambitious Muppets. Also, look for Season Two of "The Muppet Show," on DVD Aug. 7, 2007. Pure genius.

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): The beauty of this movie is that Sarah finds an inner strength and confidence to defy Jareth and get her baby brother back. On her journey, things are not always as they seem, she meets wonderful friends and dangerous enemies, and she learns something about herself. When you think about it, that's a lot like life. Similar fairy tale-movies for tweens and teens include "Ella Enchanted" and "Ever After."

BONUS FEATURES:

- Newly rediscovered footage recovered from Jim Henson's home in England.
- 60 minutes of featurettes and new interviews with the writers and performers, including:
- George Lucas (Executive Producer)
- Brian Henson (Hoggle/Goblin Voice/Puppeteer/CO-CEO, The Jim Henson Company)
- Brian Froud (Conceptual Designer/Supervisor)
- Karen Prell (The Worm/The Junk Lady/Firey 2)
- Dave Goelz (Didymus/The Hat/The Guard/L. Doorknocker/Firey 3)
- Mira Velimorivic (Jim Henson's Creative Assistant)
- Gates McFadden (Choreographer)
- Toby Froud (Toby)
- Jane Gootnick (Senior Puppet Builder – how's that for a title?!)

Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries.