Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2165 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-01
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 97 minutes

Synopsis
Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy tale queen, performing for her stuffed animals. But she's about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to babysit her brother and contend with parents who don't understand her at all. Her petulance leads her to call the goblins to take the baby away, but when they actually do, she realises her responsibility to rescue him. Sarah negotiates the Labyrinth to reach the City of the Goblins and the castle of their king. The king is the only other human in the film and is played by a glam-rocking David Bowie, who performs five of his songs. The rest of the cast are puppets, a wonderful array of Jim Henson's imaginative masterpieces. Henson gives credit to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the creatures in the movie will remind Sendak fans of his drawings. The castle of the king is a living MC Escher set that adults will enjoy. The film combines the highest standards of art, costume, and set decoration. Like executive producer George Lucas's other fantasies, Labyrinth mixes adventure with lessons about growing up.

Synopsis
Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah, a young woman who wishes her baby brother would be taken away by goblins. She gets her wish and now she must rescue him by going through the forbidding passages of a magical labyrinth to reach the castle of the mighty Goblin-King. A delightful rescue movie penned by Monty Python's Terry Jones and starring a campy David Bowie as the Goblin King, LABYRINTH is directed by the Muppet's own Jim Henson, whose team provide the goblin creatures, so who could fail to be transported to this magical adventure world of goblins.

Customer Reviews

Fantasy and Reality
This must be one of the most talented line-ups to ever create what is ostensibly a children's film, with George Lucas exec-producing, Terry Jones (the former Python) writing, David Bowie starring and contributing songs, Jim Henson creating puppets and directing. (Danny Joyce Jules, later "Cat" in Red Dwarf, is also one of the voice artists). Unlike most supergroups this collective do not disappoint, as Labyrinth is one of the finest ever children's stories, fit to be mentioned along with "Alice In Wonderland". And like the Alice books, this can be enjoyed by adults too, providing they have not lost their sense of fun and wonder. (14-16 year-olds however will often find this too childish).

In the film the initially whiny early teen Sarah (Jennifer Connolly) has to navigate her way through the Labrinth of the Goblin King (David Bowie), where logic is always askew and nothing is "fair", to rescue her brother Toby. Aided by friends like Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus, Sarah navaigates her way to the Goblin City past numerous dangers and puzzles, finally confronts the Goblin King in a MC Escher-style castle. All the while Sarah is learning lessons about life and growing up.

This is a superb film for kids, tweens and people who haven't grown up. The sets are superb, there's a delightful sense of fantasy and magic and the acting by the human characters excellent (the ballroom scene in particular). I used the film to teach film techniques to 12 year-old and they loved it.

This DVD also features an excellent and highly-informative documentary on the making of the film, with interviews from all the main players mentioned above and behind the scenes access, to (for example) show how they did the "Helping Hands" scene, how Hoggle was controlled, and how the MS Escher staircase illusion was created. Treat yourself to this film; you will be pleasantly surprised at how good this is - rather better than "Dark Crystal" and far better than "Legend", an apparently similar film of the same time.

Fantasy and Humour
I grew up with this film, first rented on grainy video. I now own two copies on DVD (one collectors edition). A great film for young and old, I have come to appreciate it more every time I watch it. It is a great film to escape to another world with. All the intricacies of the set and characters thoughout are bound to delight and amaze any fantasy lover. I would definately highly recommend this film to anyone who is considering it, you will not be disappointed. And if you like this one then try out Dark Crystal too, another wonderful movie.

Hoggle
This is a truly wonderful childrens film. Jim Hensen outdoes himself. This is so enjoyable. As a child I loved it as have my children since.
It is a great adventure and has mystical elements to it.
There are dwarfs, goblins, a goblin king, all kinds of creatures in this film.
Its about a spoilt girl who lives with her father, step mother and baby step brother.
She seems a little jealous of her step brother and that she no longer has her father's undivided attention.
She reads a book called "The Labyrinth", a favourite book that she recites passages from.
She wishes her baby brother away and is horrified when her wish comes true!
The goblin king appears to her. He has the baby in his castle beyond the goblin city via the labyrinth.
She is given just hours to solve the labyrinth or her baby step-brother will never be returned but turned into a goblin.
This is a very enjoyable adventure story suitable for just about any age.