The 1986 musical fantasy film “Labyrinth” has become somewhat of a cult classic since its original release. Over three decades have passed since this film first hit the screen, and it’s still being watched and talked about today. Despite this, there are some unique things about the movie you might not know.
8 things you didn’t know about Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth”
1. The movie is based off a book by the author of “Where The Wild Things Are”
The inspiration for “Labyrinth” came from Maurice Sendak’s “Outside Over There,” which is a children’s book that follows the story of a young girl named Ida looking for her little sister through a world of goblins that have taken her away. Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are” can actually be seen at the beginning of the movie in Sarah’s room.
2. Toby’s name was originally Freddie
The original script for the movie had the baby, Toby, named Freddie instead. This was later changed because the child actor, Toby Froud, wouldn’t respond to another name.
3. David Bowie released two promotional music videos for this movie
Both videos were directed by Steve Barron, and featured songs from the movie’s soundtrack (which was later released as a full David Bowie album). The first was “Underground” which the movie uses for its closing credits. The second was “As The World Falls Down”, which was featured during the ballroom scene.
4. Two video games were released following this film.
One English-language video game, titled (obviously) “Labyrinth,” was released. It would be the first adventure game ever directed by Lucasfilm Games (which would later be renamed “LucasArts”). Along with this, Nintendo released a Japanese “Labyrinth” game for the Famicom. These games are entirely different, though both feature the same setting as the original movie. The English game featured a text-based adventure system and had the protagonist trapped in the Labyrinth by Jareth, while the Japanese game was an action adventure game that more closely resembled the original movie by having the protagonist search for Toby.
5. There is a manga sequel to the movie.
Two decades after the movie’s release, a sequel manga-style comic was released in English called “Return to Labyrinth”. This sequel takes place 13 years after the original movie (a reference to the 13-hour time limit that Sarah had), and features a teenage Toby as the protagonist, with Jareth trying once again to take him as his heir. it features many of the characters from the original film as well.
6. “Labyrinth” features the first CGI animal in a feature film
The barn owl at the beginning of the movie is a photo-realistic CGI animal, the first ever to be attempted on the big screen.
7. Jareth’s crystal ball juggling was done by Michael Moschen
Instead of using special effects to make the balls juggling, Michael Moschen stood behind David Bowie and replaces Bowie’s arms with his own. This also means that all the juggling was done without Moschen even able to see the balls themselves!
8. This was Jim Henson’s final film
While he later worked on “The Witches,” Henson died before its release, making Labyrinth his final feature film to be released while he was still alive.
