Beyond the Goblin City

Jim Henson’s Labyrinth turns forty this year, and the box-office flop now enjoys cult favourite status. Watching the fantasy film today, with its blend of live action and Henson’s distinctive puppetry, one recognizes how underrated its artistry was at the time, particularly in a landscape now populated by homogeneous CGI animation. The picture is a reminder of an era when filmmakers engaged in just as much play as the children in the audience in bringing imaginary worlds to life.

The fairy tale follows a straightforward story. Wandering alone in a park, sixteen-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is caught in a sudden downpour. She races home, only to be scolded by her stepmother for being an hour late to babysit her stepbrother, Toby. After her parents leave for their date, Sarah watches as the toddler cries and refuses to comfort him. Instead, she wishes for him to be whisked away. That hasty thought manifests a cadre of goblins who snatch Toby and take...