🎬 Movie🎬 Tweens · Ages 11–13Fantasy / Sci-Fi

Labyrinth (1986)

Name: Labyrinth
Released: 1986

About This Movie

Sixteen-year-old Sarah wishes the goblins would take her crying baby brother away, and when they actually do, she must navigate a vast, ever-shifting labyrinth to reach the castle of the Goblin King and rescue him before time runs out. David Bowie in full glam-rock regalia presides over a world of Jim Henson's most inventive puppet creations, from a gentle giant made of rocks to a small, cowardly fox riding a sheepdog. The film feels like stepping inside a fever dream designed by the most creative minds of the 1980s.

Why It's a Classic

The collaboration between Jim Henson, George Lucas, and conceptual designer Brian Froud produced a visual world that remains singular in fantasy cinema. Every creature, wall, and corridor was built practically, and the labyrinth itself feels genuinely disorienting because Henson constructed interconnecting physical sets that could be rearranged between shots. David Bowie's Jareth is one of cinema's most compelling antagonists because he operates through seduction rather than brute force, offering Sarah her dreams in exchange for giving up responsibility. The film tracks Sarah's maturation from a self-absorbed teenager who resents her baby brother to a young woman who fights for him, and the final confrontation, where she defeats Jareth by recognizing that he has no power over her, is a perfect metaphor for growing up. The puppet work, particularly the goblins, Ludo, and the worm who offers Sarah tea, represents some of the most expressive character work the Henson workshop ever produced. Bowie's musical numbers, including "Magic Dance" and "As the World Falls Down," are strange, catchy, and completely integral to the film's atmosphere.

Fun Fact

The ballroom sequence, where Sarah dances with Jareth inside a crystal bubble, was filmed with real dancers wearing elaborate masks and costumes, combined with a giant rotating set. Jennifer Connelly was only 14 during filming, and Bowie reportedly made efforts to put her at ease on set, recognizing the intensity of their scenes together. The bog of eternal stench was a real set that the production team made deliberately unpleasant to work on, filling it with slimy materials. Over 48 puppeteers were required for the goblin army sequences, many of them crammed into tight spaces beneath the set floor.

Parent Note

Rated PG with fantasy peril and some mildly scary creatures, including the Fireys who remove their own heads (played for comedy) and the oubliette sequence. The Goblin King's relationship with Sarah has attracted some modern commentary about the age dynamic, though the film frames his offer as a temptation to be resisted rather than a romance to be pursued. Some very mild bathroom humor. The overall tone is whimsical, and the scares are inventive rather than traumatic.