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2006
marks the 20th anniversary
of the premier of
Labyrinth, the film
which brought together
the extraordinary
gifts of Jim Henson,
David Bowie and
a girl of fifteen
who would later
become an award
winning actor, Jennifer
Connolly. Brian
Froud served unmistakably
as creative director,
envisioning a host
of goblins and fairies.
The story was written
by Jim Henson with
help from Dennis
Lee (Fraggle Rock),
Terry Jones (Monty
Python) and Elaine
May (Heaven Can
Wait), with inspiration
from beloved fantasy
authors including
Lewis Carroll, L.
Frank Baum and Maurice
Sendak. A climactic
scene in the film
derives visual inspiration
from the artist
M.C. Escher.
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As
the story unfolds,
a fantasy loving
girl named Sarah
is unwillingly babysitting
her brother Toby
(played by Toby
Froud, the son of
Brian). Unnerved
by the child's crying,
Sarah impulsively
wishes that goblins
would come and take
Toby away. As in
all good fantasies,
they do, whereupon
Jareth the Goblin
King informs Sarah
that she has 13
hours in which to
find her brother
before he is forever
turned into a goblin.
Her path leads through
an enormous maze-like
world where a series
of fantasmagorical
encounters occur
until her final
meeting with Jareth.
Look closely at
all of the objects
in Sarah's room,
and you'll see dozens
of visual references
to places and characters
who appear in the
story.
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