The magic of Labyrinth will return to theaters for three days this spring
By Lacy Baugher
Jim Henson’s cult classic Labyrinth will return to theaters for three days this spring, offering new bonus content in addition to David Bowie’s iconic turn as the Goblin King.
It’s been over thirty years since rock god David Bowie wowed us all with his tight pants in the Jim Henson cult classic Labyrinth. But get ready to finally return to the realm of the Goblin King this spring. Fathom Events will bring the film back to theaters for an extremely limited run.
Billed as a “nationwide fan celebration,” the movie will show on April 29, May 1 and May 2 in theaters across North America. Fans are strongly encouraged to attend in costume, according to the event’s webpage. Basically, it all sounds like Fathom Events – who partnered with the Jim Henson Company and Sony Pictures Entertainment for these screenings – really wants to do everything up right.
“Labyrinth is one of the most frequently requested titles, and has an enormous fan base,” said Fathom Events’ Vice President of Studio Relations Tom Lucas to Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a film with great appeal to a huge audience — and also a cinematic experience that can be enjoyed over and over, always revealing more surprises. We couldn’t be happier to share it with moviegoers again.”
This film is in one of the earliest roles for Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, who plays a young girl named Sarah. After thoughtlessly wishing her little brother Toby away, Sarah must rescue him from the dangerous world of the labyrinth and the clutches of Jareth the Goblin King. Along the way, Sarah runs into a variety of bizarre and interesting creatures, not the least of which is Jareth himself.
The late, great Bowie plays Jareth with truly iconic flair. He rocks some intense eye makeup, flamboyant hair and breeches that are honestly kind of inappropriate for a children’s movie. (Not that I’m really complaining about that.)
There will be tons of cool extras alongside the movie. Connelly and Jim Henson’s son Brian Henson will give introductions to the film, according to the Entertainment Weekly story. Henson’s intro will feature an excerpt from his father’s fantasy TV series, The Storyteller. He will also chat about the special effects that make Labyrinth so wondrous to watch.
My personal favorite thing about? How practical most of these effects are. It’s a Henson project, after all. None of these things are CGI. They’re all real people in costumes, working puppets or making talking faces out of latex gloves.
And if that’s not enough amazing, but still somehow vaguely creepy, muppets for you? You can also screen another Henson classic, The Dark Crystal, in theaters on February 28, as well as March 3 and 6.
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Tickets for all three days of Fathom Events’ Labyrinth celebrations are on sale now. So start working on that Jareth cosplay ASAP.