I remember once reading an article a critic wrote about George Lucas. By and large it claimed that Lucas was not a filmmaker of any sort and often made films that were meant to be tax write-offs. Without having any first hand knowledge, I couldn’t say one way or the other if this was true. What I did take offense to was one remark found within the article’s text. It simply stated, “…this is inherently obvious when you look at some of his past embarrassments like “Willow” and “Labyrinth.” When I read this statement, I was beside myself. How dare this hack writer tread on either of these wonderfully delightful films. Past embarrassment my… well I think you get the idea. I think I was most angered by this comment because by insulting “Labyrinth” in particular, he was also insulting Jim Henson, the man whose imagination was really behind the project. I’m probably a little biased in this area because I considered Jim Henson to be a hero of mine. Where most kids wanted to grow up to emulate some football or basketball player, I wanted to work puppets, or more specifically… muppets.

His creative genius was evident in every project that fell under the Henson Studios umbrella. Whether it was “Sesame Street”, “The Muppet Show”, or “The Storyteller”, just to name a few, they all had that certain level of quality and imagination that no one else has ever been able to reproduce. The closest any one has ever come to matching Henson’s brilliance is his son, Brian.

On the surface, “Labyrinth” seems to be no more than a fantasy movie about a young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who travels to a magical world in search of her kidnapped baby brother. She must traverse the maze that leads to the castle of the Goblin King (David Bowie). Along the way she meets a bizarre group of characters, some of whom join her on her quest. The story, at its heart is much, much more. It is really an allegory about a young girl’s passage into becoming a young woman. There are clues throughout the film if you pay attention, some of which led me to wonder if the quest really happened or was all in her mind. Little pieces of the fantasy world exist in another form in her world, and it’s that little attention to detail that elevates the story beyond mere fantasy.

Jennifer Connelly was virtually unknown at the time Henson cast her in the lead role. He often spoke of her charm and natural abilities as an actress. Little did he know, or perhaps he did, that she would go on to become an Academy Award winning actress. David Bowie is also terrific as the Goblin King. Granted, the wicked witch fright wig was a little much, but he pulled off the character with devilish aplomb. His musical numbers with the various Goblin muppets are quite entertaining, an you can tell he was having a heck of a lot of fun.

Just a few months ago, Sony / Columbia Tristar released a Collector’s Edition of Henson’s other masterpiece, “The Dark Crystal.” It was a really nice set that used a case design that resembled a book. When you opened the book, you were treated to a number of collectible items. They’ve followed up this set with one for “Labyrinth” that has many of the same type of items. First you’ll find a booklet that folds out to showcase some of the production sketches and ideas that went into the making of the film. Then there is a scene composite featuring a shot from the Firey sequence. When the scene was originally shot, the actors were shot on a black stage and then composited over a background in order to keep the puppeteers from being seen. This scene composite folds open and has Connelly and the Fireys on a clear cell, with the background behind to simulate the process.

The coolest physical extra in the set though are six character cards with concept sketches of some of the goblins. Embossed on art paper, they feature the incredible work of Brian Froud.

Getting on to the disc, there is no shortage of extra features here either. There are a few that were available on one of the earlier DVD releases of “Labyrinth”, but some are exclusive to this edition. Amongst these are over a hundred photo gallery images for the hardcore “Labyrinth” fan. Everything from behind the scenes shots, to character concept art can be found here. There’s also a poster gallery and storyboards. On a side note, ever since the original release of the film, I had wanted an original teaser poster. A couple of years ago my friend happened upon one and gave it to me. I still don’t think I ever told him just how much it meant to me. So Mark… Thank you.

The absolute best feature on this disc is hands down, the ‘Making of’ documentary. It’s called “Inside the Labyrinth” and it runs just under an hour. It offers up an immense amount of information about the making of the movie. All of the interviews are quite animated, especially that of Monty Python alum Terry Jones. You get to see first hand all of the hard work and perseverance that it took to make the fantasy movie a fantasy reality. Much like the terrific ‘Making of’ feature for “The Dark Crystal”, I had recorded it off of TV many years ago only to lose it. It is available on that earlier DVD release I mentioned, but I’m glad it’s included here nonetheless.

One small bit of trivia I have to throw out to you involves this ‘Making of’ feature. Some of you might think you recognize the main choreographer of the Ballroom Sequence. She is referred to as Cheryl McFadden, but your eyes do not deceive you. She was later known as Gates McFadden, who played the illustrious Dr. Crusher on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” No mention of that is made here, but of course this was made way before the series came out.

I’ll defend the quality of movies like “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth” to the end. And not just because they came from the mind of Jim Henson, but more so because they evoke a sense of wonder to those of us with a strong enough imagination. We can look past the special effects limitations of the time, and open ourselves to a well told story.

Directed by: Jim Henson
Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connely
Extras: “Inside the Labyrinth” Documentary Feature, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Collector’s Edition Scene Composite, Collector’s Edition Booklet, Character Sketch Cards by Brian Froud
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 2/3/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating:
Website

We'll give Labyrinth: Collector's Edition an A.