Fans of Jim Henson are always waiting for the next pebble of gold about the beloved creator of the Muppets and other fantastical creations on the big and small screen. Whether via a retrospective image or a story from someone who worked with him, it’s as if we need to make up for the time stolen from us by his untimely death by seeking out every snippet of his life we can find. But nothing is better than returning to the movies themselves, especially back on the big screen in theaters.
Celebrating 20 years of Fathom Events Big Screen Classics, the 1986 fantasy hit Labyrinth will return for your two-day chance to see Jim Henson & Co. in action again. For years when someone mentioned “fantasy movies” they meant The Princess Bride, Willow, and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. In a few decades of film, no other fantasy came close to these four movies. One part Rumpelstiltskin, another part Alice in Wonderland and another part The Wizard of Oz, with five songs written by Bowie himself–How can you pass up a chance at seeing again David Bowie in his one-of-a-kind performance with Jennifer Connelly long before her Oscar and the co-lead spot in a Top Gun sequel?
See if you can tell whether it was really Bowie walking the M.C. Escher room in the show’s climax, or if that flawless contact juggling of crystal balls could have been performed by a professional via some slick trick camera work. Revisit the masked ball scene, coordinated by Gates McFadden before her Star Trek years. Watch again the work of Jim Henson and his kids, plus the work of Brian Froud and wee Toby Froud, the creature makers and players Kevin Clash and Dave Goelz, all in a film produced by George Lucas.
Labyrinth returns March 6 and March 10, 2024. Check out the Fathom Events page here to learn more and order tickets. To get ready for the screening, don’t miss Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History (reviewed here), a great supplement to the 1980s fantasy classic, and dig into the other big 1980s fantasy films with The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History (reviewed here), and the sought-after behind-the-scenes account of the era that started it all, The Princess Bride–A Celebration, reviewed here at borg. Astonishingly Willow still hasn’t seen a similar behind-the-scenes treatment.
Fans of fantasy, Muppets, the 1980s, Henson, Bowie, and Connelly, get ready!
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
