Labyrinth is a 1986 American adventure fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, executive produced by George Lucas, and based upon conceptual designs by Brian Froud. The film stars David Bowie as Jareth and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. The plot revolves around 15-year-old Sarah’s quest to reach the center of an enormous otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, the Goblin King. With the exception of Bowie and Connelly, most of the significant characters in the film are played by puppets produced by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The New York Times reported that Labyrinth had a budget of $25 million. Labyrinth was a box office disappointment and only grossed $12,729,917 during its U.S theatrical run. The commercial failure of the film demoralized Henson to the extent that his son Brian remembered the time of the film’s release as one of the most difficult periods of his father’s career. Although it was met with a mixed critical response upon its original release in 1986, Labyrinth has since gained a cult following. A four-volume manga sequel to the film, Return to Labyrinth, was published by Tokyopop between 2006-10.
