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The Jim Henson classic gets a high definition upgrade worthy for purchase by all fans young and old.

In his lifetime Jim Henson had his hand in a lot of pots.  He created The Muppets, Sesame Street (which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month) and his Creature Shop has been behind many films and television shows for years and years.  His sudden death in 1990 at the age of 53 caused him to leave this world with much more left to give.  At least his last directed film, Labyrinth, has stood the test of time over the last twenty years to be a favorite of people of all ages. 

Fantasy world obsessed teen girl Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly) has had it with her “wicked” stepmother’s insistence that she stay home with her baby half-brother, and her father does nothing to stand up for her.  On this dark and stormy night when young Toby won’t stop crying she wishes for the Goblins to come take him away, and she gets her wish.  She confronts the Goblin King, Jareth (David Bowie), who gives her thirteen hours to navigate her way through the Labyrinth to end at the castle and retrieve her brother or else he will be his forever.  Over the course of her journey she is put through the numerous tests to try and solve while the rules constantly change and no one plays fair.

She does meet many friends who help her along the way, such as Hoggle a dwarf/goblin who has an obsession with cheap trinkets and killing faeries.  Ludo is a large orange yeti-like creature with a gentle soul and the power to summon his rock friends for help.  And who can forget Sir Didymus the fearless fox-terrier guard with an eye patch, sword skills and his trusty steed Ambrosius (a sheepdog that resembles Sarah’s dog Merlin).  Together they travel through the labyrinth and come across strange creatures, wise and dim, and get into horrible jams like the oubliette or the Bog of Eternal Stench.

This film has been a favorite of mine since I originally saw it in the theater around the age of eight.  Every time I watch it I find that I still smile and sing-a-long with “Magic Dance” and a few others.  Kids will love the fantasy aspect and all of the great puppets used throughout, but watching it again as an adult there is so much more to get out of the film.  Things a kid would not think about or even know.  I find my self hard pressed to find something bad about the film, but there is really nothing.  The only complaint might be with David Bowie’s bulge.  There’s nothing over the top about it, just might make you feel a little uneasy like, “how can a man wearing that outfit make me so happy?”

Speaking of Bowie, if you don’t like his music then you are out of luck.  Not only does that make you crazy, but this movie is full of the man’s vocal talent.  The songs are classics and will surely stick in your head. 

Does the new Blu-Ray transfer improve anything with the previous special edition release a couple of years ago?  Of course it does!  This is not going to blow your mind and look like it was filmed yesterday, the film is over twenty years old after all, but colors and background elements are brighter, richer and clearer.  The only new feature on the high definition version is the option to watch with “The Storytellers” enabled.  This will give moments of picture-in-picture interviews with puppeteers, creative people and a few others all corresponding with what is on the screen.  Ported over from the previous release are a commentary with conceptual designer Brian Froud, an original making-of documentary (“Inside the Labyrinth”), and the two part look of “Journey Through the Labyrinth” (“Kingdom of Characters” and “The Quest for Goblin City”) with more recent interviews and older behind-the-scenes footage. 

This classic film will be enjoyed by kids and adults.  Whether you’ve seen it before, or watching it for the first time, or are going to show it to your kids this new Blu-Ray version of Labyrinth is the way to go.  Go buy it and “dance magic dance, magic ...”

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