did you know there was a manga series that was a crossover between alice and wonderland and labyrinth? i don't remember the name but it start with a converstion between the queen of hearts and jared, and they were talking about the labyrinth heart.
Not really, that's very simplistic way of seeing it, having in mind jarreth knew magic and was very powerful, one could just assume his appareance is at his control or changed towards hai level of power, which fit more to the mystical type of world labyrinth is
@@KnucklesxReala911I guess, and if Maria had a hand in creating Jareth, she may have modeled him after for former lover. Still Jareth has a very human element to him then
Ive agreed with this idea in past. To me, it's supported by 1) Jareth looking all but human, and 2) you see 'humans' cavorting in the dream Ball wearing creature masks that closely resemble many of the goblins we see in Jareths hoard. It could lead you to think that if they were also captured as human babies then those 'human' forms we observed in the dream were what they may have grown up to be if they hadn't been turned into goblins. It's the same process that happened to Jareth yet he, in becoming more powerful, gained the ability of shape-shifting. My hubby, a huge dnd, Magic-the-gathering, and Jim Hensen nerd, thinks that Jareth was most likely a powerful sorcerer whom the goblins flocked to as their leader, being naturally drawn to powerful magic users for protection and boons.
Okay so, actually I own an official Labyrinth bestiary from 2022 that introduces Maria and the owl king and everything that happens on Maria's timeline, or Labyrinth of Yore as the book calls it. Basically it talks about the owl king and how he rules over the goblings, and all the companions that Maria has on her journey. As to wether Jareth is her son or not, in Jareth's pages it says: 'The Gobling king is said to have arrived in the Labyrinth as a baby-- an intended heir to his predecessor's reign.' In the owl king's it sums up the story of the comics, and it straight up says that Maria is indeed Jareth's mother: 'Some stories tell that Jareth's mother, Maria, demanded that the king return Jareth'. And that in the end 'she find herself unable to fully free her son'. The paragraph ends with this phrase: 'When the Owl King died, it was Jareth who became the Labyrinth's ruler-- and, in a nod to his predecessor, developed the hability to transform into an owl.' Sadly Maria doesn't have an entry, but she is mentioned a lot. So I think it is confirmed, at least in the bestiary, that Jareth was actually that baby. Maybe the sacrifice of his mother made impossible for the Owl king to kill him, so he 'raised' him (or the rebellion took him away and raised him somewhere else) and when he died Jareth was 'fully formed and ready to rule' as he says. Or maybe the owl king died when Maria intefiered and baby Jareth was raised by the goblings and the Labyrinth itself. For that I dont really have an answer. Sorry if you liked the mystery of not knowing! I thought that since I have this info, I had to share it! The bestiary is beautiful and has many, many stunning illustrations. You can buy it on amazon, if you're interested! 🤗
It seems like to me Maria going into the machine probably messed with the owl king's plan somehow and likely killed him instead of infusing him with fresh vitality. From there it would have been just the goblins and baby Jareth, and as the new ruler a baby Jareth would have wanted his mother around, so he "dreams" a version of her and his father in the masquerade to stay with him forever. And the goblins raise him into the best king for them. Either that or once the old owl king was defeated the labyrinth somehow sped up Jareth's time and turned him into an adult "ready to rule" based on the labyrinths own desires for an ideal goblin king.
@@magickmynd1296 I think the same! And maybe that's why Jareth says that he arrived as an adult sortly after the owl king's death, because the Labyrinth made him an adult and he has no memories of being a baby and having a mother. And he knows the story because the goblings told him. Although, I prefer a baby Jareth being raised by goblings, and having the mascarade dream as a form of being close to this mother that fought for him and that he never met. And he tolds the story as if he wasnt the baby because is like he is not that human baby anymore, he is the Goblin king. It was another lifetime. Also, this would explain why he seems resentful towards the owl king, because he knows what he did and despises him, saying that HIS labyrinth is different (even though he kinda repeats the story lol) There are so many possibilities!
As someone who grew up to the Labryinth due to having an older sibling, I had NO IDEA there was a Prequel or any other material related to the Labyrinth. I'm fascinated to see what's in store.
There wasn't. Labyrinth was a stand alone story. People have come along after and created stories to explain things, according to how they see it. None of it is cannon.
@@SiiriCressey It was clear the video maker did not imply this. My comment about it not being cannon was based on what this OP commenter said. THEY are giving the impression they think a prequel existed.
@@bEverCurious Ah. Except......it kind of is. If only as storytelling. Yes, it's not a film, but...how does that work? (Rhetorically; not knowing is fine.) I'm just about certain they're officially licensed books, so they've been approved by who or what ever holds the copyright to the film. *But* but, with the filmmaker being dead......🤷🏼♀️ I don't know how that works.
Labyrinth is one of those films that does not need any sequel or prequel, it stands gloriously on its own, open to our imagination's endless interpretation. I saw it when it first came out, yea it seems like 300 years ago now, and Iv lived happily not knowing about any other official material. Yet having said that, I know a younger me would have eagerly jumped upon any sequel or prequel I might have found. Thanks for the vid. Good work.
I feel the same at the end of the day the film is canon. Anything else is added on and if people enjoy that fab. But this material did not exist and I prefer to see Labyrinth as it was.
the original pre-prequel isn't so much as open to interpretation as you're assuming anyhow: the lead writer has been pretty up front in saying it's a cautionary tale for girls against the advances of predatory older men that is specifically written with his own daughter in mind. Prior to all of this added worldbuilding that context was that Jareth was a manifestation of memories of her mother's new fiancé in New York, who flirted with Sarah when they were alone and showered her in expensive gifts. The real conflict in Sarah is whether or not she wants to throw away what remains of her childhood to chase an extravagant lifestyle in New York with her mother and step-father-to-be that wouldn't be healthy nor safe for her, VS staying with her father, step mother, and half-brother in a small town where she has to face the typical hurdles of growing up in an environment that actually cares about her well being (hence why the 'friendlier' characters in the labyrinth are with her at the end- this is symbolic of her choice to not throw away her innocence! this is also why the scene focusing on her childhood materialism exists, and why the two scenes do not contradict each other at all as some people assume they do.). Another aspect to this obviously being that for her whole life before this, Sarah was an only child. But so far as I know this was all stuff you'd basically only know beyond a guess if you read 40 year old interviews with the people who made it. the extended lore is cool too, though. the world of the labyrinth almost begs for deeper exploration, and it's just so interesting to see people face it! there are certainly settings that aim to use one's own experiences against them, but i do not feel that many of them get the vague, psychological vibe right half as well as jim henson's more serious films have. that extends to the original dark crystal, too.
I have always suspected that Hoggle was the big brother who wished the baby Jareth would be taken away by the goblins. That's why he's always so disappointed when Jareth can't remember his name. He tried to save him within the thirteen hours and failed, and that's why he constantly tells Sarah that it's impossible.
I think Jareth is the baby, but time works differently in the Labyrinth, so growing to adulthood for him took mere seconds for the outside of the machine than the years it was inside. Kind of like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in DBZ. However, since the baby was now linked to the labyrinth, it filled him with knowledge of how to control it while he was being raised by his mother and artifact father. When he was fully grown, the labyrinth deemed him ready to rule and out he popped. Every so often, he goes back into the chamber to see his mom and dad. But that's just the way I see it.
It seems to me that the labyrinth, being an extension of the dreams of humans within it, is an entity that needs a human to continue to exist. Why else would there be need of a human in the role of a king in a land of where humans are not native? Sure, the kings perpetuate their role, but it seems clear that it's something the goblins themselves also want to exist. It also seems like the kings don't actually like their roles beyond the ability to control others and live forever. They simply exist to be the center of the labyrinthian world.
I think it's a realm. Not an entity. Study up on Carl Jung, Archetypes, The Ether, The Dream World, The Sub-Conscious, The Shadow Self, and the Heroes Journey. Also Research what people see when they do DMT, esp the goblins and machinery they use. There is more to this movie than fiction. Rather a very deep metaphor for many already investigated and researched psychological experiences.
Like you, I am obsessed with any lore surrounding Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. When the Netflix series came out as well as the comics, I was psyched and delighted. This gives a whole lot more context to the Labrinth itself and I think makes it more interesting. It wouldn't' be a labyrinth without complexity !
Honestly I was a bit turned off by skekVar, because since he died, how would've skekUng come into fruitation because they are both the general but the show is supposed to be a prequel BUT HOW WOULD skekUng become a character? Did Aughra (as much as I doubt it) have something to do with it? It's confusing honestly... But the show was amazing!! I love The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal so much, but the show for TDC kinda threw me off with the general situation.
That's what all dream worlds are. You manifest all your fears, hopes, and subconscious materials in the dream world. If you explore your own mind it would be like the labyrinth.
Jareth lost his true love 300 years ago, her name was Sarah, he kidnaps young girls with the name Sarah that look like his passed love, and he does it over and over again, that is why when our Sarah meets Hoggle for the first time the conversation goes like this, "Im Hoggle, who are you?", she says, "Sarah", and he replies, "That's what I thought..."
@@fathomgathergood7690 Hmmm, that seems possible, I had heard my theory in a jim henson article many years ago, dont now if its official lore, but makes for a cool potential :)
In fay lore, names have power, and dreams and imagination rules. Jareth wouldn't name the stories baby to Toby simply because he is surounded by those of his court who could use it against him if he was that child!
True. But when you're dealing with names having power you're dealing with a being's "True Name." And a "True Name" is not just a series of syllables that people call each other by. One's "true name" is a deep description of one's soul, giving the user of the name a total and complete understanding of everything that individual is, on every level of their existence, including their past, present, future, and even everything about them outside of time. This is why knowing someone's True Name gives you power over them. You now know them better than they know themselves. And although Labyrinth is just a story, (so it's possible they're going with a simplified meaning just to make everything feel more whimsical) it is a story crafted by Jim Henson and Brian Froud. And Brian Froud is an expert in the Fae realm. He would've known about "true names", what they are, and how they work.
I wish I could've met David Bowie in person... tell him how much Labyrinth meant to me in my childhood. But you know, a live-action adaptation of this prequel would be very interesting
I started learning how to contact juggle because of this movie 😂 Thank you Michael Moschen. And David Bowie (for being such a good sport at having a blind jugglers arms wrapped around you during filming) r.i.p.
Whenever I think of Labyrinth and Labyrinth Coronation, I'm reminded of the opening line to the 1953 version of Peter Pan, which was one of the many influences behind Labyrinth: "All this has happened before, and it will all happen again." That aside, I honestly thought Albert would have a last-minute change of heart and become the Goblin King, somehow allowing Maria and their child to return to our world at the climax to live out their lives while he obtained the power he always wanted and become Jareth. I thought the story was making us think that Maria's baby would become Jareth and then subvert by having Albert become the Goblin King. Still, it was a good story.
What terrific timing! I literately watched Labyrinth yesterday. I hadn't watched it in probably 10-15 years. I guess I was meant to learn more about the lore of the movie.
Coronation reveals its own Labyrinth mechanics, but it's not the only one. Return to Labyrinth in 2007 (would love to see you analyze that one) gave Jareth a very different backstory. Given that Coronation is phrased as Jareth telling Toby a story, we should probably consider that it might be his invention.
Are you familiar with the tribute music album to this movie and especially to the late David Bowie? It's called The Black Labyrinth, made by Aurelio Voltaire. It's a musical tribute featuring musicians who all worked with Bowie at some point. I think you would like it! 💚🖤
OMG, I haven't listened to Voltaire in such a loooooong time! Your comment reminded me how much I loved Bitrekual. I'll have to find the Black Labyrinth album now!
I'm reminded of a philosophical question. Which is more real, a unicorn or the idea of a unicorn? While a unicorn is not real, an idea of a unicorn is a real idea, just as a drawing of a unicorn would be a real drawing. The principle of the question is that everything that can be conceived exists in some form but not all forms.
It def makes it less creepy to think Jareth never actually wanted Sarah to stay, it was just the magic of the labyrinth helping him give her what her hormonal teenage mind wanted (I mean he Does sorta say as much in the end) all for the entertainment of the goblins and possibly of Sara as well. So glad they got Bowie instead of Sting! 😅😂 I also like that it gives a Reason for the singing, instead of ignoring it. Sarah never sang, helping sell that explaination. I really like this backstory & henceforth am going to consider it canon, no matter what the manga tries to sell me.😅
Jareth may be the Owl King changed into Jareth as a result of the youth of the unnamed baby and the Babe with the Power of Revolution/Change. There's a reason the broken statue of Albert looks like Jareth, and Dance Magic is actually being sung to Sarah about her reminding him of Maria?
I never assumes it was all dream. As a kid i figured it was just magic. As an adult, learned of folklore and the strange, i figured Sarah and Toby were drawn into the realm of the Fae.
Yes! Labyrinth is my favorite movie of all time!!! I'm so happy you love it as much as I do! I've loved this comic prequel ( way more than the manga sequel....) and I see it as canon! 😁
this kinda makes me wanna finish that Jared custom I have in the works for years. Being my first introduction to David freakin Bowie. I like the unreliable narrator aspect because no matter how you spint it it leaves the audience with their own interpretation which to me is what makes any story timeless and relevant. Yes there is stuff that is set for the lore but the nature of Jarred is always to entice, and entertain. The kid went home, maybe the kid fused with the king thanks to the mom, maybe they all passed away and became memories or goblins themselves feeding the labrynth and Sarah managed to escape before it swallowed her, I hope they do bring more stories like this out. I remember there was a manga but I never got a hold of the volumes.
There is a sequel. It's a manga called Return to Labyrinth. I tried reading it, but it wasn't very good in my opinion. The only thing I liked was the cover arts. Sadly the art on the inside didn't match. The cover arts and inside arts were done by two different artists.
It get's really interesting when you take mythology into account. Goblins are said to be fae or fairies and fae are mercurial creatures of dream, some could interpret that as shape shifters. But Goblins being fae, of the unseelie variety, if they have a king he would be the counterpart to Oberon the king of the seelie fae. I've only ever heard of the Unseelie Queen Maeve but it's an interesting thing to think about.
I always thought the movies story was Sarah's way of memorizing the play/ novel she was reading at the start of the movie. Then she just expanded it a bit in her mind, like a sorta "fan made" take on the original. There was also some idea I had about the expanded world outside the Labyrinth and what everything was about, but...I cant remember if it was other kingdoms with their own mazes and labyrinths, goblins or other creatures, etc or not T
I love how in the ending of The labyrinth: coronation he enters his mother's dream thingy and she's just like "oh, is she not coming dear?" Which I think is so sweet because he literally arranged with his mom and construct Albert a "meet my girlfriend" kinda thing and it's so sweet because that implies they have a healthy enough relationship for him to confide in them about Sarah. Also I love that photo where Maria is on the bridge on top, and Jareth doing the same thing in the reflection because he looks like a brooding, rockstar teen. Love him 😍
Labryrinth has always been close to my heart. I had it on VHS when I was little and I've watched it sooo many times. When I heard prequel I got nervous as todays movies are nowhere near as beautiful and imaginative as back then. But now that I watched your video; I kinda want to see this made. I really enjoyed listening to the story, thanks abitfrank. You remind me of the babe!
I'm so happy someone finally covered the prequel books! i love them and the movie so much more! hopefully we can have even more added to the universe and story
I think what Actually happened was the Labyrinth had switch the machine and actually merged Jarreth and the Old Goblin King into a new Jerreth Older Wiser and with the Old Goblin King's powers, btw this could have also caused a fragment of the Labyrinth itself to break off into Jarreth thus making him the True Goblin King and making him a True Arch Fey
This movie came out when I was a kid.. it was EVERYTHING for quite a while.. something that never faded away like so many other childhood interests.. so when I was a mom, it was one of the first films I brought to the kids when they were ready to watch it 🥰 Even found a stuffed/statue of Ludo for my youngests Xmas gift last year 😍 he is 20 now, but I raised my kids RIGHT! Never too old for these special things! Princess Bride is another one, it’s literally an aspect of our life here.. I HAD the original book published around the time of the movie, but I don’t think it survived into adulthood.. 😢 I hadn’t known about this additional story and media.. I’ll definitely have to look into it! Thanks for sharing this!! 🥰 ATB
Thank you so. so. so. much for making this. You are really good and this video is just BAM for old Labyrinth lovers like me. Goddamn you made me happy. Thank you again, and I hope we all get the continuation we deserve. Much love.
I mean, the labyrinth doesn't have to be a "dream" place for it to exist and have the rules that it does. It can be a fae pocket dimension with its own rules and powers separate from those of the "real" world. It's clear that the goblins do have some influence on the human world since they are able to communicate and interact with Albert and the owl king can show Maria things inside the labyrinth that she doesn't know, which means it's not all in her head either as only her dream. So it's likely that the labyrinth is a real place within the context of the story, it's just one influenced by those who inhabit it since, there, dreams and the mind have the ability to influence the realm itself, much like any other fae lore, where the queens and kings of the fae shape their environment based on their personalities and abilities. The more creativity and imagination you have, the stronger your willpower, the more long-term influence you have over the labyrinth.
Very cool! I didn't even know this comic book event took place. Thanks for the summary! I absolutely adore this movie and grew up with it too :) it's part of the reason why I ended up loving David Bowie's music as an adult.
Very interesting. I didn't know this existed but that said I dont understand this desire to define the labyrinth as some sort of universal setting. After all it's a very personal story about a girl learning to move on and its very artfully done. Sarah learns to stop using fantasy to escape her real life and channel her imagination in a more emotionally healthy way. It's strongly implied at the start that she uses it to cope with her mother's death and the journey she goes on reflects those themes. The labyrinth and everything in it can be seen in Sarah's room during the establishing shot where they show all her toys and games. Sarah has created a sort of cocoon for herself where the outside world cannot touch her. She hates people going in her room. She hates it even more if someone removes something from that sanctuary... She has stopped communicating with her parents, she refuses to go on dates and she has made her stepmother into a figurative wicked queen or witch from one of her stories. They all but spell these themes out for us in the opening moments of the film. Shifting the focus to be more about the labyrinth itself cheapens that story in my opinion. Very different things but it reminds me of how they kept trying to shoehorn Pyramid Head into later Silent Hill games. It's missing the point in a way that somewhat damages the original intent of the story.
I never thought it was all in her head. All of the books and labyrinth paraphernalia in her room screamed grooming to me. Jareth had been putting elements of his labyrinth into her home and life for years to make her the perfect mark.. and based on that grooming, and the fact that the childrens book about the goblin king actually held the supposed answer to defeating him, just made me think that is was less of a defeat and more of a passed test. He's not flying away to find another victim, he's biding his time. Sarah will either be his protoge, or the life-long rival that warns children about the labyrinth, which will in turn keep it alive.
A lot like Changeling the lost. Jareth was taken by a Gentry called the Owl king and he became a Changeling, but like all powerful changelings, he eventually became a keeper himself.
What is life, but the perpetual affirmation of uncertainty?! A most appropriate metaphor explaining both the dynamics of "The Labyrinth" as well as the existential dread of the human protagonist experiences therein, IMHO.
Jareth would want to keep people guessing but I think he’s the baby maybe merged with the old Owl king. Seeing how Maria entered the machine with Baby Jareth , he most likely emerged as a full adult with the old Owl king’s powers and abilities ; he’s obviously half fae . The Owl king and Jareth again may have merged giving Jareth fae abilities and likeness. It’s a good story and I always thought the Labyrinth was a real place in the movie . I joke about wishing myself there lol. Don’t all of us fans lol 😂😂 🦉🔮💫
TokyoPop did a 4 part manga sequel back in about 2006 that’s also been hotly debated if canon or not. I appreciated the concept within it that the labyrinth basically shapes itself based upon the strongest willed person there at the time.
There is also Return to Labyrinth that was released back in 2006 where Jareth named Toby to be his heir at a time that the labyrinth is falling apart. The series follows Toby as he tries to fix the labyrinth and save the goblins. Its not half bad and does have all of the convoluted semblance of logic the goblins have. Not sure if it's cannon but its a fun read.
I didn't know that the king could use someone's dreams or nightmares to manipulate like that. There are darker concepts to this story than I thought! If it were me there, the theme is me getting old and not wanting to give up my youth. Trying to find a space to keep it alive forever. The ballroom scene inspired me to create a story with the Creepypasta Laughing Jack. Theres a scene where his magic glamours an old abandoned warehouse into an elaborate ballroom where Jack is also glamoured as Rainbow Jack. He uses the paradise carnival to entice my OP, but her presence ends up causing his dark half to be balanced by his light half. So its a story of healing instead of conquering
I’d love a video about the Labyrinth Beyond the Goblin City comic. There’s are so many lovely great and art stiles. You find out who Hoggle became of gardener, how Sir Didymus ended up guarding that bridge and the first time Ludo spoke to the rocks. My favourite story and the one with the most interesting lore implications, is the last story ‘Masquerade’. It tells the story of one of the dancers from the masquerade ball.
Wait. They're making a sequel? Gross. It'll never be as darkly fantastical as the original with today's constant corporate demand for every corner and ragged edge be sanded down to appease what's assumed to as wide an audience as possible. If it somehow doesn't shy away, or better turns up, the themes of the first movie, it could be incredible, but I won't hold my breath.
When the movie was first into the theaters, I interpreted it somewhat differently. I did take it as the Labyrinth was real in a magical trans-dimensions way. If an antihero does the right thing in highly questionable ways, then Jareth was an ant-mentor. He actually wanted Sarah’s growth he used threats of loss to do it. He sgically lifted aspects of her life to make the point.
As a child I saw Jareth as a lonely, bored, narcissistic, manipulative man-child, though I didn't know how to articulate those concepts at the time. He wanted a human companion, and wanted something more than wanton chaos, he couldn't relate to the goblins even though he understood them, and assumed that the only reason anyone would stay there with him was if they had no choice. He was attracted to Sarah's "weirdness" as it mirrored his world. He was scary because he was relatable to me as a child with abandonment issues. He was the first villain I saw myself in. Later in life I saw just how much Sarah projects onto him and the labyrinth. He was alluring to her just as she was to him. He was her escapist fantasy personified, including her toxic, obsessive, jealous relationship with it. She was becoming slave to her fantasies, just as much as she would have been a slave to Jareth... Not physically enslaved, but mentally enslaved; obsessive, jealous, and codependent on her fantasies, and thereby Jareth. She was just as relatable as Jareth, as I too was becoming slave to my own unhealthy escapist fantasies. I still recognize my own toxic tendencies in many of the characters. For me, it's not just a story about coming of age, but also, and perhaps moreso, about healing from childhood trauma, and developing a healthy relationship with both reality and fantasy. I'll always cherish fantasy and fiction, but my inner world can become my own labyrinth if I let it; spiraling into panic, despair, detachment, jealousy, and all manner of other toxicities. I didn't realize a lot of this until just now, by the way... I need to remember that putting things into words can be very introspectively clarifying.
13:58 "I feel like this is a memory Jareth would regret." You're assuming the events, as we see them, are 100% truthful. Jareth is an unreliable narrator to begin with, and near the end, he even asks rhetorically "When did I ever promise the truth?"
@@tempestates13 yes it was, like I said though it wasn't a sequel to labyrinth, it was a genre film. that merely had the same story and followed the same themes but with different characters. a young girl complex emotions about adulthood manifesting in an adventure through her drawings, which she had in her room everywhere, same like sara. my favorite part was when she figured out where the mask was hidden.
if you think about it, since both entities sped up the clock to force their opponent to lose an hour. then can it be said the labyrinth only works on a 12 hour clock... that the 13th hour is the first lie told? a manipulation of imagination, by something created of imagination. the hero, the villain, everyone and everything... some say that life itself is a dream or form created by somethings* imagination, do they not? almost like the books / movies are saying... "life is but a dream"
I think Maria completely reversed what the owl King was attempting. In other words, instead of the owl King, taking all of the baby's life force and becoming truly immortal, the baby gained all of the owl King's powers and knowledge but retaining all of himself. And it was preordained because the labyrinth didn't like the owl King and Love's fun and chaos and songs😂 also, let's all recognize the fact that if Marie had gone back to the real world she probably would have got her head chopped off😂 It was not a good time for nobles Even pretend ones. At the very best, her hopes was to go back to the real world. A single parent peasant wench. Or her son becomes King of the labyrinth.... Knowing what Maria knew going in if I was her I would have never fought to win. I would have fought for the real win. And that's why I say the baby is jareth. He gained all the powers and knowledge of the owl King and also jareth is the labyrinth. And also this now makes me think that jareth never actually intended on harming the baby in the labyrinth movie. It's all just a ritual a game. It's basically like a holiday to celebrate how he became goblin King and I bet there's actually no way to lose it. Jairus f**** with the time and breaks the rules cuz there are no rules he never intends on keeping the baby. They need to have another movie where some woman accepts because he's not looking for a baby. He's looking for a wife😂
13 hours in the Labyrinth feels like you've been in that fantasy for months, because time moves 3 times faster there than in the real world, and this is how a goblin king's power over time and reality is limited to the imagination of someone from the real world, that is why there is no way for the girls of separate time periods to separate what makes the reality of the Labyrinth Kingdom of the goblins a dream and what about it makes it real, their weakness is that they make themselves victim to what they think should be reality because they move their emotions through their own dreams and desires; Jareth's mother learns that not everything is going to go as planned and Sarah Williams learn that she has to live and deal with the changes in the situations of her life; this is one of many concepts that teaches how dreams can be dangerous; because it is a mysterious puzzle like the Labyrinth itself as you might never know whether you will be trapped by your dreams or your concept of reality and this is sort of what Coraline learns in "Coraline" and this is something that Dorothy Gail from "The Marvelous Land of OZ" and Alice from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" struggles with.
IIRC there was a manga for the movie back in the day, I remember seeing it in the book store a couple times. My mom was a big fan of the movie for all the fantasy elements of it. One thing I should say about my mother is that despite being a tomboy with a love of the Old West...she could also be pretty girly at times and loved fantasy...she was a big fan of Anne Rice novels and collected dozens upon DOZENS of Unicorn, Alicorn, and Pegasi statues and pictures...mostly the statues. If a movie had a unicorn in it she would watch it...which makes it all the sadder that she never saw the animated movie The Last Unicorn to my knowledge...I really should have got that for her a long time ago but in those days the internet was pretty new and Amazon was not a thing like it is now. I'm talking mid to late 90s here so ordering a specific movie would not have been easy outside of going to a movie rental place and hoping for the best.
This just built on what I thought and now I have to read this and keep this in mind for my own version I'm trying to write. And I'm with you I watched this movie probably way too young but fell in love with it. 😁
I always had the feeling, Wonderland and the Labrynth were connected in some form. Dreams taken from artists, actors and the mad and hurt, to create their worlds
I think he actually was human, a stolen child, But he gained powers by being put in the goblin king throne. It always seemed to be that as much as he was a spoiled brat, he resented this role that had been forced upon him. It was as much a privilege as it was his prison, he couldn't leave. at least until he replaced the goblin king role with somebody else. The Labyrinth seems to be a place that mirrors the real world and ,in a sense, needs a piece of the real world to keep it going. It needs the hopes and dreams of humans to continue. By stealing Toby, I always took it served 2 purposes. Jareth needs a replacement, perhaps, if he can find one, maybe he can himself return to the real world, from where he was stolen. Second, I think Jareth was actually in love with Sara and it was a way for him to keep her with him, Perhaps it was his first choice to have Sara stay with him and rule with him until Toby could take over. And he had to have a way to lure her in there. But if that failed, he needed an heir anyway. If you see all around his castle, there are nothing but goblins, trolls and weird critters. You can imagine him being lonely as he is the only human like creature there. If you then add details from the coronation. Again you will see characters in the Labyrinth mirrored in the real world. I took the owl king to be a representation of what would be Jareths grandfather. A cold and cruel man.(who btw in the beginning just wanted to drain the baby's essence to refuel himself) Some of the characters she had at the party she and Albert her husband(and Jareths' father) were in at the beginning of the story, seem to also be represented in the story. I almost think that perhaps there are certain families with which must "sacrifice" a member of their own to be goblin king. Perhaps they made "a deal with the devil " so to speak. centuries ago, agreeing to sacrifice one of their own at certain time intervals and in return they would gain riches and social prestige in the real world for the rest of the family. I think it was originally supposed to be Jareths father that should have gone in. But because of his rank in society and his cruel father's pressure. He had to leave Maria as she wasn't his social equal and would therefore, be forced to marry the woman his father picked for him. Jareth was the perfect "sacrifice" as he was an illegitimate child who would have no rights to his prestigious fathers name. wondering why Jareth seems to have a bit of a not so nice side, I think that the image of his mother and father at the ballroom, are not real versions of them, since they seem to be stuck in this dream masquerade. Which would seem to further illustrate his frustration, loneliness and grief that he had nobody, even they were just projections of what once was...Making him a tad grumpy.. I can't imagine that the Maria character, if she were real, allowing him to turn out as such a spoiled brat, seeing as she loved him and gave up everything to find him. He was not raised by his mother, but by goblins. Recall also that "Toby" was only Saras "half" brother. Perhaps in some way centuries later a branch of Jareths family ended up in Irenes' line (Sara's Stepmother) and was an actual distant blood relative to Jareth. I feel like the Labyrinth is full of characters that have been kidnapped , to create the subjects of the whole world, I think most of them have had their "dreams" imaginations used as fuel. memories that keep the Labyrinth alive and imprisoning them for either forever or at least centuries or longer. I think that although Saras' imagination did partly fuel the Labyrinth I tend to also think that it wasn't entirely just Sara's imagination. Perhaps because of Toby he was seeking a way to take him and so had at least some power in the real world to manipulate things. Jareth had been hanging around "before" Sara actually says the words "I wish the goblins would come take you away" We saw him as an owl hanging around. Which alludes to his growing interest or love for her. Also things like the ballroom scene , don't seem to come from Sara's memories or imagination,, but Jareths". So his memories also play a part in this world we see. I have WAY too much time on my hands to be thinking this deep on the story. But Labyrinth is hands down my favorite movie of all time.
I think the labyrinth could be like the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining”. Jack in the Kubrick movie could be related to the one in the photo at the end and the house can tap into his bloodline via blood cell-contained memories and use his stress to suck everyone into the nightmare with the he’ll bound people the original knew.
As someone who was… I think 13 or 14 when this movie came out?… I had NO idea there was any more to the story than just that of what was in the movie! But now I must find it! 😍 I can tell you this much… When my kids were little (we watched Labyrinth) and they cried and threw tantrums, I would say, “I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now”… David Bowie never showed up looking all hot as Jareth… I was really disappointed… 🤣🤣🤣
I have the first few issues of this comic, I read the first but didn't want to damage the books so didn't continue. But the story was super interesting. To see where it began.
Wonderful video and thoughtful take on this story! Also, to answer the final question, the expanded materials are canon, as would any other story created that wants to be associated. The stories of the labyrinth infinite and the explanation is already established in the original story.
I kind of remember seeing one of the manga for the Labyrinth in the manga section at one of the libraries I would often go to though I might be thinking about a different manga I had seen. Hell, I think I even saw a manga for the Dark Crystal when the library I had went to was used to be near a Sonic (the restaurant) before moving to where it is at now.
What if rather than the owl king absorbing Jareth's youth and vitality as he'd planned, Jareth instead absorbed the owl king's wisdom and power, thus becoming the goblin king that we all know?
I read a really awesome fan theory. I’m pretty sure you can Google it. It suggests that they are all Sarahs. Like Hoggle says of course you are when she responds to him asking her name.
An Unbelievably Gorgeous and Wonderful Masterpiece. It is such a great movie and One of my top favorite fantasy creations of all time. Your video is absolutely amazing, and your voice is so wonderful to listen to. Thank you.
They didn't make a second because David Bowie passed away and they thought the director thought that I was with an insult to his creativity if they didn't have him in the film you know cuz David Bowie is what made the movie pop since he was such an iconic actor at the time just want to be disrespectful to his character
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Gotta get em!
I hate Labyrinth movie. But that... that comic is good shit 🦉
We already have a sequel. Its called 'Mirror Mask.'
did you know there was a manga series that was a crossover between alice and wonderland and labyrinth? i don't remember the name but it start with a converstion between the queen of hearts and jared, and they were talking about the labyrinth heart.
@@onojioboardwalk9748 As was noted, there's a real sequel, in fact, but I'd love for A Bit Frank to do a dive into Mirrormask, too.
Honestly it makes more sense that Jarreth was a human who was kidnapped by globins, he’s way to pretty to be a true goblin
Not really, that's very simplistic way of seeing it, having in mind jarreth knew magic and was very powerful, one could just assume his appareance is at his control or changed towards hai level of power, which fit more to the mystical type of world labyrinth is
Then again I guess the old king isn’t really a goblin, he’s an owl…
@@KnucklesxReala911I guess, and if Maria had a hand in creating Jareth, she may have modeled him after for former lover. Still Jareth has a very human element to him then
Jarreth is a fey. They are shapeshifters. Technically they have no "true" form, only one they prefer.
Ive agreed with this idea in past. To me, it's supported by 1) Jareth looking all but human, and 2) you see 'humans' cavorting in the dream Ball wearing creature masks that closely resemble many of the goblins we see in Jareths hoard. It could lead you to think that if they were also captured as human babies then those 'human' forms we observed in the dream were what they may have grown up to be if they hadn't been turned into goblins. It's the same process that happened to Jareth yet he, in becoming more powerful, gained the ability of shape-shifting. My hubby, a huge dnd, Magic-the-gathering, and Jim Hensen nerd, thinks that Jareth was most likely a powerful sorcerer whom the goblins flocked to as their leader, being naturally drawn to powerful magic users for protection and boons.
Okay so, actually I own an official Labyrinth bestiary from 2022 that introduces Maria and the owl king and everything that happens on Maria's timeline, or Labyrinth of Yore as the book calls it. Basically it talks about the owl king and how he rules over the goblings, and all the companions that Maria has on her journey. As to wether Jareth is her son or not, in Jareth's pages it says: 'The Gobling king is said to have arrived in the Labyrinth as a baby-- an intended heir to his predecessor's reign.' In the owl king's it sums up the story of the comics, and it straight up says that Maria is indeed Jareth's mother: 'Some stories tell that Jareth's mother, Maria, demanded that the king return Jareth'. And that in the end 'she find herself unable to fully free her son'. The paragraph ends with this phrase: 'When the Owl King died, it was Jareth who became the Labyrinth's ruler-- and, in a nod to his predecessor, developed the hability to transform into an owl.'
Sadly Maria doesn't have an entry, but she is mentioned a lot. So I think it is confirmed, at least in the bestiary, that Jareth was actually that baby. Maybe the sacrifice of his mother made impossible for the Owl king to kill him, so he 'raised' him (or the rebellion took him away and raised him somewhere else) and when he died Jareth was 'fully formed and ready to rule' as he says. Or maybe the owl king died when Maria intefiered and baby Jareth was raised by the goblings and the Labyrinth itself. For that I dont really have an answer.
Sorry if you liked the mystery of not knowing! I thought that since I have this info, I had to share it! The bestiary is beautiful and has many, many stunning illustrations. You can buy it on amazon, if you're interested! 🤗
It seems like to me Maria going into the machine probably messed with the owl king's plan somehow and likely killed him instead of infusing him with fresh vitality. From there it would have been just the goblins and baby Jareth, and as the new ruler a baby Jareth would have wanted his mother around, so he "dreams" a version of her and his father in the masquerade to stay with him forever. And the goblins raise him into the best king for them.
Either that or once the old owl king was defeated the labyrinth somehow sped up Jareth's time and turned him into an adult "ready to rule" based on the labyrinths own desires for an ideal goblin king.
@@magickmynd1296 I think the same! And maybe that's why Jareth says that he arrived as an adult sortly after the owl king's death, because the Labyrinth made him an adult and he has no memories of being a baby and having a mother. And he knows the story because the goblings told him.
Although, I prefer a baby Jareth being raised by goblings, and having the mascarade dream as a form of being close to this mother that fought for him and that he never met. And he tolds the story as if he wasnt the baby because is like he is not that human baby anymore, he is the Goblin king. It was another lifetime. Also, this would explain why he seems resentful towards the owl king, because he knows what he did and despises him, saying that HIS labyrinth is different (even though he kinda repeats the story lol)
There are so many possibilities!
I appreciate the additional info.
Loved this! Thank you!
The art book really filled in blanks I didn't even know were missing in my understanding of the movie.
As someone who grew up to the Labryinth due to having an older sibling, I had NO IDEA there was a Prequel or any other material related to the Labyrinth. I'm fascinated to see what's in store.
I've read it. Enjoy!
There wasn't. Labyrinth was a stand alone story. People have come along after and created stories to explain things, according to how they see it. None of it is cannon.
@@bEverCurious I don't think the video maker's implying it is. This series, the prose novel, the manga, etcetera are fun additions.
@@SiiriCressey It was clear the video maker did not imply this. My comment about it not being cannon was based on what this OP commenter said. THEY are giving the impression they think a prequel existed.
@@bEverCurious Ah. Except......it kind of is. If only as storytelling. Yes, it's not a film, but...how does that work? (Rhetorically; not knowing is fine.) I'm just about certain they're officially licensed books, so they've been approved by who or what ever holds the copyright to the film. *But* but, with the filmmaker being dead......🤷🏼♀️ I don't know how that works.
Labyrinth is one of those films that does not need any sequel or prequel, it stands gloriously on its own, open to our imagination's endless interpretation. I saw it when it first came out, yea it seems like 300 years ago now, and Iv lived happily not knowing about any other official material. Yet having said that, I know a younger me would have eagerly jumped upon any sequel or prequel I might have found.
Thanks for the vid. Good work.
I agree completely! Besides with out David Bowie and Jim Henson it would be a very pale story.
I feel the same at the end of the day the film is canon. Anything else is added on and if people enjoy that fab. But this material did not exist and I prefer to see Labyrinth as it was.
the original pre-prequel isn't so much as open to interpretation as you're assuming anyhow: the lead writer has been pretty up front in saying it's a cautionary tale for girls against the advances of predatory older men that is specifically written with his own daughter in mind. Prior to all of this added worldbuilding that context was that Jareth was a manifestation of memories of her mother's new fiancé in New York, who flirted with Sarah when they were alone and showered her in expensive gifts. The real conflict in Sarah is whether or not she wants to throw away what remains of her childhood to chase an extravagant lifestyle in New York with her mother and step-father-to-be that wouldn't be healthy nor safe for her, VS staying with her father, step mother, and half-brother in a small town where she has to face the typical hurdles of growing up in an environment that actually cares about her well being (hence why the 'friendlier' characters in the labyrinth are with her at the end- this is symbolic of her choice to not throw away her innocence! this is also why the scene focusing on her childhood materialism exists, and why the two scenes do not contradict each other at all as some people assume they do.). Another aspect to this obviously being that for her whole life before this, Sarah was an only child. But so far as I know this was all stuff you'd basically only know beyond a guess if you read 40 year old interviews with the people who made it.
the extended lore is cool too, though. the world of the labyrinth almost begs for deeper exploration, and it's just so interesting to see people face it! there are certainly settings that aim to use one's own experiences against them, but i do not feel that many of them get the vague, psychological vibe right half as well as jim henson's more serious films have. that extends to the original dark crystal, too.
I have always suspected that Hoggle was the big brother who wished the baby Jareth would be taken away by the goblins. That's why he's always so disappointed when Jareth can't remember his name. He tried to save him within the thirteen hours and failed, and that's why he constantly tells Sarah that it's impossible.
"We haven't had a musical in 200 years!" What a line x3
The crazy manga sequel to the labyrinth still makes my head spin
That manga had the WORST bait and switch with the cover art and the actual story art
Young teen me is still reeling from it. Ah, I do no miss the pre RUclips days. @@wajmgirl
It’s not canon though, since it wasn’t made Jim Henson’s company.
And everyone wanted more Sarah but we got Toby instead.
So Construct Albert is a better father then real Albert. Nice touch.
Kind of like imagining how a good father would be.
I think Jareth is the baby, but time works differently in the Labyrinth, so growing to adulthood for him took mere seconds for the outside of the machine than the years it was inside. Kind of like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in DBZ. However, since the baby was now linked to the labyrinth, it filled him with knowledge of how to control it while he was being raised by his mother and artifact father. When he was fully grown, the labyrinth deemed him ready to rule and out he popped. Every so often, he goes back into the chamber to see his mom and dad.
But that's just the way I see it.
I like this lets go
Then why would he want to make his older sister his bride? Ya need to go back n watch
I think if it worked that way baby Toby would of been all grown up by the time he was rescued.
It seems to me that the labyrinth, being an extension of the dreams of humans within it, is an entity that needs a human to continue to exist. Why else would there be need of a human in the role of a king in a land of where humans are not native? Sure, the kings perpetuate their role, but it seems clear that it's something the goblins themselves also want to exist. It also seems like the kings don't actually like their roles beyond the ability to control others and live forever. They simply exist to be the center of the labyrinthian world.
I think it's a realm. Not an entity. Study up on Carl Jung, Archetypes, The Ether, The Dream World, The Sub-Conscious, The Shadow Self, and the Heroes Journey. Also Research what people see when they do DMT, esp the goblins and machinery they use. There is more to this movie than fiction. Rather a very deep metaphor for many already investigated and researched psychological experiences.
@@shnast-tv2 Is there really a difference when a realm seems to have a need to perpetuate itself and seems to act on its own whim from time to time?
Kinda like The Child-like Empress in The Neverending Story. She's essential to the existence of everything there just by existing.
Sound like a darker version of how Narnia works
Like you, I am obsessed with any lore surrounding Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. When the Netflix series came out as well as the comics, I was psyched and delighted. This gives a whole lot more context to the Labrinth itself and I think makes it more interesting. It wouldn't' be a labyrinth without complexity !
Honestly I was a bit turned off by skekVar, because since he died, how would've skekUng come into fruitation because they are both the general but the show is supposed to be a prequel BUT HOW WOULD skekUng become a character? Did Aughra (as much as I doubt it) have something to do with it? It's confusing honestly... But the show was amazing!! I love The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal so much, but the show for TDC kinda threw me off with the general situation.
This makes the Labyrinth sound like Silent hill. A living location, molded by the psyche of those that traverse it
That's what all dream worlds are. You manifest all your fears, hopes, and subconscious materials in the dream world. If you explore your own mind it would be like the labyrinth.
Jareth lost his true love 300 years ago, her name was Sarah, he kidnaps young girls with the name Sarah that look like his passed love, and he does it over and over again, that is why when our Sarah meets Hoggle for the first time the conversation goes like this, "Im Hoggle, who are you?", she says, "Sarah", and he replies, "That's what I thought..."
I figured it was because the event was broadcast and all the citizens of the labyrinth knew what happened.
@@fathomgathergood7690 Hmmm, that seems possible, I had heard my theory in a jim henson article many years ago, dont now if its official lore, but makes for a cool potential :)
In fay lore, names have power, and dreams and imagination rules. Jareth wouldn't name the stories baby to Toby simply because he is surounded by those of his court who could use it against him if he was that child!
True.
But when you're dealing with names having power you're dealing with a being's "True Name." And a "True Name" is not just a series of syllables that people call each other by. One's "true name" is a deep description of one's soul, giving the user of the name a total and complete understanding of everything that individual is, on every level of their existence, including their past, present, future, and even everything about them outside of time.
This is why knowing someone's True Name gives you power over them. You now know them better than they know themselves.
And although Labyrinth is just a story, (so it's possible they're going with a simplified meaning just to make everything feel more whimsical) it is a story crafted by Jim Henson and Brian Froud. And Brian Froud is an expert in the Fae realm. He would've known about "true names", what they are, and how they work.
@@daximil Cool, thanks for the clarification! Now I gotta go learn more!
I wish I could've met David Bowie in person... tell him how much Labyrinth meant to me in my childhood. But you know, a live-action adaptation of this prequel would be very interesting
For all the trouble Jarreth causes it's mostly for his entertainment which limits the scale making him low on the evil rankings.
Because he is not evil. Moderately spoiled at worst.
I was fixated on David bowies junk in the movie , I had never seen a man in such tight pants
I started learning how to contact juggle because of this movie 😂
Thank you Michael Moschen.
And David Bowie (for being such a good sport at having a blind jugglers arms wrapped around you during filming) r.i.p.
Whenever I think of Labyrinth and Labyrinth Coronation, I'm reminded of the opening line to the 1953 version of Peter Pan, which was one of the many influences behind Labyrinth: "All this has happened before, and it will all happen again." That aside, I honestly thought Albert would have a last-minute change of heart and become the Goblin King, somehow allowing Maria and their child to return to our world at the climax to live out their lives while he obtained the power he always wanted and become Jareth. I thought the story was making us think that Maria's baby would become Jareth and then subvert by having Albert become the Goblin King. Still, it was a good story.
What terrific timing! I literately watched Labyrinth yesterday. I hadn't watched it in probably 10-15 years.
I guess I was meant to learn more about the lore of the movie.
Coronation reveals its own Labyrinth mechanics, but it's not the only one. Return to Labyrinth in 2007 (would love to see you analyze that one) gave Jareth a very different backstory. Given that Coronation is phrased as Jareth telling Toby a story, we should probably consider that it might be his invention.
Return to Labyrinth was bad. The art didn't even match the cover.
Every 13th hour you say? Then every good Bretonian knows we should be glad the Goblin King is the worst thing we have to worry about in that maze.
Explain please good friend
@@kaijukoopa1248 Its a Warhammer reference.
So come the rats
Are you familiar with the tribute music album to this movie and especially to the late David Bowie?
It's called The Black Labyrinth, made by Aurelio Voltaire.
It's a musical tribute featuring musicians who all worked with Bowie at some point. I think you would like it! 💚🖤
OMG, I haven't listened to Voltaire in such a loooooong time! Your comment reminded me how much I loved Bitrekual. I'll have to find the Black Labyrinth album now!
@@roguered706 Im glad I could bring you some joy! 🖤💚
I'm reminded of a philosophical question. Which is more real, a unicorn or the idea of a unicorn? While a unicorn is not real, an idea of a unicorn is a real idea, just as a drawing of a unicorn would be a real drawing. The principle of the question is that everything that can be conceived exists in some form but not all forms.
It def makes it less creepy to think Jareth never actually wanted Sarah to stay, it was just the magic of the labyrinth helping him give her what her hormonal teenage mind wanted (I mean he Does sorta say as much in the end) all for the entertainment of the goblins and possibly of Sara as well. So glad they got Bowie instead of Sting! 😅😂
I also like that it gives a Reason for the singing, instead of ignoring it. Sarah never sang, helping sell that explaination. I really like this backstory & henceforth am going to consider it canon, no matter what the manga tries to sell me.😅
Lol, me too. And I also love Bowie's interpretation of his character as a reluctant king who had his role thrust upon him.
Jareth may be the Owl King changed into Jareth as a result of the youth of the unnamed baby and the Babe with the Power of Revolution/Change. There's a reason the broken statue of Albert looks like Jareth, and Dance Magic is actually being sung to Sarah about her reminding him of Maria?
Oh! That's actually a super interesting take!
Is it just a coincidence that the baby brother she looks for the entire movie has a where's Waldo color scheme or do you think it's intentional?
I never assumes it was all dream. As a kid i figured it was just magic. As an adult, learned of folklore and the strange, i figured Sarah and Toby were drawn into the realm of the Fae.
Yes! Labyrinth is my favorite movie of all time!!! I'm so happy you love it as much as I do!
I've loved this comic prequel ( way more than the manga sequel....) and I see it as canon! 😁
this kinda makes me wanna finish that Jared custom I have in the works for years. Being my first introduction to David freakin Bowie.
I like the unreliable narrator aspect because no matter how you spint it it leaves the audience with their own interpretation which to me is what makes any story timeless and relevant. Yes there is stuff that is set for the lore but the nature of Jarred is always to entice, and entertain. The kid went home, maybe the kid fused with the king thanks to the mom, maybe they all passed away and became memories or goblins themselves feeding the labrynth and Sarah managed to escape before it swallowed her, I hope they do bring more stories like this out. I remember there was a manga but I never got a hold of the volumes.
I always thought that Hellraiser, (the original movie) sounded like a very much darker vision of "The Labrynth."
There is a sequel. It's a manga called Return to Labyrinth.
I tried reading it, but it wasn't very good in my opinion. The only thing I liked was the cover arts. Sadly the art on the inside didn't match. The cover arts and inside arts were done by two different artists.
Not official, it was a manga
Good to know. Ty for sharing that info so I don't waste my time or money.😅
The sequel isn’t canon though. It wasn’t even published by Henson’s team.
It get's really interesting when you take mythology into account. Goblins are said to be fae or fairies and fae are mercurial creatures of dream, some could interpret that as shape shifters. But Goblins being fae, of the unseelie variety, if they have a king he would be the counterpart to Oberon the king of the seelie fae. I've only ever heard of the Unseelie Queen Maeve but it's an interesting thing to think about.
I always thought the movies story was Sarah's way of memorizing the play/ novel she was reading at the start of the movie. Then she just expanded it a bit in her mind, like a sorta "fan made" take on the original. There was also some idea I had about the expanded world outside the Labyrinth and what everything was about, but...I cant remember if it was other kingdoms with their own mazes and labyrinths, goblins or other creatures, etc or not T
I love how in the ending of The labyrinth: coronation he enters his mother's dream thingy and she's just like "oh, is she not coming dear?" Which I think is so sweet because he literally arranged with his mom and construct Albert a "meet my girlfriend" kinda thing and it's so sweet because that implies they have a healthy enough relationship for him to confide in them about Sarah. Also I love that photo where Maria is on the bridge on top, and Jareth doing the same thing in the reflection because he looks like a brooding, rockstar teen. Love him 😍
Labryrinth has always been close to my heart. I had it on VHS when I was little and I've watched it sooo many times. When I heard prequel I got nervous as todays movies are nowhere near as beautiful and imaginative as back then. But now that I watched your video; I kinda want to see this made. I really enjoyed listening to the story, thanks abitfrank. You remind me of the babe!
I'm so happy someone finally covered the prequel books! i love them and the movie so much more! hopefully we can have even more added to the universe and story
I think what Actually happened was the Labyrinth had switch the machine and actually merged Jarreth and the Old Goblin King into a new Jerreth Older Wiser and with the Old Goblin King's powers, btw this could have also caused a fragment of the Labyrinth itself to break off into Jarreth thus making him the True Goblin King and making him a True Arch Fey
This movie came out when I was a kid.. it was EVERYTHING for quite a while.. something that never faded away like so many other childhood interests.. so when I was a mom, it was one of the first films I brought to the kids when they were ready to watch it 🥰
Even found a stuffed/statue of Ludo for my youngests Xmas gift last year 😍 he is 20 now, but I raised my kids RIGHT!
Never too old for these special things!
Princess Bride is another one, it’s literally an aspect of our life here..
I HAD the original book published around the time of the movie, but I don’t think it survived into adulthood.. 😢
I hadn’t known about this additional story and media.. I’ll definitely have to look into it!
Thanks for sharing this!!
🥰
ATB
Thank you so. so. so. much for making this. You are really good and this video is just BAM for old Labyrinth lovers like me.
Goddamn you made me happy. Thank you again, and I hope we all get the continuation we deserve.
Much love.
I mean, the labyrinth doesn't have to be a "dream" place for it to exist and have the rules that it does. It can be a fae pocket dimension with its own rules and powers separate from those of the "real" world.
It's clear that the goblins do have some influence on the human world since they are able to communicate and interact with Albert and the owl king can show Maria things inside the labyrinth that she doesn't know, which means it's not all in her head either as only her dream.
So it's likely that the labyrinth is a real place within the context of the story, it's just one influenced by those who inhabit it since, there, dreams and the mind have the ability to influence the realm itself, much like any other fae lore, where the queens and kings of the fae shape their environment based on their personalities and abilities.
The more creativity and imagination you have, the stronger your willpower, the more long-term influence you have over the labyrinth.
Very cool! I didn't even know this comic book event took place. Thanks for the summary! I absolutely adore this movie and grew up with it too :) it's part of the reason why I ended up loving David Bowie's music as an adult.
This is amazing. Thank you so much!
you and talefoundry should seriously consider a collab, very good voice and topic compatibility
Very interesting. I didn't know this existed but that said I dont understand this desire to define the labyrinth as some sort of universal setting. After all it's a very personal story about a girl learning to move on and its very artfully done. Sarah learns to stop using fantasy to escape her real life and channel her imagination in a more emotionally healthy way. It's strongly implied at the start that she uses it to cope with her mother's death and the journey she goes on reflects those themes. The labyrinth and everything in it can be seen in Sarah's room during the establishing shot where they show all her toys and games.
Sarah has created a sort of cocoon for herself where the outside world cannot touch her. She hates people going in her room. She hates it even more if someone removes something from that sanctuary... She has stopped communicating with her parents, she refuses to go on dates and she has made her stepmother into a figurative wicked queen or witch from one of her stories. They all but spell these themes out for us in the opening moments of the film.
Shifting the focus to be more about the labyrinth itself cheapens that story in my opinion. Very different things but it reminds me of how they kept trying to shoehorn Pyramid Head into later Silent Hill games. It's missing the point in a way that somewhat damages the original intent of the story.
I fully agree. It was meant to be a coming of age story.
Thank God, finally, someone making sense... Signed Gina M
A long time fan of the movie, in addition to David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly
I never thought it was all in her head. All of the books and labyrinth paraphernalia in her room screamed grooming to me. Jareth had been putting elements of his labyrinth into her home and life for years to make her the perfect mark.. and based on that grooming, and the fact that the childrens book about the goblin king actually held the supposed answer to defeating him, just made me think that is was less of a defeat and more of a passed test. He's not flying away to find another victim, he's biding his time. Sarah will either be his protoge, or the life-long rival that warns children about the labyrinth, which will in turn keep it alive.
A lot like Changeling the lost. Jareth was taken by a Gentry called the Owl king and he became a Changeling, but like all powerful changelings, he eventually became a keeper himself.
Nice episode, thanks for the update.
What is life, but the perpetual affirmation of uncertainty?! A most appropriate metaphor explaining both the dynamics of "The Labyrinth" as well as the existential dread of the human protagonist experiences therein, IMHO.
Jareth would want to keep people guessing but I think he’s the baby maybe merged with the old Owl king. Seeing how Maria entered the machine with Baby Jareth , he most likely emerged as a full adult with the old Owl king’s powers and abilities ; he’s obviously half fae . The Owl king and Jareth again may have merged giving Jareth fae abilities and likeness. It’s a good story and I always thought the Labyrinth was a real place in the movie . I joke about wishing myself there lol. Don’t all of us fans lol 😂😂
🦉🔮💫
I love the owl King’s face expression. Dude is really funny
TokyoPop did a 4 part manga sequel back in about 2006 that’s also been hotly debated if canon or not. I appreciated the concept within it that the labyrinth basically shapes itself based upon the strongest willed person there at the time.
There is also Return to Labyrinth that was released back in 2006 where Jareth named Toby to be his heir at a time that the labyrinth is falling apart. The series follows Toby as he tries to fix the labyrinth and save the goblins. Its not half bad and does have all of the convoluted semblance of logic the goblins have. Not sure if it's cannon but its a fun read.
I didn't know that the king could use someone's dreams or nightmares to manipulate like that. There are darker concepts to this story than I thought! If it were me there, the theme is me getting old and not wanting to give up my youth. Trying to find a space to keep it alive forever.
The ballroom scene inspired me to create a story with the Creepypasta Laughing Jack. Theres a scene where his magic glamours an old abandoned warehouse into an elaborate ballroom where Jack is also glamoured as Rainbow Jack. He uses the paradise carnival to entice my OP, but her presence ends up causing his dark half to be balanced by his light half. So its a story of healing instead of conquering
I’d love a video about the Labyrinth Beyond the Goblin City comic. There’s are so many lovely great and art stiles. You find out who Hoggle became of gardener, how Sir Didymus ended up guarding that bridge and the first time Ludo spoke to the rocks.
My favourite story and the one with the most interesting lore implications, is the last story ‘Masquerade’. It tells the story of one of the dancers from the masquerade ball.
Wait. They're making a sequel? Gross. It'll never be as darkly fantastical as the original with today's constant corporate demand for every corner and ragged edge be sanded down to appease what's assumed to as wide an audience as possible. If it somehow doesn't shy away, or better turns up, the themes of the first movie, it could be incredible, but I won't hold my breath.
It'll be absolute garbage like all the other recons, remakes and retellings that production companies have been crapping out over the past 10 years.
Here's hoping they get the team from Age of Resistance.
Even though it didn't last long, I was pleasantly surprised with Dark Crystal and its craftsmanship
This was really interesting and very cool!
16:28 I fully expected you to say “… in a pair of tight pants.” 😆 Jees, my brain.
When the movie was first into the theaters, I interpreted it somewhat differently. I did take it as the Labyrinth was real in a magical trans-dimensions way.
If an antihero does the right thing in highly questionable ways, then Jareth was an ant-mentor. He actually wanted Sarah’s growth he used threats of loss to do it. He sgically lifted aspects of her life to make the point.
Knowing this makes the labyrinth so much better!
I just recently read the Labyrinth novelization it could have easily been a Coraline-esque horror if it leaned into it
As a child I saw Jareth as a lonely, bored, narcissistic, manipulative man-child, though I didn't know how to articulate those concepts at the time. He wanted a human companion, and wanted something more than wanton chaos, he couldn't relate to the goblins even though he understood them, and assumed that the only reason anyone would stay there with him was if they had no choice. He was attracted to Sarah's "weirdness" as it mirrored his world. He was scary because he was relatable to me as a child with abandonment issues. He was the first villain I saw myself in.
Later in life I saw just how much Sarah projects onto him and the labyrinth. He was alluring to her just as she was to him. He was her escapist fantasy personified, including her toxic, obsessive, jealous relationship with it. She was becoming slave to her fantasies, just as much as she would have been a slave to Jareth... Not physically enslaved, but mentally enslaved; obsessive, jealous, and codependent on her fantasies, and thereby Jareth. She was just as relatable as Jareth, as I too was becoming slave to my own unhealthy escapist fantasies.
I still recognize my own toxic tendencies in many of the characters. For me, it's not just a story about coming of age, but also, and perhaps moreso, about healing from childhood trauma, and developing a healthy relationship with both reality and fantasy. I'll always cherish fantasy and fiction, but my inner world can become my own labyrinth if I let it; spiraling into panic, despair, detachment, jealousy, and all manner of other toxicities.
I didn't realize a lot of this until just now, by the way... I need to remember that putting things into words can be very introspectively clarifying.
13:58 "I feel like this is a memory Jareth would regret."
You're assuming the events, as we see them, are 100% truthful. Jareth is an unreliable narrator to begin with, and near the end, he even asks rhetorically "When did I ever promise the truth?"
Labyrinth is such an amazing series you should do a review of the manga series as well!
Can someone in big media make a series of this PLEASE. Somuch material! Prequel and sequel are amazing. Animated would be ideal
Mirror mask was a great genre sequel to labyrinth
That one was so trippy
@@tempestates13 yes it was, like I said though it wasn't a sequel to labyrinth, it was a genre film. that merely had the same story and followed the same themes but with different characters. a young girl complex emotions about adulthood manifesting in an adventure through her drawings, which she had in her room everywhere, same like sara. my favorite part was when she figured out where the mask was hidden.
if you think about it, since both entities sped up the clock to force their opponent to lose an hour. then can it be said the labyrinth only works on a 12 hour clock... that the 13th hour is the first lie told? a manipulation of imagination, by something created of imagination. the hero, the villain, everyone and everything... some say that life itself is a dream or form created by somethings* imagination, do they not? almost like the books / movies are saying... "life is but a dream"
i'm normally pretty skeptical of unasked-for origin stories, but i feel like this story actually deepens and improves the original
Now seeing this it makes me re-think the Manga where Toby is a teen and returns to the Labyrinth.
I just watched this movie an hour ago. I showed it to my 6YO for the first time. Nostalgia¡!!!!
Hi, my math is not mathing. If Jareth was born around 1798, he would be 200??? If the movie is set in the 1990
I think Maria completely reversed what the owl King was attempting. In other words, instead of the owl King, taking all of the baby's life force and becoming truly immortal, the baby gained all of the owl King's powers and knowledge but retaining all of himself. And it was preordained because the labyrinth didn't like the owl King and Love's fun and chaos and songs😂 also, let's all recognize the fact that if Marie had gone back to the real world she probably would have got her head chopped off😂 It was not a good time for nobles
Even pretend ones. At the very best, her hopes was to go back to the real world. A single parent peasant wench. Or her son becomes King of the labyrinth.... Knowing what Maria knew going in if I was her I would have never fought to win. I would have fought for the real win. And that's why I say the baby is jareth. He gained all the powers and knowledge of the owl King and also jareth is the labyrinth. And also this now makes me think that jareth never actually intended on harming the baby in the labyrinth movie. It's all just a ritual a game. It's basically like a holiday to celebrate how he became goblin King and I bet there's actually no way to lose it. Jairus f**** with the time and breaks the rules cuz there are no rules he never intends on keeping the baby. They need to have another movie where some woman accepts because he's not looking for a baby. He's looking for a wife😂
You likely wont see this abitfrank but your spirit is very beautiful thank you for this art.
13 hours in the Labyrinth feels like you've been in that fantasy for months, because time moves 3 times faster there than in the real world, and this is how a goblin king's power over time and reality is limited to the imagination of someone from the real world, that is why there is no way for the girls of separate time periods to separate what makes the reality of the Labyrinth Kingdom of the goblins a dream and what about it makes it real, their weakness is that they make themselves victim to what they think should be reality because they move their emotions through their own dreams and desires; Jareth's mother learns that not everything is going to go as planned and Sarah Williams learn that she has to live and deal with the changes in the situations of her life; this is one of many concepts that teaches how dreams can be dangerous; because it is a mysterious puzzle like the Labyrinth itself as you might never know whether you will be trapped by your dreams or your concept of reality and this is sort of what Coraline learns in "Coraline" and this is something that Dorothy Gail from "The Marvelous Land of OZ" and Alice from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" struggles with.
IIRC there was a manga for the movie back in the day, I remember seeing it in the book store a couple times. My mom was a big fan of the movie for all the fantasy elements of it. One thing I should say about my mother is that despite being a tomboy with a love of the Old West...she could also be pretty girly at times and loved fantasy...she was a big fan of Anne Rice novels and collected dozens upon DOZENS of Unicorn, Alicorn, and Pegasi statues and pictures...mostly the statues. If a movie had a unicorn in it she would watch it...which makes it all the sadder that she never saw the animated movie The Last Unicorn to my knowledge...I really should have got that for her a long time ago but in those days the internet was pretty new and Amazon was not a thing like it is now. I'm talking mid to late 90s here so ordering a specific movie would not have been easy outside of going to a movie rental place and hoping for the best.
This just built on what I thought and now I have to read this and keep this in mind for my own version I'm trying to write. And I'm with you I watched this movie probably way too young but fell in love with it. 😁
I always had the feeling, Wonderland and the Labrynth were connected in some form. Dreams taken from artists, actors and the mad and hurt, to create their worlds
Not sure if you know about it but there was a manga series called 'Return to the Labyrinth' in 2006 that was based around Toby.
I think he actually was human, a stolen child, But he gained powers by being put in the goblin king throne. It always seemed to be that as much as he was a spoiled brat, he resented this role that had been forced upon him. It was as much a privilege as it was his prison, he couldn't leave. at least until he replaced the goblin king role with somebody else. The Labyrinth seems to be a place that mirrors the real world and ,in a sense, needs a piece of the real world to keep it going. It needs the hopes and dreams of humans to continue. By stealing Toby, I always took it served 2 purposes. Jareth needs a replacement, perhaps, if he can find one, maybe he can himself return to the real world, from where he was stolen. Second, I think Jareth was actually in love with Sara and it was a way for him to keep her with him, Perhaps it was his first choice to have Sara stay with him and rule with him until Toby could take over. And he had to have a way to lure her in there. But if that failed, he needed an heir anyway. If you see all around his castle, there are nothing but goblins, trolls and weird critters. You can imagine him being lonely as he is the only human like creature there.
If you then add details from the coronation. Again you will see characters in the Labyrinth mirrored in the real world. I took the owl king to be a representation of what would be Jareths grandfather. A cold and cruel man.(who btw in the beginning just wanted to drain the baby's essence to refuel himself) Some of the characters she had at the party she and Albert her husband(and Jareths' father) were in at the beginning of the story, seem to also be represented in the story. I almost think that perhaps there are certain families with which must "sacrifice" a member of their own to be goblin king. Perhaps they made "a deal with the devil " so to speak. centuries ago, agreeing to sacrifice one of their own at certain time intervals and in return they would gain riches and social prestige in the real world for the rest of the family. I think it was originally supposed to be Jareths father that should have gone in. But because of his rank in society and his cruel father's pressure. He had to leave Maria as she wasn't his social equal and would therefore, be forced to marry the woman his father picked for him. Jareth was the perfect "sacrifice" as he was an illegitimate child who would have no rights to his prestigious fathers name. wondering why Jareth seems to have a bit of a not so nice side, I think that the image of his mother and father at the ballroom, are not real versions of them, since they seem to be stuck in this dream masquerade. Which would seem to further illustrate his frustration, loneliness and grief that he had nobody, even they were just projections of what once was...Making him a tad grumpy.. I can't imagine that the Maria character, if she were real, allowing him to turn out as such a spoiled brat, seeing as she loved him and gave up everything to find him. He was not raised by his mother, but by goblins.
Recall also that "Toby" was only Saras "half" brother. Perhaps in some way centuries later a branch of Jareths family ended up in Irenes' line (Sara's Stepmother) and was an actual distant blood relative to Jareth. I feel like the Labyrinth is full of characters that have been kidnapped , to create the subjects of the whole world, I think most of them have had their "dreams" imaginations used as fuel. memories that keep the Labyrinth alive and imprisoning them for either forever or at least centuries or longer. I think that although Saras' imagination did partly fuel the Labyrinth I tend to also think that it wasn't entirely just Sara's imagination. Perhaps because of Toby he was seeking a way to take him and so had at least some power in the real world to manipulate things. Jareth had been hanging around "before" Sara actually says the words "I wish the goblins would come take you away" We saw him as an owl hanging around. Which alludes to his growing interest or love for her. Also things like the ballroom scene , don't seem to come from Sara's memories or imagination,, but Jareths". So his memories also play a part in this world we see.
I have WAY too much time on my hands to be thinking this deep on the story. But Labyrinth is hands down my favorite movie of all time.
I think the labyrinth could be like the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining”. Jack in the Kubrick movie could be related to the one in the photo at the end and the house can tap into his bloodline via blood cell-contained memories and use his stress to suck everyone into the nightmare with the he’ll bound people the original knew.
As someone who was… I think 13 or 14 when this movie came out?… I had NO idea there was any more to the story than just that of what was in the movie! But now I must find it! 😍
I can tell you this much… When my kids were little (we watched Labyrinth) and they cried and threw tantrums, I would say, “I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now”… David Bowie never showed up looking all hot as Jareth… I was really disappointed… 🤣🤣🤣
The Gnostic Lucifetian symbology has always been strong with the series.
Always wondered if there was a previous king, and why Jareth himself looked so... human.
I have the first few issues of this comic, I read the first but didn't want to damage the books so didn't continue. But the story was super interesting. To see where it began.
its a classic, I love the goblin kind, and I played this movie for my braddy kids when they were small children. They ALL loved this movie.
Wonderful video and thoughtful take on this story! Also, to answer the final question, the expanded materials are canon, as would any other story created that wants to be associated. The stories of the labyrinth infinite and the explanation is already established in the original story.
I kind of remember seeing one of the manga for the Labyrinth in the manga section at one of the libraries I would often go to though I might be thinking about a different manga I had seen. Hell, I think I even saw a manga for the Dark Crystal when the library I had went to was used to be near a Sonic (the restaurant) before moving to where it is at now.
That was fascinating, thank you for sharing.
What if rather than the owl king absorbing Jareth's youth and vitality as he'd planned, Jareth instead absorbed the owl king's wisdom and power, thus becoming the goblin king that we all know?
I read a really awesome fan theory. I’m pretty sure you can Google it. It suggests that they are all Sarahs. Like Hoggle says of course you are when she responds to him asking her name.
There is a Prequel?! Faints....
Whaaaaat....? There's Labyrinth tarot deck?! That's awesome! Also: sad I missed your plushie by about a week and a half.
Babies taken into the Labyrinth eventually turn into goblins, at least that is what I understood in the movie. Doesn't Jareth say that about Toby?
An Unbelievably Gorgeous and Wonderful Masterpiece. It is such a great movie and One of my top favorite fantasy creations of all time. Your video is absolutely amazing, and your voice is so wonderful to listen to. Thank you.
Wow, I am going to have to buy these books. This is one of my most favorite movies. I had no idea there was a prequel type book of it.
I want a Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Never Ending Story combined movie. I also want a season 2+ of DC renaissance.
I love how the story flows around her room. I always loved this story. Even as a male.
Should have been a sequel that made Tilda Swinton his daughter. Have Billy Idol and Sting play his brother's and they're out for revenge
But does it explain why David Bowie's junk is featured so prominently?
I love the '80s version but with all these manga etc available. I wish they reboot it.
They didn't make a second because David Bowie passed away and they thought the director thought that I was with an insult to his creativity if they didn't have him in the film you know cuz David Bowie is what made the movie pop since he was such an iconic actor at the time just want to be disrespectful to his character