Summary

• Jennifer Connelly fondly remembers her iconic role in Labyrinth due to the practical effects and craftsmanship of the movie.
• Jim Henson, considered a visionary, created a timeless sense of wonder in Labyrinth with unique puppets and sets.
• Jim Henson, who passed before Labyrinth's cult success, would have been thrilled by its impact on subsequent generations.

Labyrinth was Jennifer Connelly’s introduction to a long and highly-acclaimed career in Hollywood, and the actress still looks back on the movie with fondness. Directed by Jim Henson, featuring an array of weird and wonderful puppet creations and fantastical sets, and an iconic performance by David Bowie, the movie defied its initial lackluster release to become a cult classic and is about to earn a long-awaited sequel.

While discussing her new Apple TV+ series Dark Matter, Connelly reflected on her time working on Labyrinth, the genius of Jim Henson, and how modern movies are just not made with the same kind of thought as the 1986 classic. Speaking to Variety, the Oscar-winning star said:

“Jim was a genius. And we don’t really make movies like that anymore. All those practical, wonderful puppets working together on those beautifully crafted sets. It feels different than the way we make a lot of films now; it feels kind of special.”

Jennifer Connelly is one of many people interviewed in the upcoming Disney+ documentary about the artist's life, titled Jim Henson: Idea Man, which is directed by Ron Howard and will be released May 31.

Henson has often been called a visionary for his pioneering work in film and television, bringing to life characters that had never been seen before, in ways that incorporated new technology and techniques. For this reason, movies like Labyrinth continue to deliver a sense of wonder that holds up today when compared to some much more modern films that chose to delve into early computer-generated graphics. However, while the film was not a financial success at the time, Connelly has always been aware that it has not made a difference to the way the movie is viewed now. She added:

“I remember hearing rumblings, but people’s affection has grown over the years. People talk to me about it in a way that seems outsized to the response when it was first released.”

Jim Henson Never Saw Labyrinth Become a Success

The death of Jim Henson in 1990 was a huge loss, both to fans and the industry. While he saw many of his Muppet movies and TV projects achieve huge success, he did not live long enough to see the likes of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal achieve the cult status that would come later. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Henson’s son Brian reflected on the status of Labyrinth, and how his father would have been “thrilled” to have seen it finally reach an audience.

"He would be thrilled, because the way things went was, Dark Crystal was a big departure for him, an evolution, however you would describe it. He was just trying something all-new. It was fantasy, it was a higher level of character development, so you can believe [the puppets] are real as opposed to the Muppets, where you were never meant to believe they were alive. Dark Crystal was well-received, but then critics inevitably said, 'But we kind of miss the whimsy of Jim Henson.'"

"Dark Crystal is so sincere -- and it is, it's proper, deep, weighty fantasy, and a drama -- and so when he went to make Labyrinth, he thought, 'Well...' So he brought in music, and they were like, 'Well, where's the guest star? There's no humans?' So he did what he thought was being asked of him, which was bring in some whimsy, bring in some comedy, and the movie actually released not successfully....

"Labyrinth will have many more viewers this year than it did in its first year of release, and that has been consistent every year since we made the movie. So he would be thrilled because at the time, while we were making it, he was very proud of it."

Labyrinth is now available in digital 4K format that includes special content, bringing the movie to a whole new generation. Additionally, a sequel is currently being developed by Brian Henson, although there has been no word on casting or a potential release date for the belated follow-up. You can check out our video interview with Connelly for Dark Matter below: