I am someone who loves Labyrinth and the Jim Henson company very dearly, growing up watching Labyrinth whenever I could, but the nostalgia I have for the film is far from unique to me. And in talking with those behind it, that love and admiration for the film runs deep.
I was lucky enough to speak with Toby Froud, known to Labyrinth fans as … well, Toby. Froud was a part of the film as a baby and played Sarah Williams’ (Jennifer Connelly) baby brother that she is forced to watch when her parents go out for a date night. Cursed to a life with the Goblin King (David Bowie), Toby is part of one of the most iconic scenes from the movie: “Magic Dance.”
In speaking with Froud, I was fascinated by how much he still seemed to love Labyrinth despite being a part of it as an infant, and I asked how he enjoys it now as an adult. “I love it. I watch it for the different reasons and different things. And I did watch it a lot growing up, as well,” Froud said. “And it wasn’t the fact that I was in it at all. It was the creatures, it’s the costumes, it’s the puppets.”
He went on to talk about how his life was surrounded by Labyrinth but how he still loves the film. “I grew up with that surrounding me with my parents’ art and everything. So it just felt normal. It felt like home when I saw it. And then growing as an adult and watching it, you take away so many other aspects that are the adult themes that run through it. As you grow up and as you experience the world, you can go back to that movie and go, ‘Ah, yes, and this is how I should navigate it,’ or ‘This is how I really shouldn’t navigate it and I have to be cautious’ and all these things. I think it gives an audience member all the tools to be able to withstand the world in a lot of ways. I think that’s what people bring out of it. They grow with that movie. When you watch it as a kid, you love the characters and you see certain things. And when you watch it as a teenager and as an adult, you take away so many others. And I love the fact that it stays with you.”
You can see our full chat here:
We also spoke with Lisa Henson about Dark Crystal and the Henson legacy! She talked about keeping her father’s vision alive and how things have changed when we got to go back with some of our favorite characters in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance!
You can see our full chat here:
(featured image: Tri-Star Pictures)
