IT'S ONLY FOREVER...

I first watched the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth when I was 13 years old. I think I saw it at exactly the time I was meant to; because no film, no matter how well-written, funny, artistic, or sophisticated it may be, has been able to top its place in my heart. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say Labyrinth is all of the above.

Here is why.

My Favorite Characters

Sarah Williams, the film's protagonist, is—in my humble opinion—the gold standard for "weird girl" characters. She is headstrong, rebellious, and no doubt a little spoiled, but she has a good heart; note that when we hear her theme song in the film, it's when she's rescuing Ludo, signifying that her kindness is one of the most important things about her. The lesson she takes away by the end of the film, that it's okay to hold on to her childish fantasies so long as they don't consume her entire life, is revolutionary both to the child afraid to grow up and the adult afraid to play. There's also a lot we don't know about her because we only spend thirteen hours with her, give or take. This makes expanding upon her an exciting challenge, in which one has relative freedom of imagination but must still temper that imagination with what little of her we actually see. This is the case with many of Labyrinth's principal characters.

Jareth is played by David Bowie, and I am disappointed to see that this is often where praise of his characterization begins and ends. But where some see a rock god or a Tumblr sexyman, I see—among those other things—a fascinating deconstruction not only of his archetype, but of the concept of archetypes as a whole. Jareth is someone trapped in a narrative role he thrashes against, but, for whatever reason, cannot escape. If he and his Labyrinth reshape themselves to suit Sarah's desires, do they do that for everyone else? Who is to say what his identity is—if he even has one—when no one is there to observe him? Bowie is said to have used the role to poke holes in the exaggerated personas of stars like himself; is it possible the character's inner turmoil may also reflect the loneliness and instability that accompanies fame?

Honestly, in my mind, he's a little like a more grown-up, fantastical version of Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club.

Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus: Given that Labyrinth is arguably about the role stories play in preparing us for the real world, I find it sweet that we see Sarah repair her ability to make friends after spending the years following her mother's absence alone. These characters are the archetypal DnD party to me, each contributing in their own unique way despite their numerous flaws and disagreements: Ludo's simpleness, Sir Didymus's recklessness, Hoggle's cowardice. In part, the reason I discuss them as a unit is because their friendship is so cute. I hate to think they (and Sarah) would be anything less than inseparable.

Irene/Karen/Whatever her name is gets an honorary mention because y'all really need to leave her alone. We see her for all of a minute and people are out here concocting scenarios to make her the worst person imaginable. I mean I don't imagine she's great but lay off! Damn! Linda is a WHOLE ABSENT MOTHER and the book implies she hit her kid and you people are out here acting like Irene is worse.

I think the reason I'm so eager to defend Irene is, ironically, because I'm a stepchild. Like, yeah! It really is very awkward to be in the midst of the angstiest time of your life with some stranger in your house who thinks they can tell you what to do. But that doesn't mean it'll be that way forever!

Also, Linda is a piece of shit. Fight me.

Worldbuilding

Labyrinth has a LOT of worldbuilding! Here is a list of all the significant Labyrinth-related material I could find, much of which contradicts itself in some way or another, in roughly chronological order:

Early Labyrinth script

What we learn: Sarah's favorite author is a playwright named Robin Zakar. Jareth's true form is "an undersized, ineffective, snivelling little goblin." Jareth can watch the denizens of his Labyrinth through paintings. Goblins must bow and scrape before attending an audience with him. Sarah is not above throwing hands. Hoggle might be an alcoholic and/or Scottish. In this version of the story, Jareth explicitly aims to marry Sarah and make her his queen. After having been in Jareth's possession for a while, Toby is already developing some goblin traits, namely clawed feet.

Labyrinth (1986, dir. Jim Henson)
Labyrinth: A Novel Based on the Jim Henson Film by A.C.H. Smith

What we learn: Sarah has a friend from school named Alice, but her description as a "school friend" implies they are not much more than classmates. Sarah was a bit of a bully as a child. Sarah knows some French and already knows what an oubliette is. Jareth hates his job and hates his face and hates being old. The Fireys would like very much to help Sarah find the castle, but they don't know what a castle is. Even regular animals that inhabit the Labyrinth, like eels, for instance, can talk. Sarah and her mother were very close, but seem to have had a tempestuous relationship. In this version of the story, Sarah says goodbye to her friends permanently. Toby is described as red-haired.

Labyrinth: The Photo Album

What we learn: Jareth was purposely observing Sarah even before she entered the Labyrinth. There are goblins everywhere and they see everything. Many of them cannot read. Sarah arms herself with a broom before investigating the ruckus in Toby's room.

The Goblin Companion by Brian Froud and Terry Jones

What we learn: There are many species of goblin. The Labyrinth celebrates an event called All Owls' Eve. Goblins have existed for at least sixty million years. What the fuck. Froud and Jones imply the Labyrinth became a monarchy after the Great Collapse of Good Governance; before this, it was ruled by committee. There is a location in or near the Labyrinth called the Great Howling Gulf; this may be the same place as the Great Howling Wastes later mentioned in Labyrinth: Coronation.

Labyrinth: The Storybook Based on the Movie by Louise Gikow and Bruce McNally

What we learn: Jareth is defeated by the power of true love (say, for instance, Sarah's love for Toby), as he is unable to comprehend it. Sarah is said to later have children of her own as an adult. This book confirms that Sarah is the first person who has ever reached the center of the Labyrinth; later material (namely Return to Labyrinth) corroborates this. Sarah and her family live "in a little town just outside a big city." Sarah's resentment toward Toby appears to come from a greater place of feeling generally invisible.

Labyrinth: The Computer Game

What we learn: Jareth is capable of bringing people into the Labyrinth without being summoned by them. He does this to an obnoxious cinema attendee simply because they annoy him. Real shit. I would do the same.

Return to Labyrinth by Jake T. Forbes and Chris Lie

What we learn: Jareth has a scorned ex-lover named Mizumi. The existence of Mizumi and her kingdom, Moraine, implies the existence of other realms adjacent to the Labyrinth. Interestingly, Mizumi's moniker, the Queen of Cups, is borrowed from a tarot card. Sarah is disillusioned after failing to achieve her dream of going to Julliard. Toby is next in line to Jareth's throne. Jareth can create beings called ablations from the discarded parts of oneself, like their hopes, dreams, or elements of their personality. Mayor Spittledrum's existence implies a degree of government stratification within the Labyrinth; presumably the hierarchy is not just "Jareth" and "everyone else." Jareth is a greedy fuck, why does he need an entire feast table to himself? Who is all that for?

Also this "manga" sucks.

Labyrinth 30th Anniversary Special by Archaia Comics
Labyrinth: Coronation by Simon Spurrier and Daniel Bayliss

What we learn: Jareth was born to human parents, a high-strung English nobleman and his Italian mistress, Maria. The latter of these is a devout Catholic and a total badass. Beetleglum is a goblin who is implied to have effectively raised Jareth. Before him, the Labyrinth was ruled by the iron grip of the Owl King. There is a creature called a featherfang, inspired by the Lion of Venice. Jareth is apparently content to allow his mother and a simulacrum of his father to dwell in fantasy forever in his ballroom. He settles for power over love. Coronation is quick to remind us at every opportunity that Jareth very well may be lying through his teeth at least 50% of the time as he tells the story of his origins; as a result, we are left (or at least I was) with more questions than answers. Maria's adventure through the Labyrinth strongly implies that it shifts to specifically appeal to the person challenging its king at any given time.

Labyrinth: Under the Spell by Archaia Comics
Labyrinth: Masquerade by Lara Elena Donnelly

What we learn: Jareth may have a huge, monstrous true form. The ballroom dancers are mannequin-like entities kept and maintained in a dusty storeroom. They can warp and decay over time; if they are anything like Masquerade's protagonist, Nettie, the implications are horrifying. Equally horrifying is the revelation that some people never break out of the simulacras of their ordinary lives, like Sarah did; those who stay in the junkyard forever repeat the same memories over and over again, like glassy-eyed dolls, with no concept of how much time has passed in the real world. Definitely a much more overtly dark intepretation!

Labryinth: The Adventure Game by Ben Milton

What we learn: Humans are rare and something of a novelty in the Labyrinth, but not entirely unheard of. One, a famous swordswoman, is apparently able to wander as she pleases. The Labyrinth contains portals to parallel versions of itself. Anthropomorphic animals, a sphinx, and a gryphon call the Labyrinth home; these latter two apparently have a taste for human flesh. The castle has a hoard (mentioned previously in The Goblin Companion), a library that has stood vacant for centuries, a wardrobe, and a dungeon. Sir Didymus is apparently a member of either a species or an order of knightly animals who use other animals as mounts.

Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary by S.T. Bende and Iris Compiet

What we learn: No clue. Can't afford it.

Fandom Stuff

or, one woman's attempt to make sense of the deliberately nonsensical

Headcanons and interpretations

Sarah would enjoy LARP, tabletop games, and community theatre, if only she could find people to do them with. She has the fortune of finding these people as she gets older, having re-learned how to put herself out there and work with others.
In the absence of an unstable person who alternates between showering her in adoration and abusing her, Sarah is actually a nicer person now that her mother is not in her life. She was always quiet and observant, but not necessarily shy; she made friends easily as a child and then lost them when she failed to grow up as quickly as they did. Prior to her mother abandoning her, she had recently developed a poor reputation for becoming mean and standoffish throughout middle school.
Irene is not a monster. Her relationship with Sarah improves over time, and by the time Sarah is in college they're good friends. Irene's biggest point of contention is her concern regarding Sarah taking such a long time to heal from her mother's absence, since by all accounts—except her daughter's—Linda was a terrible person.
Sarah is never quite comfortable with calling Irene "mom."
Linda suddenly abandoned her family in a rage when Robert called her out on her propensity for cruelty. She was unreachable for days.
Because Sarah took on such a big portion of Toby's caretaking duties after her quest through the Labyrinth, she was the first to notice that he had grown some goblin features: paw pads on his palms and soles, sharp teeth, and the beginnings of a tail. The development of these traits slowed significantly after the siblings' return from the Labyrinth, but they emerged in full force as Toby went through puberty. His parents still have no idea how any of this happened.
Toby is in a grunge band and is kind of a bum. Sarah is a goth-adjacent bohemian who works as a palentologist, specializing in the evolution of gregarious behavior in reptiles and mammals, with a particular focus on the Triassic and occasionally the Pleistocene. She's working on a science fiction novel. Despite the vast gulf between their ambitions and, as a result, their frequent inability to understand each other, they get along swimmingly; their relationship consists largely of affectionate bullying interspersed with long, deep talks.
Sarah is an Anglophile, to almost cringeworthy levels.
Sarah is autistic. She probably won't know this for a very long time.
Sarah is generally uninterested in real romance and contents herself with daydreaming about it. If she married someone, it would have to either be the kind of love that moves mountains, a very close friend she can see herself living with, or for the tax benefits.
Jareth is a vessel not only for Sarah's interests and her fears about growing up, but for her own flaws: her petulance, her short-sightedness, her occasional mean-spiritedness. Through defeating him, she symbolically conquers these flaws in herself and is able to move toward being a better person.
Jareth's identity is constantly in flux, as he is beholden to the stories humans tell about him. He finds this utterly exhausting. A form resembling David Bowie, in addition to being a convenient way to reach Sarah, was also a convenient way to try and age gracefully.
Jareth's true form is a quadrupedal, horned monster with a long neck and a long mane. He associates this form with uncontrollable emotion and is determined to let absolutely no one see it; he has spent hundreds of years training himself to hide any and all signs of weakness.
After Sarah's departure, Ludo, Didymus, and Hoggle share a house comfortably tucked away in the woods. The land gives them all they need.
After defeating Jareth, Sarah can, in theory, enter, exit, and alter the Labyrinth as she pleases. So long as she is in it, she is Jareth's equal. However, there is a steep learning curve; and her few years of experience are nothing compared to Jareth's centuries. She sometimes gives herself headaches from trying too hard to shift the Labyrinth to her liking; it is a sentient being and does not take kindly to the interference of strangers.
Beetleglum served as Jareth's prince regent until he was old enough to properly become king. This was decided when Jareth was 13. He is not fond of reminiscing on his younger years and describes himself vaguely as "a right little tyrant."
Goblins resemble a variety of both contemporary and prehistoric animals, mostly birds and reptiles; they associate mammalian traits, or "warm blood," with impulsivity, irrationality, and soft, weak emotion. This is a significant reason why Hoggle and Ludo are so frequently mistreated.

Fanwank

...NOT LONG AT ALL...

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