Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Labyrinth arrived in 1986 from Jim Henson Productions and Lucasfilm through TriStar Pictures, pairing Henson's creature workshop with George Lucas's production muscle and a script shaped by Terry Jones. Its blend of puppetry, practical effects, and David Bowie's presence made it a curious box office performer on release, later reclaimed as a cult favorite through home video and repeat viewing, prized today for its handmade fantasy craftsmanship in an increasingly digital era.
This cell holds Ludo, the gentle giant beast whose loyalty to Sarah becomes one of the film's most tender threads. Built through animatronics and performance, Ludo represents the height of Henson's creature artistry, a favorite among collectors who value the tactile, in-camera magic that defines the film's world. A single frame of Ludo carries that legacy directly, offering a physical trace of the puppetry work itself, a fragment of the labyrinth's menagerie preserved in its own 35mm strip.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Labyrinth (1986).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as two wavy white lines on a black ground, consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo variable-area format.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base shows a warm yellow-amber tint; dye image appears rich and saturated with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the soundtrack area, consistent with a projected print; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Labyrinth (1986).
Era check
The warm amber base stock, dual variable-area optical soundtrack, and colour dye saturation are all consistent with a mid-1980s theatrical release print of the period Labyrinth (1986) was distributed.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063054
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
