David Bowie wasn't originally the first choice to play Jareth. It sounds like heresy now, doesn't it? Jim Henson actually considered Sting, Mick Jagger, and even Michael Jackson for the role of the Labyrinth movie Goblin King. Honestly, try to imagine anyone else in those lace cravats and that gravity-defying wig. You can't. It doesn't work. When Labyrinth hit theaters in 1986, it actually flopped. Hard. It barely made back half its budget at the domestic box office, and critics like Roger Ebert weren't exactly kind to it at the time, complaining about the plot's wandering nature.
But time is a funny thing.
Decades later, Jareth isn't just a villain from a puppet movie; he's a cultural titan. He is the personification of that weird, blurry line between childhood fairy tales and adult longing. He's creepy, he's charismatic, and he's deeply, deeply dramatic. The way he flips those crystal balls—which, fun fact, was actually done by choreographer Michael Moschen standing behind Bowie and reaching through his armpits—is hypnotic. It’s that blend of Jim Henson’s practical creature effects and Bowie’s rock-star magnetism that created something the world wasn't quite ready for in the mid-eighties.
The Problem With Jareth (And Why We Love Him Anyway)
Let's be real for a second: Jareth is a terrible person. He kidnaps a baby because a frustrated teenager made a wish in a fit of pique. He manipulates Sarah, gaslights her at every turn, and literally tries to trap her in a dream world so he can be her master. And yet, the Labyrinth movie Goblin King remains one of the most lusted-after and beloved antagonists in cinema history. Why?
It comes down to the performance. Bowie didn't play Jareth as a monster. He played him as a bored, romantic poet who happened to have an army of goblins. He’s petulant. When his subjects don't laugh at his jokes, he looks genuinely offended. There is a vulnerability there, especially in the final confrontation in the Escher-inspired ballroom. When he says, "I've reordered time, I've turned the world upside down, and I've done it all for you," he almost sounds like the victim. It’s a masterclass in toxic charisma.
The costumes helped. A lot. Designer Brian Froud, the conceptual genius behind the film's look, wanted Jareth to look like a "knightly" figure but with a swagger. The high collars, the leather, and those boots—they all signaled that this wasn't a fairy tale for little kids. It was something more mature, something that spoke to the burgeoning hormones of the film's actual target audience: teenagers like Sarah.
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The Secret Geometry of the Crystal Balls
You’ve probably seen the "contact juggling" in the film. Those crystal balls seem to move by magic. As mentioned, that wasn't CGI. We didn't have CGI like that in 1986. Michael Moschen, a world-renowned juggler, performed those tricks blindly. He couldn't see what he was doing because his head was tucked behind Bowie’s back.
This specific detail adds a layer of physical grace to the Labyrinth movie Goblin King that makes him feel otherworldly. He doesn't just walk; he glides. He doesn't just talk; he performs. Every movement is calculated to distract Sarah—and the audience—from the fact that he is a predatory ruler of a crumbling kingdom.
Brian Froud and the Making of a Myth
You can't talk about Jareth without talking about the "Froudian" aesthetic. Brian Froud’s sketches were the blueprint for everything. Henson wanted a world that felt lived-in, dusty, and slightly dangerous. If you look closely at the sets, Jareth’s face is hidden everywhere. In the rocks, in the trees, in the very architecture of the Labyrinth itself. He is the Labyrinth.
This is a detail many people miss on the first watch. The Labyrinth movie Goblin King isn't just a guy in a castle; he is the literal manifestation of the maze. Sarah isn't just fighting a guy; she's fighting a psychic landscape. The design of Jareth was meant to contrast with the grubbiness of the goblins. While Hoggle and Ludo are earthy and brown, Jareth is all glitter, silk, and sharp angles. He is the "other" in every sense of the word.
That Escher Staircase and the Power of "Within You"
The climax of the film is essentially a music video for "Within You." The M.C. Escher-inspired set was a technical nightmare to build. It was a massive, multi-directional structure that required the actors to be harnessed in ways that were incredibly uncomfortable. But for the Labyrinth movie Goblin King, it was his playground.
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The song itself is surprisingly dark for a "kids' movie."
"Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be cruel."
It’s a song about obsession.
It’s a song about power.
When Sarah finally remembers the lines to her play—"You have no power over me"—it isn't just a plot resolution. It’s a rejection of the seductive, controlling nature of the adult world that Jareth represents. He offers her everything she thought she wanted: a world where she's a queen and things are easy. He offers her a life without responsibility. But Sarah realizes that the price—her brother, her agency, her reality—is too high.
The Soundtrack That Defined an Era
Bowie didn't just act; he wrote five songs for the film. "Magic Dance" is the one everyone knows, of course. The "baba with the power" bit. Interestingly, the "baby" gurgling sounds in that song were actually performed by Bowie himself in the recording studio because the actual baby wouldn't make the right noises on cue.
But "As the World Falls Down" is the real heart of the film. That dreamlike masquerade ball scene is where the Labyrinth movie Goblin King is at his most dangerous because he's at his most appealing. He’s not a goblin here; he’s a prince. The song is a lush, synthesised ballad that captures the exact feeling of being a teenager and feeling like the world is too much to handle. It’s peak 80s, but it’s also timeless.
Why the Puppets Still Hold Up
In an age of "uncanny valley" CGI, there is something profoundly comforting about the puppets in Labyrinth. They have weight. They have texture. When Jareth interacts with them, he's interacting with something physical. The goblin army was a massive undertaking, requiring dozens of puppeteers working in sync. This tactile reality makes Jareth’s presence even more striking. He is the only "human" (or human-looking) thing in a world of foam and latex.
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The Legacy of the Goblin King
So, what should you actually do with all this trivia? If you’re a fan, or even if you’re just discovering the film, there are a few ways to really appreciate the depth of what Henson and Bowie created.
First, watch the "making of" documentary, Inside the Labyrinth. It shows the sheer scale of the practical effects and the exhaustion on the faces of the crew. It makes you realize that every frame was a labor of love.
Second, look into the work of Brian Froud. His book The Goblins of Labyrinth contains the original sketches and backstories for the creatures that didn't even make it onto the screen. It gives you a sense of the "lore" that Jareth sits on top of.
Finally, listen to the lyrics of the songs again. Beyond the catchy hooks, Bowie was writing a story about the end of childhood. The Labyrinth movie Goblin King is the ultimate gatekeeper. He’s the one who stands at the edge of adulthood, offering you a deal that looks like a dream but feels like a cage.
Next Steps for the Labyrinth Obsessed:
- Track down the 4K restoration: The colors in the ballroom scene and the detail on the goblin costumes are night-and-day compared to the old DVD versions.
- Read the manga sequels: Yes, they exist. Return to Labyrinth explores what happens to Toby (the baby) when he grows up and returns to the kingdom.
- Look for the "hidden Jareths": On your next rewatch, try to spot all the places where Jareth’s profile is hidden in the scenery. There are at least seven major ones.
The film teaches us that while the Goblin King might be gone once we say the right words, the Labyrinth itself never really leaves us. We just learn how to navigate it better.