Guillermo del Toro’s providential craft of passion turns 20 this year and is back in cinemas in stunning 4K restoration.
In the stories we read as children, there are parts that delight us and parts that send shivers down our spines. At some point or other, we’ve all been guilty of having watched a film that we were far too young to have seen. One that frightened us to our very cores and stuck with us for years to come. And for many, that film was Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, now on its way to affect a whole new generation following the film’s re-release in cinemas.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark fantasy movie set in Spain around 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War. At this point in history, the country was under the fascist and authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Our protagonist, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), is a child living through a terrifying political upheaval, somewhat at the centre of it all as the adopted child of Videl (Sergi Lopez), a passionate Francoist, who is obsessed with obtaining a male heir, and completely uncaring about Ofelia and her mother (Ariadna Gil).
Not long after arriving at her adoptive father’s military base, Ofelia discovers she is the lost princess of a hidden fairy world. A world that requires her to complete 3 challenges if she wishes to return to it. However, though full of magic and fairytale creatures, this fantasy land quickly darkens as the challenges she is set prove to be dangerous and horrifying.
Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is an excellent exploration into the escapism sought out by young people in fascist Spain. Ofelia’s love for fairy tales protects her from the situation of her reality, but the escape is only temporary, and she must return to face it eventually.
In the 20 years since its release, Pan’s Labyrinth has become a beloved cult classic and, even after two decades, is renowned for its cinematography, costume and make-up, for which it earned three Golden Globes.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the film returned to cinema screens in 4K and 3D restoration, appearing in 1,168 cinemas nationwide.
The new restoration, overseen by del Toro himself, allows audiences to get in close and appreciate the skilful way the director interweaves both worlds in a unique mix of CGI and practical effects.
In this period of green-screen oversaturation, it is a relief to see handcrafted puppets and physical movie sets grace our screens again, especially with the surge of AI in film.
The film originally premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, after Del Toro decided to depart from major studios. There, it received a standing ovation and was quickly picked up for American distribution by Picturehouse.
But what has changed since its original release? Many of the movie’s audience members will remember having watched this film as children, at a time when they were too young to understand the complexities of the story, but old enough to enjoy its fantastical elements. Now, as adults, the film’s re-release offers them the opportunity to experience the film in full.
This re-release could not have come at a better time. With the growth of AI, phone addiction, and rapidly changing political and environmental climates, people are searching for any form of escapism.
In the cinema, where we have no choice but to put our phones away, we too can escape into the beautiful, handcrafted world of Pan’s Labyrinth the same way Ofelia escapes into her fairy tales.
We may never see another film like Pan’s Labyrinth, so we must enjoy it while it lasts.
Experience the magic of the film again in your local cinema.
