Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

Released: October 11, 2006

Studio: Warner Bros.

Genre: fantasy/monster/foreign

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 37.63 Worldwide: 83.85

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Guillermo del Toro

Screenwriting: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo

Review:

Pan’s Labyrinth is director/screenwriter Guillermo del Toro’s “magnum opus,” ^SF “the essence of the filmmaker distilled down to a single film.” ^SF It is a “fairy tale for grown-ups, as pull-no-punches brutal as it is gorgeously, baroquely fantastical.” ^E18 “There’s an earthy, primal feel to his fairy-world here, alien and threatening rather than gasp-inducing and ‘magical.’” ^E18 It is a “poignant, visually stunning dark fantasy about the loss of innocence set during the Spanish Civil War.” ^SF

The story “follows a young girl who escapes her grim and death-filled reality by entering a world of magical creatures and wood fairies. del Toro doesn't sugarcoat or hide anything, paying as much attention to crafting a stunning magical world with stunning creature designs as he does to portraying the grim and violent reality of fascist Spain. Tying the fantasy to real-life horrors is the core of what makes this such a brilliant film, as it grounds both storylines, making reality feel fantastical, and fantasy feel real.” ^SF

“This is in no small part thanks to the gorgeous visuals that realize del Toro’s vision to life, particularly the titular faun and the repulsive Pale Man, creating two memorable characters that will forever haunt your dreams — while the haunting score helps realize a world that is as beautiful as it is eerie.” ^SF