Pan's Labyrinth

In a fairy tale, Princess Moanna, whose father is the king of the underworld, visits the human world, where the sunlight blinds her and erases her memory. She becomes mortal and eventually dies. The king believes that eventually her spirit will return to the underworld, so he builds labyrinths around the world which act as portals, in preparation for her return.

In 1944 Francoist Spain, ten-year-old Ofelia travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather. Vidal, a Civil Guard officer and devotee of Falangism, has been assigned to hunt down the Spanish Maquis. A large stick insect, which Ofelia believes to be a fairy, leads Ofelia into an ancient stone labyrinth, but she is stopped by Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes, who is secretly supporting her brother Pedro and other members of the Maquis. That night, the insect appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it transforms into a fairy and leads her through the labyrinth. There, she meets a faun, who believes she is the reincarnation of Princess Moanna. He gives her a book and tells her she will find in it three tasks to complete in order for her to acquire immortality and return to her kingdom.

Ofelia completes the first task — retrieving a key from the belly of a giant toad — but becomes worried about her mother, whose condition is worsening. The faun gives Ofelia a mandrake root, instructing her to keep it under Carmen's bed and regularly supply it with blood, which seems to ease Carmen's illness. Accompanied by three fairy guides and equipped with a piece of magic chalk, Ofelia then completes the second task — retrieving a dagger from the lair of the Pale Man, a child-eating monster. Despite the faun's warning not to consume anything there, she gives in to her hunger and eats two grapes, awakening the Pale Man. He devours two of the fairies and chases Ofelia, but she manages to escape. Infuriated at her disobedience, the faun refuses to give Ofelia the third task.

During this time, Ofelia becomes aware of Vidal's ruthlessness in the course of hunting down the Maquis. After killing two local farmers, Vidal interrogates and tortures a captive member of the Maquis. He asks Doctor Ferreiro to tend to the captive, whom Ferreiro then euthanises at his own urging. Realising that Ferreiro is collaborating with the Maquis, Vidal kills him. He later catches Ofelia tending to the mandrake root, which Vidal considers delusional. Carmen agrees and throws the root into the fire. She immediately develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to Vidal's son.

A discovered spy, Mercedes tries to escape with Ofelia, but they are caught. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, while Mercedes is taken to be interrogated. Mercedes frees herself, and stabs Vidal non-lethally in her escape to re-join the Maquis. The faun, having changed his mind about giving Ofelia a chance to perform the third task, returns and tells her to bring her newborn brother into the labyrinth to complete it. Ofelia retrieves the baby and flees into the labyrinth. Vidal pursues her as the Maquis launch an attack on a Civil Guard outpost.

Ofelia meets the faun at the centre of the labyrinth. The faun suggests drawing a small amount of the baby's blood, as completing the third task and opening the portal to the underworld requires the blood of an innocent, but Ofelia refuses to harm her brother. Vidal finds her talking to the faun, whom he cannot see. The faun leaves, and Vidal takes the baby from Ofelia's arms before shooting her. Vidal returns to the labyrinth's entrance, where he is surrounded by the Maquis, including Mercedes and Pedro. Knowing that he will be killed, he hands the baby to Mercedes, asking that his son be told the time of his father's death. Mercedes replies that his son will not even know his name, before Pedro shoots Vidal dead.

Mercedes enters the labyrinth and comforts a dying Ofelia. Drops of Ofelia's blood fall down the centre of the spiral stone staircase onto an altar. Ofelia, well dressed and uninjured, then appears in a golden throne room. The King of the underworld tells her that, by choosing to spill her own blood rather than that of another, she passed the final test. The faun praises Ofelia for her choice, addressing her as "Your Highness". The Queen of the underworld, her mother, invites Ofelia to sit next to her father and rule at his side. Back in the stone labyrinth, Ofelia smiles as she dies.

The epilogue completes the tale of Princess Moanna, stating that she returned to the Underworld, ruled with kindness and justice for many centuries, and left little traces of her time in the human realm, "visible only to those who know where to look."

• Ivana Baquero as Ofelia / Princess Moanna, a child who comes to believe she is the reincarnation of a princess from the underworld. Del Toro said he was nervous about casting the lead role, and that finding the 10-year-old Spanish actress was purely accidental. (The film was shot from June–October 2005, when she was 11.) "The character I wrote was initially younger, about 8 or 9, and Ivana came in and she was a little older than the character, with this curly hair which I never imagined the girl having. But I loved her first reading, my wife was crying and the camera woman was crying after her reading and I knew hands down Ivana was the best actress that had shown up, yet I knew that I needed to change the screenplay to accommodate her age."{{cite news|url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/news06/deltoro.php |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090705114644/http://www.darkhorizons.com/news06/deltoro.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 July 2009 |title=Exclusive Interview: Guillermo del Toro "Pan's Labyrinth" |access-date=28 January 2007 |date=26 September 2006 |publisher=Dark Horizons |last=Fischer |first=Paul }} Baquero says that Del Toro sent her many comics and fairy tales to help her "get more into the atmosphere of Ofelia and more into what she felt". She says she thought the film was "marvelous", and that "at the same time it can bring you pain, and sadness, and scariness, and happiness".
• Sergi López as Captain Vidal, Ofelia's new stepfather who serves in the Civil Guard{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} and is a devotee of Falangism. Del Toro met with López in Barcelona, a year and a half before filming began, to ask him to play Vidal. In parts of Spain, López was considered a melodramatic or comedic actor, and the Madrid-based producers told del Toro, "You should be very careful because you don't know about these things because you're Mexican, but this guy is not going to be able to deliver the performance"; del Toro replied "Well, it's not that I don't know, it's that I don't care".{{cite news|url=http://www.awardsdaily.com/pans-labyrinth-a-story-that-needed-guillermo-del-toro/ |title=Pan's Labyrinth: A Story that Needed Guillermo Del Toro |access-date=2 January 2018 |date=11 January 2007 |website=Awards Daily |last=Stone |first=Sasha |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126100819/http://www.oscarwatch.com/2007/01/pans_labyrinth_a_story_that.html |archive-date=26 January 2008 }} Of his character, López said: "He is the most evil character I've ever played in my career. It is impossible to improve upon it; the character is so solid and so well written. Vidal is deranged, a psychopath who is impossible to defend. Even though his father's personality marked his existence—and is certainly one of the reasons for his mental disorder—that cannot be an excuse. It would seem to be very cynical to use that to justify or explain his cruel and cowardly acts. I think it is great that the film does not consider any justification of fascism."
• Maribel Verdú as Mercedes, Vidal's housekeeper. Del Toro selected Verdú to play the compassionate revolutionary because he "saw a sadness in her which he thought would be perfect for the part".
• Doug Jones as the Faun and the Pale Man. As the Faun, Jones guides Ofelia to the fantasy world. As the Pale Man, he plays a grotesque monster with an appetite for children. Jones had previously worked with del Toro on Mimic and Hellboy, and said the director sent him an email saying, "You must be in this film. No one else can play this part but you." Jones responded enthusiastically to an English translation of the script, but then found out the film was in Spanish, which he did not speak. Jones says he was "terrified" and del Toro suggested learning the script phonetically, but Jones rejected this, preferring to learn the words himself. He said, "I really, really buckled down and committed myself to learning that word for word and I got the pronunciation semi-right before I even went in," using the five hours a day he spent getting the costume and make-up on to practice the words.{{cite news|url=http://www.canmag.com/news/4/3/6216|title=Doug Jones En Espanol|access-date=27 January 2007|date=27 December 2006|publisher=CanMag|last=Topel|first=Fred|archive-date=16 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316095803/http://www.canmag.com/news/4/3/6216|url-status=usurped}} Del Toro later decided to dub Jones with the voice of Pablo Adán, "an authoritative theatre actor", but Jones's efforts remained valuable because the voice actor was able to match his delivery with Jones's mouth movements.{{cite news|url=https://www.straight.com/article/labyrinth-s-faun-unmasked|title=Labyrinth's faun unmasked|access-date=11 May 2016|date=11 May 2016|publisher=straight.com|last=Eisner|first=Ken|archive-date=19 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519155331/http://www.straight.com/article/labyrinth-s-faun-unmasked|url-status=live}} Jones's dual casting is intended to suggest that the Pale Man (along with the toad) is either a creation of the Faun{{cite web|url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/31208|title=Capone chats with Abe Sapien, The Faun, The Old Man and The Silver Surfer!!! The Ultimate Man In Suit Chats PAN'S LABYRINTH|last=Prokopy|first=Steve "Capone"|work=aintitcool.com|date=10 January 2007|access-date=11 September 2012|archive-date=12 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012054747/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31208|url-status=live}} or the Faun himself in another form.{{cite web|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html|title=PAN'S LABYRINTH—Interview With Guillermo Del Toro|last=Guillen|first=Michael|work=twitchfilm.com|date=17 December 2006|access-date=11 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929100112/http://twitchfilm.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html|archive-date=29 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}
• Ariadna Gil as Carmen / Queen of the Underworld, Ofelia's mother and Vidal's wife.
• Álex Angulo as Doctor Ferreiro, a doctor in the service of Vidal, but an anti-Francoist.
• Manolo Solo as Garcés, one of Vidal's lieutenants.
• César Vea as Serrano, one of Vidal's lieutenants.
• Roger Casamajor as Pedro, Mercedes' brother and one of the Maquis.
• Federico Luppi as King of the Underworld, Ofelia's father.
• Pablo Adán as Narrator / Voice of Faun.

The original Spanish title El laberinto del fauno refers to the fauns of Roman mythology, while the English, German and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek deity Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not Pan. The idea for Pan's Labyrinth came from Guillermo del Toro's notebooks, which he says are filled with "doodles, ideas, drawings and plot bits". He had been keeping these notebooks for twenty years. At one point during production, he left the notebook in a taxi in London and was distraught, but the cabbie returned it to him two days later. Though he originally wrote a story about a pregnant woman who falls in love with a faun,{{cite news|url=http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=film&article=288|access-date=20 July 2007|title=The world of the labyrinth|publisher=Bay Area Reporte|date=4 January 2007|last=Lamble|first=David|archive-date=28 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928051357/http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=film&article=288|url-status=live}} Sergi López said that del Toro described the final version of the plot a year and a half before filming. López said that "for two hours and a half he explained to me all the movie, but with all the details, it was incredible, and when he finished I said, 'You have a script?' He said, 'No, nothing is written'". López agreed to act in the movie and received the script one year later; he said that "it was exactly the same, it was incredible. In his little head he had all the history with a lot of little detail, a lot of characters, like now when you look at the movie, it was exactly what he had in his head".{{cite news|url=http://www.canmag.com/nw/6255-sergi-lopez-pans-labyrinth-interview|title=Sergi Lopez on Pan's Labyrinth|access-date=27 January 2007|date=2 January 2007|publisher=CanMag|last=Topel|first=Fred|archive-date=24 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124023210/http://www.canmag.com/nw/6255-sergi-lopez-pans-labyrinth-interview|url-status=usurped}}

Del Toro got the idea of the faun from childhood experiences with "lucid dreaming". He stated on Charlie Rose that every midnight, he would wake up, and a faun would gradually step out from behind the grandfather's clock.Pan's Labyrinth DVD, U.S. Originally, the faun was supposed to be a classic half-man, half-goat faun fraught with beauty. But in the end, the faun was altered into a goat-faced creature almost completely made out of earth, moss, vines, and tree bark. He became a mysterious, semi-suspicious relic who gave both the impression of trustworthiness and many signs that warn someone to never confide in him at all.

Del Toro has said the film has strong connections in theme to The Devil's Backbone and should be seen as an informal sequel dealing with some of the issues raised there. Fernando Tielve and Íñigo Garcés, who played the protagonists of The Devil's Backbone, make cameo appearances as unnamed guerrilla soldiers in Pan's Labyrinth. Some of the other works he drew on for inspiration include Lewis Carroll's Alice books, Jorge Luis Borges' Ficciones, Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan and The White People, Lord Dunsany's The Blessing of Pan, Algernon Blackwood's Pan's Garden and Francisco Goya's works. In 2004, del Toro said: "Pan is an original story. Some of my favourite writers (Borges, Blackwood, Machen, Dunsany) have explored the figure of the god Pan and the symbol of the labyrinth. These are things that I find very compelling and I am trying to mix them and play with them."[http://www.deltorofilms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=28#28 Del Toro message board, Answers Archive Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:27 am] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927050559/http://www.deltorofilms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=28 |date=27 September 2007 }}, repost from elsewhere; Retrieved on 20 August 2007. It was also influenced by the illustrations of Arthur Rackham.{{cite news|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1949245,00.html|title=Pan's people|date=17 November 2006|access-date=9 July 2007|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Guillermo|last=del Toro|archive-date=29 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829040243/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1949245,00.html|url-status=live}}

Del Toro wanted to include a fairy tale about a dragon for Ofelia to narrate to her unborn brother. The tale involved the dragon, named Varanium Silex, who guarded a mountain surrounded by thorns, but at its peak is a blue rose that can grant immortality. The dragon and the thorns ward off many men though, who decide it is better to avoid pain than to be given immortality. Although the scene was thematically important, it was cut short for budget reasons.{{cite web|author=Guillermo del Toro|author-link=Guillermo del Toro|title=Svnt Dracones |publisher=John Howe's official website |date=15 October 2008 |url=http://www.john-howe.com/blog/2008/10/16/forging-more-dragons/ |access-date=15 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503160317/http://www.john-howe.com/blog/2008/10/16/forging-more-dragons/ |archive-date=3 May 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}

There are differing ideas about the film's religious influences. Del Toro himself has said that he considers Pan's Labyrinth "a truly profane film, a layman's riff on Catholic dogma", but that his friend Alejandro González Iñárritu described it as "a truly Catholic film". Del Toro's explanation is "once a Catholic, always a Catholic," however he also admits that the Pale Man's preference for children rather than the feast in front of him is intended as a criticism of the Catholic Church.Guillermo Del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth: Inside the Creation of a Modern Fairy Tale (Harper Design, 2016) Additionally, the priest's words during the torture scene were taken as a direct quote from a priest who offered communion to political prisoners during the Spanish Civil War: "Remember my sons, you should confess what you know because God doesn't care what happens to your bodies; He already saved your souls."Guillermo Del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth: Inside the Creation of a Modern Fairy Tale (Harper Design, 2016).{{cite web|url=http://intersecting.weebly.com/blog/pans-labyrinth-2006|title=Pan's Labyrinth|website=Intersecting|access-date=4 May 2017|archive-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224052205/http://intersecting.weebly.com/blog/pans-labyrinth-2006|url-status=live}}

In regard to whether or not the fantasy underworld was real or a product of Ofelia's imagination, del Toro stated in an interview that, while he believes it is real, the movie "should tell something different to everyone. It should be a matter of personal discussion". He then mentioned there were several clues in the movie indicating the underworld was indeed real.

The film was shot in a scots pine forest situated in the Guadarrama mountain range, Central Spain. Guillermo Navarro, the director of photography, said that "after doing work in Hollywood on other movies and with other directors, working in our original language in different scenery brings me back to the original reasons I wanted to make movies, which is basically to tell stories with complete freedom and to let the visuals really contribute to the telling of the story".{{cite news|url=http://www.ascmag.com/magazine_dynamic/January2007/PansLabyrinth/page1.php |title=Fear and Fantasy |access-date=17 June 2007 |date=January 2007 |publisher=American Cinematographer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070511033220/http://www.ascmag.com/magazine_dynamic/January2007/PansLabyrinth/page1.php |archive-date=11 May 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}

The pale man's eyes on his hands are a feature shared by the Japanese mythological monster the Tenome (a name which means "hand eyes").

Pan's Labyrinth employs some computer-generated imagery in its effects, but it mostly uses complex make-up and animatronics. The giant toad was inspired by The Maze. Del Toro himself performed the noises. The mandrake root is a combination of animatronics and CGI. Del Toro wanted the fairies "to look like little monkeys, like dirty fairies", but the animation company had the idea to give them wings made of leaves.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-01-02-pans-labyrinth-main_x.htm|access-date=20 July 2007|date=14 March 2007|title=Surprises lurk inside Pan's Labyrinth|work=USA Today|last=Wloszczyna|first=Susan|archive-date=23 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523100746/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-01-02-pans-labyrinth-main_x.htm|url-status=live}}

Jones spent an average of five hours sitting in the makeup chair as his team of David Martí, Montse Ribé and Xavi Bastida applied the makeup for the Faun, which was mostly latex foam. The last piece to be applied was the pair of horns, which weighed ten pounds and were extremely tiring to wear. The legs were a unique design, with Jones standing on 20-cm-high lifts (8 in), and the legs of the Faun attached to his own. His lower leg was eventually digitally erased in post-production. The Faun's flapping ears and blinking eyes were remotely operated by David Martí and Xavi Bastida from DDT {{Not a typo|Efectos}} Especiales while on set. Del Toro told Jones to "go rock star ... like a glam rocker. But less David Bowie, more Mick Jagger".

The Captain's room, as shown in the scene where Captain Vidal is shaving, is supposed to resemble his father's watch, which del Toro says represents his troubled mind.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

A bout of weight loss on del Toro's part inspired the physical appearance of the saggy-skinned Pale Man.Cruz, Gilbert. "10 Questions: Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro on the politics of horror movies, living in self-imposed exile and owning a man cave". Time magazine. 5 September 2011. page 80. In order to see while performing the part, Doug Jones had to look out of the character's nostrils, and its legs were attached to Jones over the green leotard which he wore.{{cite news|url=https://chud.com/interview-doug-jones-pans-labyrinth/|access-date=27 May 2019|title=INTERVIEW: DOUG JONES (PAN'S LABYRINTH)|date=18 February 2007|last=Fischer|first=Russ|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527051220/https://chud.com/interview-doug-jones-pans-labyrinth/|url-status=live}}

The film uses subtitles for its translation into other languages, including English. Del Toro wrote them himself, because he was disappointed with the subtitles of his previous Spanish-language film, The Devil's Backbone. In an interview, he said that the subtitles of The Devil's Backbone were "for the thinking impaired" and "incredibly bad". He spent a month working with two other people, and said that he did not want it to "feel like... watching a subtitled film".{{Cite web|author=World Entertainment News Network|date=2007-02-13|title=Labyrinth Director Wrote His Own Subtitles|url=https://www.contactmusic.com/news/labyrinth-director-wrote-his-own-subtitles_1021894|access-date=2023-02-16|website=Contactmusic.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520082522/http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/labyrinth%20director%20wrote%20his%20own%20subtitles_1021894 |archive-date=20 May 2008|url-status=live}}

Pan's Labyrinth was premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival on 27 May 2006. Its first premiere in an English-speaking country was at the London FrightFest Film Festival on 25 August 2006. Its first general release was in Spain on 11 October 2006, followed by a release in Mexico nine days later. On 24 November 2006 it had its first general English release in the United Kingdom; that month it was also released in France, Serbia, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Singapore and South Korea. It had a limited release in Canada and the United States on 29 December 2006, before going wide in Canada and the United States on 19 January 2007, in Australia on 18 January 2007, in Taiwan on 27 April 2007, in Slovenia on 17 May 2007 and in Japan on 29 September 2007. Its widest release in the United States was in 1,143 cinemas.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=panslabyrinth.htm|title=Pan's Labyrinth (2006)|access-date=12 February 2007|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916041336/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=panslabyrinth.htm|url-status=live}}

The film was released on DVD on 12 March 2007 in the United Kingdom by Optimum Releasing in a two-disc special edition. The film was released in the United States on 15 May 2007 from New Line Home Entertainment in both single-disc and double-disc special edition versions, featuring an additional DTS-ES audio track not present on the UK version. Additionally, the film received a special limited-edition release in South Korea and Germany. Only 20,000 copies of this edition were manufactured. It is presented in a digipak designed to look like the Book of Crossroads. The Korean first edition contains two DVDs along with an art book and replica of Ofelia's key. The German special limited edition contains three DVDs and a book containing the movie's storyboard. Pan's Labyrinth was released for download on 22 June 2007 from Channel 4's on-demand service, 4oD.

High-definition versions of Pan's Labyrinth were released in December 2007 on both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats. New Line stated that due to their announcement of supporting Blu-ray exclusively, thus dropping HD DVD support with immediate effect, Pan's Labyrinth would be the only HD DVD release for the studio, and would be discontinued after current stock was depleted.{{cite news|url=http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/New_Line/Industry_Trends/New_Line_Details_Transition_to_Blu-ray/1351|last=Bracke|first=Peter|title=New Line Details Transition to Blu-ray|publisher=HighDefDigest|date=8 January 2008|access-date=25 March 2008|archive-date=17 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317124421/http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/New_Line/Industry_Trends/New_Line_Details_Transition_to_Blu-ray/1351|url-status=live}} Both versions had a PiP commentary while web extras were exclusive to the HD DVD version.{{cite news|title=High-Def Digest Blu-ray review of Pan's Labyrinth|date=26 December 2007|url=http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/panslabyrinth.html|access-date=23 April 2008|archive-date=13 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313103017/http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/panslabyrinth.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=High-Def Digest HD DVD review of Pan's Labyrinth|date=26 December 2007|url=http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/panslabyrinth.html|access-date=23 April 2008|archive-date=13 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313100102/http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/panslabyrinth.html|url-status=live}} In October 2016, The Criterion Collection re-released the film on Blu-ray in the US, based on a newly graded 2K digital master supervised by del Toro. An Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of the film was released on October 1, 2019, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment remastered for 4K.{{cite news|url=https://hd-report.com/2019/05/04/pans-labyrinth-releasing-to-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray/|title=Pan's Labyrinth releasing to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray|publisher=HD Report|date=4 May 2019|access-date=4 May 2019|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505022400/https://hd-report.com/2019/05/04/pans-labyrinth-releasing-to-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray/|url-status=live}}

Image:Pan's Labyrinth premiere.jpg]]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 95% based on 243 reviews and an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's consensus reads "Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth|title=Pan's Labyrinth|access-date=20 November 2022|publisher=Fandango Media|work=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-date=15 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515130756/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth|url-status=live}} Based on reviews from 37 critics, it received a 98/100 score at Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim",{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/panslabyrinth|title=Pan's Labyrinth (2006)|access-date=24 January 2007|publisher=CBS|work=Metacritic|archive-date=24 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070124025640/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/panslabyrinth|url-status=live}} making it Metacritic's best-reviewed film of the 2000s decade.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|title=The Best Movies of the Decade|last=Dietz|first=Jason|website=Metacritic|date=17 December 2009|access-date=3 May 2012|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703045225/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|url-status=live}} At its Cannes Film Festival release, it received a 22–minute standing ovation, the longest in the festival's history.{{cite news|last=Rodriguez|first=Rene|title=Director keeps Hollywood out of "Pan's Labyrinth"|work=The Seattle Times|publisher=Miami Herald|date=16 January 2007|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/director-keeps-hollywood-out-of-pans-labyrinth/|access-date=25 July 2007|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100405/http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/director-keeps-hollywood-out-of-pans-labyrinth/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Paiella |first=Gabriella |date=2023-05-24 |title=What Did It Feel Like to Receive the Longest Standing Ovation at Cannes? |url=https://www.gq.com/story/longest-cannes-standing-ovation-guillermo-del-toro-interview |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=GQ |language=en-US |archive-date=24 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524154550/https://www.gq.com/story/longest-cannes-standing-ovation-guillermo-del-toro-interview |url-status=live }} It also received a standing ovation at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival,{{cite web|url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2006/09/11/pans-labyrinth-receives-standing-ovation-at-toronto-film-fest|title=Pan's Labyrinth Receives Standing Ovation at Toronto Film Fest|publisher=FirstShowing.Net|access-date=20 August 2007|date=11 September 2006|archive-date=11 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711174532/http://www.firstshowing.net/2006/09/11/pans-labyrinth-receives-standing-ovation-at-toronto-film-fest/|url-status=live}} its first release in the Americas.

Mark Kermode, in The Observer, labeled Pan's Labyrinth the best film of 2006, describing it as "an epic, poetic vision in which the grim realities of war are matched and mirrored by a descent into an underworld populated by fearsomely beautiful monsters".{{cite news|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1939681,00.html|title=Pain should not be sought – but it should never be avoided|access-date=25 January 2007|date=5 September 2006|work=The Observer|last=Kermode|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Kermode|location=London|archive-date=8 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208033821/http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0%2C%2C1939681%2C00.html|url-status=live}} Stephanie Zacharek wrote that the film "works on so many levels that it seems to change shape even as you watch it",{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2006/10/13/pans_labyrinth/index_np.html |title=Pan's Labyrinth |access-date=25 January 2007 |date=13 October 2007 |website=Salon.com |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105152448/http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2006/10/13/pans_labyrinth/index_np.html |archive-date=5 January 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }} and Jim Emerson of Chicago Sun-Times called it "a fairy tale of such potency and awesome beauty that it reconnects the adult imagination to the primal thrill and horror of the stories that held us spellbound as children".{{cite news|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20061228%2FREVIEWS%2F61228001%2F1023|title=Pan's Labyrinth|access-date=25 January 2007|date=29 December 2006|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|last=Emerson|first=Jim|archive-date=22 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070122211613/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20061228/REVIEWS/61228001/1023|url-status=live}} In his review, Roger Ebert deemed it "one of the greatest of all fantasy films, even though it is anchored so firmly in the reality of war".{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pans-labyrinth-2006|title=Pan's Labyrinth|access-date=27 August 2007|date=27 September 2007|work=Chicago Sun Times|last=Ebert|first=Roger|archive-date=11 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011160239/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070825%2FREVIEWS08%2F70825002%2F1023|url-status=live}} The New Yorker's Anthony Lane took special note of the film's sound design, saying it "discards any hint of the ethereal by turning up the volume on small, supercharged noises".{{cite magazine|magazine=The New Yorker|date=8 January 2007|last=Lane|first=Anthony|title=The Current Cinema}}

Writing for The San Diego Union-Tribune, David Elliott was more mixed on the film, opining that "the excitement is tangible" but "what it lacks is successful unity ... Del Toro has the art of many parts, but only makes them cohere as a sort of fevered extravaganza".{{cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070111/news_lz1c11pan.html|title=Artist in charge|access-date=25 January 2007|date=11 January 2007|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|last=Elliott|first=David|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210101628/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070111/news_lz1c11pan.html|archive-date=10 February 2007|df=dmy-all}}

{{Anchor|Box office}}

During its limited first three weeks at the United States box office, the film made $5.4 million. As of 2021, it has grossed $37.6 million in North America and $46.2 million in other territories, for a total of $83.9 million worldwide. In Spain, it grossed almost $12 million, and it is the fifth highest grossing foreign film in the United States.

In the United States, it has generated $55 million from its DVD sales and rentals.{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/charts/annual/2007.php|title=Top-Selling DVD Titles in the United States 2007|website=The Numbers|access-date=4 May 2017|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005095235/http://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/charts/annual/2007.php|url-status=live}}

In the United Kingdom, it was 2011's eighth best-selling foreign-language film on physical home video formats.{{Cite news |date=2012 |title=BFI Statistical Yearbook 2012 |pages=116 |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/uk-film-council-statistical-yearbook-2010.pdf |access-date=21 April 2022 |archive-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423012731/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/uk-film-council-statistical-yearbook-2010.pdf |url-status=live }} It was later the UK's tenth best-selling foreign-language film on physical home video formats in 2012.{{Cite news |date=2013 |title=BFI Statistical Yearbook 2013 |pages=138 |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2013.pdf |access-date=23 April 2022 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501001158/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2013.pdf |url-status=live }} On UK television, it was 2013's second most-watched foreign-language film, with 200,700 viewers on Channel 4.{{Cite report |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2014.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2014 |date=2014 |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |pages=141 |access-date=25 April 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501005443/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2014.pdf }}

Metacritic named it the best reviewed film of the decade" in 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|title=Ten Years of Metacritic: The Best (and Worst) Movies of the Decade|website=Metacritic |access-date=4 May 2017|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703045225/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/the-best-movies-of-the-decade|url-status=live}} It is #17 on the BBC list of best 100 films of the 21st century.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films|title=The 21st Century's 100 greatest films|publisher=BBC|date=23 August 2016|access-date=4 May 2017|archive-date=31 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131124228/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films|url-status=live}}

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2006/toptens.shtml |title=Metacritic: 2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists |access-date=8 January 2008 |website=Metacritic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213004758/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2006/toptens.shtml |archive-date=13 December 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}

• 1st – Mark Kermode, The Observer
• 1st – Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
• 1st – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
• 1st – Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
• 1st – Richard Corliss, TIME magazine
• 1st – Shawn Levy, The Oregonian
• 1st – Staff, Film Threat
• 2nd – Empire
• 2nd – A. O. Scott, The New York Times
• 2nd – Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
• 2nd – Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
• 2nd – Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
• 2nd – Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
• 2nd – Stephen Holden, The New York Times
• 3rd – Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club
• 3rd – Lawrence Toppman, The Charlotte Observer
• 3rd – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
• 3rd – Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter

{{Col-2}}

• 3rd – Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald
• 3rd – Richard James Havis, The Hollywood Reporter
• 4th – Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
• 5th – Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
• 6th – Glenn Kenny, Premiere
• 6th – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club
• 7th – Claudia Puig, USA Today
• 8th – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (tied with Children of Men)
• 9th – Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times (tied with Babel)
• 9th – Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter

Unranked Top 10

• Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
• Dana Stevens, Slate
• Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
• Liam Lacey and Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail
• Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
• Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer

{{Col-end}}

Ranked {{Numero|5}} in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=5|title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema {{!}} 5. Pan's Labyrinth|work=Empire|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924050824/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=5|url-status=live}}

Del Toro himself has indicated similarities with The Spirit of the Beehive, filmed in Francoist Spain, which juxtaposes issues related to the Civil War with horror film.{{cite web|url=http://www.thephoenix.com/OutsideTheFrame/PermaLink.aspx?guid=8ae649e6-a17f-478b-993a-a6f0f791a936 |title=Outside The Frame: Guillermo Del Toro Interview Part 1 |access-date=28 January 2007 |date=11 January 2007 |publisher=ThePhoenix.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119233841/http://thephoenix.com/OutsideTheFrame/PermaLink.aspx?guid=8ae649e6-a17f-478b-993a-a6f0f791a936 |archive-date=19 January 2008 |df=dmy }}

At least one critic has made a connection to a second Spanish film, Cría Cuervos (1975, Carlos Saura), again made while Franco was still in power. Doug Cummings (Film Journey 2007) identifies the connection between Cria Cuervos, Spirit of the Beehive and Pan's Labyrinth: "Critics have been summarily referencing Spirit of the Beehive (1973) in reviews of Pan's Labyrinth, but Saura's film–at once a sister work to Erice's classic in theme, tone, even shared actress (Ana Torrent)–is no less rich a reference point."{{cite web|last=Cummings |first=Doug |title=Cria cuervos |url=http://www.filmjourney.org/2007/03/31/cria-cuervos/#more-619 |archive-date=14 April 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414182044/http://www.filmjourney.org/2007/03/31/cria-cuervos/%23more-619 |url-status=dead|work=Film Journey |access-date=23 August 2010 |date=31 March 2007 }}

In a 2007 interview, del Toro noted the striking similarities between his film and Walt Disney Pictures' The Chronicles of Narnia: both films are set around the same time, have similar child-age principal characters, mythic creatures (particularly the fauns), and themes of "disobedience and choice". Says del Toro: "This is my version of that universe, not only 'Narnia', but that universe of children's literature."{{cite news|url=http://www.starbeacon.com/heat/local_story_363121523 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911011135/http://www.starbeacon.com/heat/local_story_363121523 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2012 |title=Del Toro crafts a harrowing fairy tale |access-date=28 March 2007 |date=29 December 2006 |publisher=Star Beacon }} In fact, del Toro was asked to direct The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but turned it down for Pan's Labyrinth.

In addition to Narnia, Pan's Labyrinth has also been compared to films such as Labyrinth, MirrorMask, Spirited Away and Bridge to Terabithia.{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Walters|date=21–28 November 2006|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/83674.html|title=Pan's Labyrinth Film Review|work=Time Out|access-date=24 January 2007|archive-date=21 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070121173319/http://www.timeout.com/film/83674.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.canmag.com/nw/6778-bridge-terabithia-review|title=Bridge to Terabithia a Pan's Labyrinth for Kids|access-date=23 February 2007|archive-date=22 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222035036/http://www.canmag.com/nw/6778-bridge-terabithia-review|url-status=usurped}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Pan's Labyrinth

| type = soundtrack

| artist = Javier Navarrete

| cover = Pan'slabyrinthsndtrk.jpg

| alt =

| released = 19 December 2006

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Contemporary classical

| length =

| label = Milan Entertainment

| producer = Emmanuel Chamboredon,
Ian P. Hierons

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

The score for Pan's Labyrinth by Spanish composer Javier Navarrete was nominated for an Academy Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/nomswins.html |title=79th Annual Academy Awards Nominees and Winners |access-date=23 May 2007 |publisher=Academy Awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501001557/http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/nomswins.html |archive-date=1 May 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }} It was entirely structured around a lullaby, and del Toro had the entire score included on the soundtrack album, even though much of it had been cut during production. The album was released on 19 December 2006.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r936979|title=Pan's Labyrinth soundtrack overview|access-date=4 February 2007|publisher=AllMusic.com|archive-date=12 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112032255/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r936979|url-status=live}} Its cover art was an unused Drew Struzan promotional poster for the film.

1. "Long, Long Time Ago (Hace mucho, mucho tiempo)" – 2:14
2. "The Labyrinth (El laberinto)" – 4:07
3. "Rose, Dragon (La rosa y el dragón)" – 3:36
4. "The Fairy and the Labyrinth (El hada y el laberinto)" – 3:36
5. "Three Trials (Las tres pruebas)" – 2:06
6. "The Moribund Tree and the Toad (El árbol que muere y el sapo)" – 7:12
7. "Guerrilleros (Guerrilleros)" – 2:06
8. "A Book of Blood (El libro de sangre)" – 3:47
9. "Mercedes Lullaby (Nana de Mercedes)" – 1:39
10. "The Refuge (El refugio)" – 1:32
11. "Not Human (El que no es humano)" – 5:55
12. "The River (El río)" – 2:50
13. "A Tale (Un cuento)" – 1:55
14. "Deep Forest (Bosque profundo)" – 5:48
15. "Waltz of the Mandrake (Vals de la mandrágora)" – 3:42
16. "The Funeral (El funeral)" – 2:45
17. "Mercedes (Mercedes)" – 5:37
18. "Pan and the Full Moon (La luna llena y el fauno)" – 5:08
19. "Ofelia (Ofelia)" – 2:19
20. "A Princess (Una princesa)" – 4:03
21. "Pan's Labyrinth Lullaby (Nana del laberinto del fauno)" – 1:47

In November 2007, del Toro confirmed that a sequel, titled 3993, was in production.{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/708222-guillermo-del-toros-3993-details|title=Guillermo Del Toro's 3993 Details... – ComingSoon.net|date=8 November 2007|access-date=4 May 2017|archive-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119120752/http://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/708222-guillermo-del-toros-3993-details|url-status=live}} Del Toro scrapped the project after deciding to direct Hellboy II: The Golden Army.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/pans-labyrinth-things-you-never-knew/ |title=Pan's Labyrinth: 15 Things You Never Knew |date=10 January 2017 |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-date=7 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104130/https://www.cbr.com/pans-labyrinth-things-you-never-knew/ |url-status=live }}

• List of submissions to the 79th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Mexican submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

{{Reflist}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{discogs master|229030}}
• {{IMDb title|0457430}}
• [http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10488 Pan's Labyrinth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206062052/http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10488 |date=6 December 2008 }} article exploring escapism in the film in The Internet Review of Science Fiction
• [http://www.whatsupmann.com/2006/12/guillermo-del-toro Guillermo Del Toro] interview talking about Pan's Labyrinth, by Michael Mann for ion magazine
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928201719/http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/panDDT.htm Weavers of Dreams – The Magical World of Pan's Labyrinth]}} at The Doug Jones Experience
• [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4262-pan-s-labyrinth-the-heart-of-the-maze Pan's Labyrinth: The Heart of the Maze] an essay by Michael Atkinson at the Criterion Collection

{{Guillermo del Toro}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Pan's Labyrinth

|list =

{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Empire Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy}}

{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form}}

{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award 2001–2020}}

{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{Satellite Award Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Film}}

{{Saturn Award for Best International Film}}

{{Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

}}

{{Mexican submission for Academy Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pan's Labyrinth}}

Category:2006 films

Category:2000s dark fantasy films

Category:2000s horror films

Category:2000s monster movies

Category:2000s war drama films

Category:2000s fantasy drama films

Category:2000s political drama films

Category:2000s historical fantasy films

Category:BAFTA winners (films)

Category:Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners

Category:Films about fairies

Category:Films directed by Guillermo del Toro

Category:Films produced by Alfonso Cuarón

Category:Films produced by Guillermo del Toro

Category:Films set in 1944

Category:Films set in Spain

Category:Films based on classical mythology

Category:Films shot in Madrid

Category:Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award

Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award

Category:Films that won the Academy Award for Best Makeup

Category:Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form–winning works

Category:Magic realism films

Category:Mexican drama films

Category:Mexican horror films

Category:Mexican speculative fiction films

Category:Nebula Award for Best Script–winning works

Category:Spanish nonlinear narrative films

Category:Films with screenplays by Guillermo del Toro

Category:Films about the Spanish Maquis

Category:Spanish dark fantasy films

Category:2000s Spanish-language films

Category:Supernatural war films

Category:Warner Bros. films

Category:Telecinco Cinema films

Category:Films scored by Javier Navarrete

Category:National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film winners

Category:Films produced by Álvaro Augustin

Category:2000s Spanish films

Category:2000s Mexican films

Category:Fauns in popular culture

Category:Spanish war drama films

Category:Mexican war drama films

Category:Mexican dark fantasy films

Category:Mexican fantasy drama films

Category:Saturn Award–winning films

Category:Spanish fantasy drama films

Category:Films about children

Category:Films about Francoist repression

Category:Films about reincarnation

Category:Spanish monster movies

Category:Mexican monster movies