These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: Labyrinth
Big Lipped Alligator Moment: The Fireys' scene (though there was a very small reference to it beforehand, it was still unimportant to the plot). *
According to the "Making Of" documentary, the scene basically came about because Brian Froud, the guy who designed all the goblins, doodled the Fireys in his sketch book, took a liking to them, and then wanted to see what they could get away with doing using Blue Screen technology.
Cult Classic: The film grossed $12.7 million on a $25 million budget, but has since gained this status. Also it has something to do with David Bowie.
Designated Protagonist Syndrome: Let's put it this way, even a way and a door of all things has more personality than Saria, our heroine.
Draco in Leather Pants: Jareth stole a baby, tried to bribe its older sister into forgetting about it, and tried to stop her numerous times when she went into the Labyrinth to rescue it, but you'll be hard pressed to find any fangirl who acknowledges that (or, for that matter, anyone who doesn't treat the Foe Yay subtext as canonical). He's a Draco in Leather Pants in the movie, too; VERY tight leather pants!
Everybody Remembers David Bowie's Pants: Well, they probably exaggerate a little, but this is THE reason anyone remembers this movie if they aren't part of the fanbase.
So you say. This Troper remembers Jennifer Connelly looking very nice in that white princess dress she wears at the beginning.
Foe Yay: There's some Jareth/Sarah subtext in the movie. Little bit. Just a tad. Mild smattering.
Genius Bonus: If you know anything about Jungian psychology.
Terry Jones (from Monty Python) was a co-writer on the screenplay. This is a guy who can teach doctorate-level classes on literary tropes in his sleep.
Memetic Mutation: Every mention of Labyrinth will almost invariably make mention of "The Area". Including singing adapted lyrics to "Magic Dance" (Pants magic pants! You remind me of the bulge...).
Go into any group of nerds and say "You remind me of the babe..."
Subverted, as there are actually two versions of the song: the one in the movie does indeed say "pee", while the one on the soundtrack (without the Muppets) says "free".
Memetic Sex God: Jareth, as can be garnered from the page quote.
Nightmare Fuel: While The Dark Crystal is disturbing for realistic violence and alien creatures, Labyrinth goes into Surreal HorrorUncanny Valley with surreal David Bowie faces, Body Horror Firies, the eerie ballroom scene with the grotesque masks and almost everything being alive. Even half of the soundtrack sounds like something out of a horror movie.
No Yay/Squick: A 15-year-old being romantically pursued ("Just let me rule you...") and watched over by a stretchy pants-wearing goblin king (David Bowie at 39) could make some folks squeamish.
The scene with the "Fireys" — ya know, those fuzzy pink things that routinely decapitated and amputated themselves and others for fun — is notorious for having unusually bad Blue Screen special effects, even for its time. This is weird considering how good the special effects were in the rest of the movie. Now wispy fuzzy semi-translucent fringes are about the most difficult possible item to chroma-key, but it hasn't been remedied at all in "remastered" DVD releases. (That said, though they were far from the awesome advances we have now, it's pretty good for a bunch of puppeteers in black velvet suits.)
In addition, the child switches from a real baby to a doll a few times in "Magic Dance". *
We should hope so! It gets thrown thirty feet in the air and caught by a puppet!
So Bad, It's Good: Not the movie itself, which is a cult classic on its own. But Jennifer Connelly's acting requires either very thick nostalgia goggles or an appreciation for the camp value of her breathless, melodramatic performance.
Ugly Cute: Awwww, how can you hate the lovable little goblins?
Vindicated by Cable: The movie was a huge flop in 1986, a time when family-oriented films generally struggled to find audiences, despite several extremely positive reviews. Once it hit VHS and cable, its fandom grew to the point that it's one of rights-holder Sony's most popular films on DVD.
