Shout! Studios Gains Rights To ‘Labyrinth’ And ‘The Dark Crystal’

Shout! Studios has recently gained the rights to cult classics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, both films coming from The Jim Henson Company. Shout! has also gained the rights to 13 other projects from the company a year and a half prior.

Vastly recognized for their puppetry and animatronic work, The Jim Henson Company is named for the creator of the Muppets and multiple other cultural icons. The company’s most recent success came in the form of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, which went on to win Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.

After the deal took hold on January 1st, Shout! now holds the rights for the films for streaming, VOD, broadcast, digital download, packaged physical media, and non-theatrical rights. According to Deadline, the company also now has the rights to the special behind-the-scenes look for each movie, The World Of The Dark Crystal and Inside The Labyrinth. 

Labyrinth, starring David Bowie, follows young Sarah traversing the maze of the treacherous Goblin King Gareth to rescue her little brother. The Dark Crystal took audiences to the planet of Thra, following the quest of Jen, a Gelfling, attempting to bring balance back to the world that’s been terrorized by the evil Skeksis. Both films were helmed by Henson himself.

The rollout for content for both films is set to start on February 6th, kicking off with their release on major digital entertainment platforms.

“Jim Henson was a prolific and deeply creative artist, innovating both filmmaking and puppetry with these iconic fantasy films that have come to define the genre over the decades since their release,” Kerry Novick, Vice President of Global Distribution at The Jim Henson Company, had to say on the acquisition. “With our new partner Shout! Studios, fans will easily be able to enjoy The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and their respective making-of specials, and new audiences around the world will be introduced to these seminal titles that are such an important part of Jim Henson’s legacy.”

Some of the other titles Shout! holds the rights to are ALF, The Johnny Carson Show, and Sesame Street.