20 years ago, Guillermo del Toro directed his brilliant dark fantasy masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth. It's a magical work full of human and inhuman monsters alike, for a positively unforgettable cinematic ride. We can finally witness Guillermo del Toro's exceptional cinematic work in glorious, human-crafted 3D.
Guillermo del Toro's filmography is full of films that are both critically acclaimed and popularly lauded. Blade II (starring Wesley Snipes, who appeared again Deadpool & Wolverine), Hellboy, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army set high bars for comic book adaptations, while both The Shape of Water and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio won Oscars for the seasoned genre filmmaker. 20 years later, Pan's Labyrinth might yet be his masterpiece.
The Direct attended the premiere of Pan's Labyrinth's 3D conversion (also celebrating its 4K upgrade) at the beautiful Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, speaking to the film's Oscar-winning DP Guillermo Navarro, star Ivana Baquero, and the iconic creature maestro Doug Jones to discuss its theatrical re-release on October 8, 2026.
Pan's Labyrinth's 3D Release
"Movies we see when we're young, and then we mature, they kind of stay with us."
The Direct: It's lovely for Pan's Labyrinth to get a 3D treatment and such a beautiful rollout after two decades. How does it feel to revisit it 20 years later, and why do you think it still connects with so many?
Doug Jones: This is surreal for me to be part of a movie that is re-releasing worldwide in theaters again, 20 years later. That's a rarity, and in my 40-year career, it's the first time it's ever happened for me, so I'm feeling very surreal about it. But I also, having done the convention circuit now for for 18 years of my life, I hear from fans over over a Comic-Con table, one-on-one at a time, what what this story means to them, what they were going through in their life, how it helped empower them with their own decision making and their own journey into adulthood.
Jones notes that, according to conversations he's had with fans over the last two decades, "a lot of young ladies, especially, really connect with this movie and with the character of Ofelia."
Jones: A lot of young ladies, especially, really connect with this movie and with the character of Ofelia. And as the faun character guiding her on her way, a lot of these, I've heard a lot of comments that people connected with me as a mentor, my character anyway, so that that lives in their hearts to this day. Movies we see when we're young, and then we mature, they kind of stay with us. I've got my own movies that that I've done that with, so it's nice to see that Pan's Labyrinth is one of those that that lives on long shelf life too.
Doug Jones goes on to explain that the film has found an exceptional life on home release, so "it looks like it's going to have a good run" with the 4K and 3D releases.
Jones: People have collected it on DVD. They own it on the the streamers and the clickables, so to see it re-release in theaters, it looks like it's going to have a good run because people are very excited to see it with this 4K facelift within 3D for the first time with this huge production value that the movie has to see in 3D. That's just going to add one more element of yummy to it.
Guillermo Navarro, who won an Oscar for his Cinematography on the film, noted that Pan's Labyrinth is "a movie that's narrated visually," giving the upscaling process a lot to work with.
Guillermo Navarro: [Del Toro and I] are both very strong believers in the film language. We give a very a very strong weight on the role of a camera that's searching and finding and connecting pieces, so it's a movie that's narrated visually. That is a very strong characteristic of this narrative. Only through those kinds of changes and control of the imagery can you go through from a fantasy world to a real strong world, and make it happen. You come and open a door, you go to another space. That is, I think, the most relevant thing in terms of what we did with the movie.
Ivana Baquiero, who stars as Ofelia in the film, highlights that the film's longevity stems from "so many universal themes in the movie."
Ivana Baquiero: For one, there's so many universal themes in the movie. I don't think it's uniquely about the civil war in Spain, if that makes sense. I think it touches on on themes that go way deeper about empathy and love in times where one is trying to fight against injustice, and through the will of this little girl, one finds so much empowerment in times of desperation. I think that resonates with people.
She also notes that the film's longevity also stems from the fact it doesn't give shallow answers, but instead "invites [audiences] to have conversations, and I think that's necessary in cinema."
Baquiero: I think it's also a movie that lets the audiences fill in the blanks instead of force feeding them, and that's very much appreciated by audiences. So it invites [audiences] to have conversations, and I think that's necessary in cinema. I think it's very relevant nowadays, so I think that's how and why it stood the test of time.
