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LOS ANGELES - Despite appearances, Jim Henson isn't really out to prove that filmmakers can do without live actors.
It's just that with Labyrinth, he proves once and for all that with his movies, there comes a point when you can't immediately separate the live actors from those he calls his creatures.
All right, the David Bowie fans recognize him instantly, and they certainly know he's real. As the goblin king, he's got one of those fantasy roles that's just right for him - not exactly evil but very, very naughty. And 15-year-old Jennifer Connelly is there - if you've got a good eye, you might remember her as the little dancer who played the young Elizabeth McGovern in Once Upon a Time in America, so you know she's flesh and blood.
But what about Hoggle and Ludo and Didymus? They seem no less real than Bowie and Jennifer - and are every bit as charming. After years of working with the Muppets and the gang on Sesame Street, Henson has created the kind of people who walk and talk. Who knows, they might even think, too. All they don't do is breathe so, strictly speaking, they're not real people. They're creatures.
In fact, Henson did without live actors altogether in his last movie, Dark Crystal. ``I guess,`` he said, ``we proved a total creature film can be done. But I think we found out that what works better is having a live person in the scene to help the audience out. He - or she - serves as a bridge into the fantasy. This...