‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ 20th Anniversary Trailer: Guillermo del Toro Tempts Audiences Back to the Pale Man’s Dinner Table in 3D, 4K

Twenty years since Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece debuted to awestruck fans around the globe, “Pan’s Labyrinth” has never felt so wonderfully timeless and inescapable. Returning to theaters on October 9 for its platinum anniversary, with a new 4K restoration overseen by del Toro himself, this 2006 dark fantasy will be available in both 3D and HDR for the very first time this fall.

Set amid the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the tragic tale of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is famous for allowing real nightmares to masquerade as bloody fairytales. As the 11-year-old girl struggles to survive under the brutal rule of her fascist stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López), del Toro ushers his pint-sized heroine through one of film history’s most astonishing and tender exercises in philosophical horror.

Without getting into spoilers for anyone who somehow still hasn’t seen it (put your hands down, Pale Man!), “Pan’s Labyrinth” asks viewers to ultimately decide what did and didn’t happen to Ofelia in the crimson dreamscape she encounters. There she meets the film’s grotesque villain, the Pale Man, and a mercurial Faun (both played by iconic creature actor Doug Jones).

From Cineverse and Fathom Entertainment, the trailer for the upcoming re-release also features new narration from the Mexican filmmaker. The 61-year-old writer/director revisits his script’s indelible opening lines at the start of the trailer, effectively shepherding in a new age of wonder and uncertainty.

“They say that a long time ago, in an underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world,” del Toro recites in the promo.

In “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Ofelia embarks on a perilous quest through an ancient maze hidden in the woods. Magnetic and unforgettable, preteen Baquero’s performance anchored a major awards-season breakthrough for del Toro. The film earned six Oscar nominations and three wins — including Best Cinematography for Guillermo Navarro, Best Art Direction for Eugenio Caballero, and Best Makeup for David Martí and Montse Ribé.

Guillermo del Toro and Doug Jones on set for ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)©Picturehouse/Courtesy Everett Collection

While anniversary re-releases rarely promise a genuinely “new” way to experience a classic, the 20th anniversary of “Pan’s Labyrinth” does sound tempting. Del Toro remains one of Hollywood’s most imaginative visual entertainers, and the prospect of visiting his long-dormant underworld later in 2026 promises not just fresh nostalgia but maybe even total immersion. (SDFX Studios, formerly known as Stereo D, worked with del Toro to bring the title into stereoscopic 3D. Select theaters will also screen the film in Barco’s HDR format, which offers enhanced luminance and contrast.)

In a cunning universe defined as much by its monsters as it is by nobility and sacrifice, the tension between Ofelia’s hazy childhood memories and the harsh adult insights at work all over del Toro’s creative expedition — and it’s still among his film’s greatest strengths. Whether modern audiences believe Ofelia truly discovered a magical kingdom beyond the trees or merely imagined it to find refuge from violence, we can’t fully know. That’s why “Pan’s Labyrinth” remains so beautiful and mysterious.

Reconsidering del Toro’s sixth feature years later, some fans may be surprised to learn their interpretation of its meaning has changed. Of course, it’s equally likely that many will be thrilled to learn some small part of their adolescent identities didn’t shift at all. Surprisingly elegant and telling for a movie about a kid-eating cannibal and a problematic deer (goat?), “Pan’s Labyrinth” endures as proof that innocence can be a type of resistance — particularly in a place where anything feels possible.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” returns to theaters on October 9. Watch the trailer below: