Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun

PAN'S LABYRINTH: THE LABYRINTH OF THE FAUN is an enchanted work of magical realism by famed Mexican writer and director Guillermo del Toro set during the waning days of the Spanish resistance against the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Adapted into a novel for young readers and teens by best-selling fantasy author Cornelia Funke, the book tells the story of a young girl, Ofelia, who travels with her pregnant and recently widowed mother to an old mill that has been occupied by Franco's Falangist soldiers under the command of her new stepfather, Captain Vidal. On the night of her arrival, Ofelia encounters a magical fairy who leads her to an ancient maze behind the mill where she meets a magical faun who tells her that she is actually a princess and the heir to the throne of the underworld. To unlock her destiny and return to the underworld -- where she might be reunited with her dead father -- she must follow his instructions and complete three tasks. While Ofelia works on completing her magical mission, Captain Vidal and the Falangists battle with the guerrilla resistance fighters in the surrounding woods, who are secretly receiving assistance from the captain's servant, Mercedes, and his doctor, Ferreira. Ofelia retreats into the world of magic to escape the brutality of the war zone she's living in, but the horrors of Vidal's reign of terror are impossible to escape. The Wolf, as she calls Vidal, continues to torment both her and the rebels in his midst, leaving a trail of bodies behind him as he tries to snuff out the last hopes of the desperate opposition. Interspersed between the chapters of the main narrative, which tell the story shown in the film, are brand-new fairy tales that reveal the backstories behind many of the fantastical creatures in the book.