Guillermo del Toro's Academy Award-winning masterpiece "Pan's Labyrinth" is back in theaters for its 20th anniversary. If you haven't seen this haunting fairy tale for adults, now is the time to make a trip to the theater to take advantage of seeing the movie the best possible way since it was originally released. First of all, the movie has been given a new 4K scan from the original 35mm negative, and the picture has never looked sharper. For the purposes of this blog, it has also been given a new 3D transfer supervised by del Toro himself. And (as he has emphasized strongly) absolutely no AI was used in the creation of the 3D images (though hopefully he will forgive me if I use AI to spellcheck my writing).
Since this is one of my favorite movies of all time, of course I was going to see this in theaters (even if the Fathom Events release prevents me from using my AMC Stubs A-List or Regal Unlimited), and I am happy to say that it was worth every penny. Even if the film had not been presented in 3D, seeing the movie again in theaters would have been worth the price of admission. That del Toro took the time to present it in a new 3D conversion during a time when 3D films are not exactly lighting the box office on fire, I can only assume that del Toro saw a true artistic reason to create this version. In fact, during an introduction to the movie (FYI: there are no previews for this movie, so show up to the theater on time) of the 3D version, he claims, audiences can now see it "the way it was always meant to be seen."
Now, I may be paraphrasing (the exact phrase escapes me at the moment), but please keep in mind he is NOT saying see it in 3D or don't see it at all! While I do believe movies that are shot from the ground up with 3D in mind should be experienced in that format ("Hugo," "Gravity," etc.), a great movie is a great movie regardless. Also, this one has been shown in 2D for 20 years, so it's not exactly like we've been watching it incorrectly for two decades. However, this new 3D version is so clean, so immersive, that it truly felt like it was meant to be seen this way for all these years. Keep in mind, I've watched this movie several times in several different formats. I saw it in the theaters with my dad (who got a kick out of the fact we were seeing a movie in his native tongue), on the now dead HD-DVD format (remember that?), and Blu-ray.
Watching it in 3D was never on my bingo card, but I can confidently say, without hesitation, that this is the best I've ever seen it. Previously, del Toro only directed one 3D movie ("Pacific Rim"), which was one heck of an IMAX 3D experience. Despite having multiple opportunities to make another one, he hasn't. That isn't because he doesn't like 3D, but, more likely, because he hasn't found a reason to make another 3D movie. The fact that he chose to put in so much time and money into converting this film to 3D shows how much potential he saw in the project. Having seen it myself, I can say it is absolutely worth seeing.
Only Pacific Rim is released in a 3D special edition. Pan’s will only be theatrical 3D. From what I gather, its is not a format that took off in the home theatre environment…
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 11, 2026
Sadly, there is some sad news to report: this excellent 3D version will (as of this writing) NOT be coming to Blu-ray 3D! While he did inquire about such a release, the company who is handling that feels the expense is not worth it since the format never took off in America (or much of the rest of the world, if we're being honest). It's a shame that a man of del Toro's reputation can't join James Cameron in demanding a Blu-ray 3D release for a classic film, but such is the state of the industry. It does make me sad to think that once this release is over, a wonderful 3D version is going to be locked away in a vault somewhere, likely never to be seen again along with Pixar's "Soul" and "U2 3D."
I believe we will be in theaters longer than that but- Yes- this is the ideal way of seeing it while is out- in over 1000 theaters in the US
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 14, 2026
The good news is this release of "Pan's Labyrinth" is not exactly a small release. It is showing in over 1,000 screens and it will apparently be in theaters for at least a couple of weeks. Even if the 3D version isn't available in your area, "Pan's Labyrinth" is worth experiencing on the big screen (whether in 2D or 3D). If it's in 3D, this is even better. Unlike "Frankenstein" (of which I'm one of the few people who saw the film in IMAX), at least readers will have a fighting chance to experience this one. I highly recommend you take the opportunity to do so.
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