Del Toro creates a setting in Pan’s Labyrinth that seamlessly blurs the lines of what is real and surreal. He is able to achieve a believable film through his use of shockingly real wartime violence, mixed with the innocence that only a young girl can bring to a story. The undertone of the film and the fairy tale within it is very stern and serious. Del Toro reveals, "It's not exactly sanitized, Disney-esque imagery. It's a very bleak, harsh world. The creatures aren't really nice to her" (p. 04d). The entire film maintains believability because of Del Toro’s use of the harshness of reality. The magical creatures are not atypical of most children’s stories and her three tasks each involve serious risks and challenges. This provides Pan’s Labyrinth with a believable magical story line. Our young heroine must face the veracity of her situation and Del Toro portrays her struggle to escape the dire situation perfectly. The harshness and despair in the story combined with the innocence of Ofelia and her attempted removal from reality allow both fact and fiction to coincide flawlessly.

Wloszczyna, Susan. “In director's fantastical world, violence has reason for being.” USA Today. 3 Jan. 2007. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Oklahoma State University Library. 12 Mar. 2008.