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100 Greatest Fantasy Films of All-Time |
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Fantasy Films - Unlike science fiction films that base their content upon some degree of scientific truth, fantasy films take the audience to netherworld, fairy-tale places where events are unlikely to occur in real life. In mythological or legendary times, they transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. Fantasy films are often in the context of the imagination, dreams, or hallucinations of a character or within the projected vision of the storyteller. Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, escapism, and the extraordinary. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film. In fantasy films, the hero often undergoes some kind of mystical experience, and must ask for aid from powerful, superhuman forces on the outside. Ancient Greek mythological figures or Arabian Nights-type narratives are typical storylines. Flying carpets, magic swords and spells, dragons, and ancient religious relics or objects are common elements. Bizarre and imaginary, invented lands include sci-fi worlds, unreal worlds, fairy tale settings, or other whimsical locales (e.g., Shangri-La or Brigadoon). The earliest sci-fi writers (H. G. Wells and Jules Verne) created fantastic worlds and/or journeys - the subject matter of many fantasy films. More About Fantasy Films:
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 Introduction to Fantasy Films |
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(chronological order, unranked) The linked titles below refer to reviews (with screenshots) in the "Greatest Moments and Scenes" section of the site |
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 The Thief of Bagdad (1924) |
 The Lost World (1925) |
 Faust (1926, Germ.) |
 A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) |
 Lost Horizon (1937) |
 Topper (1937) |
 The Wizard of Oz (1939) |
 The Thief of Bagdad (1940, UK) |
 Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) |
 I Married an Angel (1942) |
 I Married a Witch (1942) |
 A Guy Named Joe (1943) |
 Heaven Can Wait (1943) |
 The Canterville Ghost (1944) |
 The Uninvited (1944) |
 Blithe Spirit (1945, UK) |
 The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) |
 La Belle et La Bete (1946, Fr.) (aka Beauty and the Beast) |
 It's A Wonderful Life (1946) |
 A Matter of Life and Death (1946, UK) (aka Stairway to Heaven) |
 The Bishop's Wife (1947) |
 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) |
 Miracle on 34th Street (1947) |
 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) |
 Portrait of Jennie (1948) (label on painting at start of film - no opening title) |
 Harvey (1950) |
 Orphée (1950, Fr.) (aka Orpheus) |
 Scrooge (1951, UK) (aka A Christmas Carol) |
 Ugetsu Monogatari (1953, Jp.) (aka Tales of Ugetsu) |
 The Seventh Seal (1957, Swe.) (aka Det Sjunde Inseglet) |
 tom thumb (1958, UK/US) |
 Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) |
 Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) |
 Mysterious Island (1961) |
 Kwaidan (1964, Jp.) |
 Mary Poppins (1964) |
 Juliet of the Spirits (1965, It./Fr.) (Giulietta Degli Spiriti) |
 Brewster McCloud (1970) |
 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, Fr.) (aka Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie) |
 The Holy Mountain (1973, Mex./US) (aka La Montaña Sagrada) |
 The Spirit of the Beehive (1973, Sp.) (aka El Espiritu de la Colmena) |
 Zardoz (1974) |
 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, UK) |
 Jabberwocky (1977, UK) |
 Oh, God! (1977) |
 Heaven Can Wait (1978) |
 Superman (1978) (aka Superman The Movie) |
 The Wiz (1978) |
 Somewhere in Time (1980) |
 Xanadu (1980) |
 Clash of the Titans (1981) |
 Dragonslayer (1981) |
 Excalibur (1981) |
 Time Bandits (1981, UK) |
 Conan The Barbarian (1982) |
 The Dark Crystal (1982) |
 Krull (1983, UK/US) |
 Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) |
 Ghostbusters (1984) |
 Gremlins (1984) |
 The NeverEnding Story (1984) |
 Splash (1984) |
 Ladyhawke (1985) |
 Legend (1985) |
 The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) |
 Highlander (1986, UK) |
 Labyrinth (1986) |
 Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) |
 The Princess Bride (1987) |
 Wings of Desire (1987, W.Germ./Fr.) (aka Der Himmel über Berlin) |
 The Witches of Eastwick (1987) |
 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988, UK) |
 Beetlejuice (1988) |
 Big (1988) |
 Willow (1988) |
 Always (1989) |
 Field of Dreams (1989) |
 Edward Scissorhands (1990) |
 Ghost (1990) |
 Truly Madly Deeply (1990, UK) |
 The Fisher King (1991) |
 Death Becomes Her (1992) |
 Addams Family Values (1993) |
 Groundhog Day (1993) |
 Angels in the Outfield (1994) |
 The Mask (1994) |
 The City of Lost Children (1995, Fr.) (aka La Cité Des Enfants Perdus) |
 The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) |
 A Little Princess (1995) |
 The Prophecy (1995) |
 DragonHeart (1996) |
 FairyTale: A True Story (1997, UK) |
 A Life Less Ordinary (1997, US/UK) |
 City of Angels (1998) |
 Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) |
 Meet Joe Black (1998) |
 Pleasantville (1998) |
 Practical Magic (1998) |
 The Truman Show (1998) |
 What Dreams May Come (1998) |
 Being John Malkovich (1999) |
 The Green Mile (1999) |
 Sleepy Hollow (1999) |
 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, US/HK/China/Taiwan) (aka Wo Hu Cang Long) |
 Amélie (2001, Fr.) (aka Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) |
 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) |
 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) |
 Big Fish (2003) |
 Bruce Almighty (2003) |
 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) |
 Peter Pan (2003) |
 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) |
 Ella Enchanted (2004) |
 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) |
 MirrorMask (2005) |
 Nanny McPhee (2005) |
 The Fall (2006, US/India) |
 Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Sp./Mex./US) (aka El Laberinto del Fauno) |
 The Science of Sleep (2006, Fr./It.) (aka La Science des Rêves) |
 Across the Universe (2007) |
 Bridge to Terabithia (2007) |
 The Golden Compass (2007) |
 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) |
 Avatar (2009) |
 Enter The Void (2009, Fr./Germ./It.) |
 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009, UK) |
 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) |
 Midnight in Paris (2011) |
 The Tree of Life (2011) |
 Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) |
 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) |
 Life of Pi (2012) |
 Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016, UK/US) |
 The Shape of Water (2017) |
 The House With a Clock In Its Walls (2018) |
 Pinocchio (2019, It.) |
 The Green Knight (2021) |
 Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
 Barbie (2023) |
 Wicked (2024) |
The
100 Greatest Fantasy Films of All-Time