Essential Fantasy Movies

By Gore Verbinski, 2003.

Starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom

Flamboyant pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp, in an Oscar-nominated performance), steals the show as a charming, carefree 17th century pirate who roams the Caribbean sea. When a rival pirate (Geoffrey Rush) pillages the village of Port Royal and kidnaps the governor's (Jonathan Pryce) daughter...

By Peter Jackson, 2002.

Starring Sean Astin, Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif

The second installment of director Peter Jackson's trilogy finds Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) search for the orc-captured Merry (Dominic Monaghan)...

By Peter Jackson, 2001.

Starring Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Brad Dourif

From the idyllic shire of the Hobbits to the smoking chasms of Mordor, director Peter Jackson has created a world that surpasses the expectations of J.R.R. Tolkien purists as Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) embarks on his epic quest for the one true ring.

By Mel Stuart, 1971.

Starring Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum

Eccentric candy man Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) prompts a frenzy when he announces that five golden tickets hidden inside his candy bars will get their holders into his top-secret factory. Amidst a world of Oompa Loompas and chocolate rivers, young Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) and Grandpa Joe (Jack...

By Victor Fleming, 1939.

Starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film directed by Victor Fleming from a script mostly by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, with uncredited contributions by others. It was based on the 1900 children's novel of the same name by L. Frank Baum, who died twenty...

By Rob Reiner, 1987.

Starring Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin

In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) and the dashing Wesley (Cary Elwes) must overcome staggering odds to find happiness. Giants, swordsmen, six-fingered counts, murderous princes, Sicilians, pirates, rodents of unusual size and even death...

By Chris Columbus, 2001.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

Based on J.K. Rowling's first novel, this film weaves a magical tale. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard -- with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and...

By Tim Burton, 2003.

Starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup

William Bloom (Billy Crudup) tries to learn more about his dying father, Edward (Albert Finney), by piecing together the facts out of the various fantastic tales and legends of epic proportions he's been told over the years. Edward was a traveling salesman, and his journeys throughout the South are...

By Hayao Miyazaki, 2002.

Starring Daveigh Chase, Michael Chiklis, Lauren Holly

Adapted from the Japanese original, director Hayao Miyazaki's adventure tale won the Best Animated Feature Oscar for its story of 10-year-old Chihiro. During her family's move to the suburbs, Chihiro wanders into a magical world where a witch rules -- and those who disobey her are turned into...

By Harold Ramis, 1993.

Starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott

Bill Murray plays Phil, a TV weatherman working for a local station in Pennsylvania but convinced that national news stardom is in his grasp.

By Guillermo del Toro, 2006.

Starring Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi López

Living with her tyrannical stepfather in a new home with her pregnant mother, 10-year-old Ofelia feels alone until she explores a decaying labyrinth guarded by the mysterious Pan, an ancient satyr who claims to know her destiny. As she is pulled into this world, as an escape from her unfortunate...

By Jerry Zucker, 1990.

Starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg

Gothamites Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) see their romance shattered when a street thug kills Sam during a mugging. But love endures beyond the grave when a spectral Sam learns that Molly is in danger and he must find a way to warn her before she suffers his fate.

By Tim Burton, 1990.

Starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Vincent Price

A lonely inventor (Vincent Price) creates a fascinating boy named Edward (Johnny Depp) but dies before attaching human hands. So, Edward makes do with scissors. He lives a monastic existence until an Avon lady (Dianne Wiest) adopts him and takes him to live in the pastel paradise of suburbia.

By Spike Jonze, 1999.

Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener

Welcome to the fun house: in this exhilaratingly quirky first feature by Spike Jonze, a stellar video director, the reigning fears and obsessions of a technology-crazed, voyeuristic culture are given an even wilder workout than they got from

By Henry Selick, 2009.

Starring Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher

In this breathtaking stop-motion animation based on Neil Gaiman's novel, curious young Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) unlocks a door in her family's home and is transported to a universe that strangely resembles her own -- only better. But when her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) doesn't want...

By Alfonso Cuarón, 2004.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) return to Hogwarts for a third adventure-and-magic-filled year in this follow-up to the first two blockbusters. The trio may be growing up, but some things never change: Harry finds his life in danger yet again, this time in...

By Andrew Adamson, 2005.

Starring Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes

Based on C.S. Lewis's classic novel, this enchanting tale follows four London children who are sent away to a country home for safety during World War II. There, they discover a magical wardrobe that leads them to the mystical land of Narnia, ruled by an evil witch.

By Wolfgang Petersen, 1984.

Starring Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Moses Gunn

A young boy (Barret Oliver) who's constantly harassed by schoolyard bullies holes up in an abandoned attic with an extraordinary book about an amazing universe, a land filled with rock-eating creatures, racing snails and flying dragons. Director Wolfgang Petersen's first English-language film was...

By Ron Howard, 1988.

Starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis

A dwarfish "Nelwyn" named Willow finds a baby adrift in a river and must protect it from an evil queen (Jean Marsh) bent on its destruction. Along with studly Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), Willow battles dragons and vanquishes evildoers, all the while shielding the infant from harm.

By Shawn Levy, 2006.

Starring Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Carla Gugino

Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a T. rex and other exhibits. Larry tries desperately to keep marauding Neanderthals and Mayans in check, fighting a...

By Jim Henson, 1986.

Starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Frank Oz

Teenage Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) embarks on a life-altering quest when she attempts to rescue her little brother, Toby (Toby Froud), from the clutches of treacherous Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie), who lives in a castle surrounded by a giant labyrinth.

By Matthew Vaughn, 2007.

Starring Charlie Cox, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller

A young man journeys to a magical world to win the heart of his true love in this charming fantasy based on Neil Gaiman's novel. Tristan (Charlie Cox) has promised Victoria (Sienna Miller) that he'll retrieve a fallen star to secure her love. Along the way, he battles a pirate named Captain...

By Terry Gilliam, 1981.

Starring John Cleese, Sean Connery, Ian Holm

In Terry Gilliam's fantastic voyage through time and space, a young boy escapes from his gadget-obsessed parents to join a band of time-traveling dwarves. On their journey, they visit Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), among others.

By Kevin Lima, 2007.

Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden

Wide-eyed Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) sees her perfect life in the cartoon kingdom of Andalasia come to an abrupt end when evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) exiles Giselle to the cruel, real world of New York City, a place ruled by street smarts instead of royals.

By Phil Alden Robinson, 1989.

Starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones

Kevin Costner is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play. Co-starring James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster and Ray Liotta (as...

By Terry Gilliam, 1985.

Starring Jonathan Pryce, Michael Palin, Robert De Niro

The film centers on Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a young man trying to find a woman who appears in his dreams while he is working in a mind-numbing job and living a life in a small apartment, set in a dystopian world in which there is an over-reliance on poorly maintained (and rather whimsical)...

By Hayao Miyazaki, 1997.

Starring Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes

This anime epic from director Hayao Miyazaki made critic Roger Ebert's list of 1999's 10 best films. Infected with an incurable disease, Prince Ashitaka (voiced by Yoji Matsuda) travels to the Far East in search of a cure and finds himself caught in a battle between the forest's animals and a...

By John Milius, 1981.

Starring Cassandra Gaviola, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson

Catch Arnold before he became a politician! A pure swords-and-sorcery flick, Conan the Barbarian is one of the best and sparked a wave of fantasy films in the early '80s. When Conan's parents are killed in a raid, he's sent to a slave camp where his master trains him to be a warrior and use his...

By Spike Jonze, 2009.

Starring Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano

Producer Tom Hanks and director Spike Jonze bring Maurice Sendak's classic story to life in this enchanting adventure, a dynamic blend of computer animation and live-action puppetry. Sent to bed without his supper, defiant young Max sets off on a journey that leads him to a mysterious forest where...

By Wes Anderson, 2009.

Starring George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep

It is the story of one Mr. Fox and his wild-ways of hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try "just one more raid" on...

By Desmond Davis, 1981.

Starring Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith

This epic mythological adventure stars Harry Hamlin as Perseus, son of Zeus (Laurence Olivier), who embarks on a series of perilous quests in the hopes of rescuing Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker) and winning the keys to the kingdom of Joppa. With winged horse Pegasus as his steed, Perseus must...

By Jim Henson, 1982.

Starring Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz

Jen (puppeteered by Jim Henson), the last of the Gelfling race, is charged with healing the Crystal of Truth -- now called the Dark Crystal after it was cracked, leading to an era of terror -- by finding a missing shard in Aughra's (Frank Oz) observatory.

By Terry Gilliam, 1989.

Starring John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley

Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam goes the fantasyland distance in this journey to the moon, to the inside of a whale and back again with a Baron in search of his old comrades-in-arms. Although it's not the crowd-pleaser Gilliam's Time Bandits was, this highly imaginative, fun-loving story still...

By Ridley Scott, 1986.

Starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry

Jack (Tom Cruise) lives peacefully in a mythical forest with animals and goblins until fate leads him to battle a host of terrors to rescue a captive unicorn. If he loses, the world plunges into an eternal ice age. Meanwhile, he must save the beautiful princess Lili (Mia Sara) from the clutches of...

By John Boorman, 1981.

Starring Terry Nigel, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay

Visionary director John Boorman serves up a lush interpretation of Thomas Malory's classic novel Le Morte d'Arthur. Boorman weaves a rich tapestry that includes humble squire Arthur pulling the sword Excalibur from the stone; the Round Table's righteous birth and ultimate decline; Guenevere and...

By Jules Bass, 1982.

Starring Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow

Based on the Peter Beagle novel, this animated tale follows a unicorn (Mia Farrow) who believes she's the last of her species and is searching high and low for someone just like her. All the while, she must avoid the evil Red Bull, who's believed to be the one who killed off the rest of her kind.

By Henry Koster, 1950.

Starring James Stewart, Victoria Horne, Charles Drake

Affable tippler Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) lives with his sister, Veta (Josephine Hull), and her bashful daughter. They hate his drinking, but what rankles them more is his faithful companion: a 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. Elwood's embarrassing flight of fancy is foiling Veta's...

By Jean Cocteau, 1946.

Starring Josette Day, Jean Marais, Mila Parély

Jean Cocteau 's adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (originally released in France as La Belle et la Bête) stars Josette Day as Beauty and Jean Marais as the Beast.

By Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1947.

Starring Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders

This lovingly made fantasy, based on the R.A. Dick novel, centers on a lonely widow (Gene Tierney) who refuses to be scared when the ghost of a salty sea captain (Rex Harrison) turns up in her cottage. When her debts mount, he helps her write a successful novel about his life, but she is ultimately...

By Wim Wenders, 1987.

Starring Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander

Wim Wenders won the award for Best Director at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival for this captivating vision about an angel (Bruno Ganz) who falls in love with a beautiful circus performer while drifting unnoticed through West Berlin. Overcome by the girl's beauty, the angel decides he wants to become...