Fantasy films have a history almost as old as the medium itself. However, fantasy films were relatively few and far between until the
1980s, when high-tech filmmaking techniques and increased audience interest caused the genre to flourish. What follows are some notable Fantasy films. For a more complete list see:
List of fantasy films 1900–1920s In the era of
silent film, the earliest fantasy films were those made by French film pioneer
Georges Méliès from 1903. The most famous of these was 1902's
A Trip to the Moon. In the
Golden Age of Silent film (1918–1926) the most outstanding fantasy films were
Douglas Fairbanks'
The Thief of Bagdad (1924),
Fritz Lang's
Die Nibelungen (1924), and
Destiny (1921). Other notables in the genre were
F.W. Murnau's romantic ghost story
Phantom,
Tarzan of the Apes starring
Elmo Lincoln, and
D. W. Griffith's
The Sorrows of Satan.
1930s Following the advent of
sound films, audiences of all ages were introduced from 1937's
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to 1939's
The Wizard of Oz. Also notable of the era, the iconic 1933 film
King Kong borrows heavily from the
Lost World subgenre of fantasy fiction as does such films as the 1935 adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's novel
She about an African expedition that discovers an immortal queen known as Ayesha "She who must be obeyed".
Frank Capra's 1937 picture
Lost Horizon transported audiences to the
Himalayan fantasy kingdom of
Shangri-La, where the residents magically never age. Other noteworthy fantasy films of the 30s include
Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932 starring
Johnny Weissmuller starting a successful series of talking pictures based on the fantasy-adventure novels by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and the
G. W. Pabst directed
The Mistress of Atlantis from 1932. 1932 saw the release of the
Universal Studios monster movie
The Mummy which combined horror with a romantic fantasy twist. more light-hearted and comedic affairs from the decade include films like 1934s romantic drama film
Death Takes a Holiday where
Fredric March plays Death who takes a human body to experience life for three days and 1937s
Topper where a man is haunted by two fun-loving ghosts who try to make his life a little more exciting.
1940s The 1940s then saw several full-color fantasy films produced by
Alexander Korda, including
The Thief of Bagdad (1940), a film on par with
The Wizard of Oz, and
Jungle Book (1942). In 1946,
Jean Cocteau's classic adaptation of
Beauty and the Beast won praise for its
surreal elements and for transcending the boundaries of the
fairy tale genre.
Sinbad the Sailor (1947), starring
Douglas Fairbanks Jr., has the feel of a fantasy film though it does not actually have any
fantastic elements. Several other pictures featuring supernatural encounters and aspects of Bangsian fantasy were produced in the 1940s during
World War II. These include
Beyond Tomorrow,
The Devil and Daniel Webster, and
Here Comes Mr. Jordan, all from 1941,
Heaven Can Wait the musical
Cabin in the Sky (1943), the comedy
The Horn Blows at Midnight and romances such as
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),
One Touch of Venus and
Portrait of Jennie, both 1948. An astonishing anticipation of the full "sword and sorcery" genre was made in 1941 in Italy by Alessandro Blasetti.
La Corona di Ferro presents the struggles of two imaginary kingdoms around the legendary Iron Crown (historically the ancient crown of Italy), with war, cruelty, betrayal, heroism, sex, magic and mysticism, a whirl of events taken from every possible fairy tale and legend source Blasetti could find. This movie is unlike anything done before; indeed, considering that it was finished fifteen years before the publication of Lord Of The Rings, its invention of a vast, national epic mythology is an act of genius. And while the storytelling is rough - due to the need to insert everything - and the resources limited, Blasetti shows how to make a little go a long way through beautifully staged and designed battle and crowd scenes. Although it's not classified as a fantasy film,
Gene Kelly's
Anchors Aweigh had a fantasy sequence called "The King who Couldn't Dance" in which Gene did a song and dance number with
Jerry Mouse from
Tom and Jerry. Because these movies do not feature elements common to high fantasy or
sword and sorcery pictures, some modern critics do not consider them to be examples of the fantasy genre.
1950s In the 1950s there were a few major fantasy films, including ''
Darby O'Gill and the Little People and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.'', the latter penned by
Dr. Seuss. Jean Cocteau's
Orphic Trilogy, begun in 1930 and completed in 1959, is based on
Greek mythology and could be classified either as fantasy or surrealist film, depending on how the boundaries between these genres are drawn. Russian fantasy director
Aleksandr Ptushko created three mythological epics from Russian fairytales,
Sadko (1953),
Ilya Muromets (1956), and
Sampo (1959). Japanese director
Kenji Mizoguchi's 1953 film
Ugetsu Monogatari draws on Japanese classical ghost stories of love and betrayal. Other notable pictures from the 1950s that feature fantastic elements and are sometimes classified as fantasy are
Harvey (1950), featuring a
púca of
Celtic mythology;
Scrooge, the 1951 adaptation of
Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol; and
Ingmar Bergman's 1957 masterpiece,
The Seventh Seal. Disney's 1951 animated film
Alice in Wonderland is also a fantasy classic. There were also a number of lower budget fantasies produced in the 1950s, typically based on Greek or Arabian legend. The most notable of these may be 1958's
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, featuring special effects by
Ray Harryhausen and music by
Bernard Herrmann.
1960s Harryhausen worked on a series of fantasy films in the 1960s, most importantly
Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Many critics have identified this film as Harryhausen's masterwork for its
stop-motion animated statues, skeletons,
harpies,
hydra, and other mythological creatures. Other Harryhausen fantasy and science fantasy collaborations from the decade include the 1961 adaptation of
Jules Verne's
Mysterious Island, the critically panned
One Million Years B.C. starring
Raquel Welch, and
The Valley of Gwangi (1969). Capitalising on the success of the
sword and sandal genre several Italian
B-movies based on classical myth were made, including the
Maciste series. Otherwise, the 1960s were almost entirely devoid of fantasy films. The fantasy picture
7 Faces of Dr. Lao, in which
Tony Randall portrayed several characters from Greek mythology, was released in 1964. But the 1967 adaptation of the Broadway musical
Camelot removed most of the fantasy elements from
T. H. White's classic
The Once and Future King, on which the musical had been based. The 1960s also saw a new adaption of Haggard's
She in 1965 starring
Ursula Andress as the immortal "She who must be obeyed" and was followed by a sequel in 1968
The Vengeance of She based loosely on the novel
Ayesha: The Return of She both produced by
Hammer Film Productions. The musical fantasy film
Mary Poppins was released in 1964, and 1968 saw the release of
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang based on a story by
Ian Fleming with a script from
Roald Dahl.
1970s Fantasy elements of
Arthurian legend were again featured, albeit absurdly, in 1975's
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Harryhausen also returned to the silver screen in the 1970s with two additional
Sinbad fantasies,
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). The animated movie
Wizards (1977) had limited success at the box office but achieved status as a
cult film. There was also
The Noah (1975) which was never released theatrically but became a
cult favorite when it was finally released on DVD in 2006. Some would consider 1977's
Oh God!, starring
George Burns to be a fantasy film, and
Heaven Can Wait (1978) was a successful Bangsian fantasy remake of 1941's
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (not 1943's
Heaven Can Wait). A few low budget "Lost World" pictures were made in the 1970s, such as 1975's
The Land That Time Forgot. Otherwise, the fantasy genre was largely absent from mainstream movies in this decade, although 1971's
Bedknobs and Broomsticks and
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory were two fantasy pictures in the public eye the former being predominantly from the same team who did
Mary Poppins the latter again being from Roald Dahl in both script and novel.
1980s 1980s fantasy films were initially characterized by directors finding a new spin on established mythologies. Ray Harryhausen brought the monsters of Greek legends to life in
Clash of the Titans while Arthurian lore returned to the screen in
John Boorman's 1981
Excalibur. Films such as
Ridley Scott's 1985
Legend and
Terry Gilliam's 1981–1986 trilogy of fantasy epics (
Time Bandits,
Brazil, and
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) explored a new artist-driven style featuring surrealist imagery and thought-provoking plots. The modern
sword and sorcery boom began around the same time with 1982's
Conan the Barbarian followed by
Krull and
Fire and Ice in 1983, as well as a boom in
fairy tale-like fantasy films such as
The Neverending Story (1984),
Ladyhawke (1985),
The Princess Bride (1987), and
Willow (1988). The 1980s also started a trend in mixing modern settings and
action film effects with exotic fantasy-like concepts.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986), directed by
John Carpenter and starring
Kurt Russell, combined humor, martial arts and classic Chinese folklore in a modern Chinatown setting.
Highlander, a film about immortal Scottish swordsmen, was released the same year.
Jim Henson produced two iconic fantasy films in the 80s, the solemn
The Dark Crystal and the more whimsical and lofty
Labyrinth. Meanwhile,
Robert Zemeckis helmed
Who Framed Roger Rabbit, featuring various famous cartoon characters from animation's "Golden Age," including
Mickey Mouse,
Minnie Mouse,
Donald Duck,
Bugs Bunny,
Daffy Duck,
Droopy,
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner,
Sylvester the Cat,
Tweety Pie, and
Jiminy Cricket, among others.
1990s The 90s saw the
Disney Renaissance in which many successful adaptations of written fantasy works were released by
Disney Animation. :
Aladdin (1992) :
Army of Darkness (1992) :
Beauty and the Beast (1991) :''
Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (1992) :
Dragonheart (1996) :
Edward Scissorhands (1990) :
Fantasia 2000 (1999) :
The Green Mile (1999) :
Groundhog Day (1993) :
Ghost in the Machine (1995) :
Hercules (1997) :
Hocus Pocus (1993) :
Hook (1991) :
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) :
Jumanji (1995) :
Kazaam (1996) :
Matilda (1996) :
Meet Joe Black (1998) :
Mulan (1998) :
Nightbreed (1990) :
The Prince of Egypt (1998) :
Princess Mononoke (
Mononoke Hime) (1997) :
Toy Story (1995) :
Toy Story 2 (1999) :
The Wind in the Willows (''Mr Toad's Wild Ride'') (1996) :
The Witches (1990)
2000s The 2000s saw a boom in the genre. This was compounded by the success of
Lord of The Rings and
Harry Potter, which spurred a movement in film adaptations of fantasy literary works including
The Chronicles of Narnia,
Tales from Earthsea,
Eragon,
Inkheart, and
The Golden Compass. The
Star Wars prequel trilogy and
Pirates of the Caribbean also saw success at the box office. :
13 Going on 30 (2004) :
17 Again (2009) :
300 (2006) :
Alvin & the Chipmunks (2007) :
Anji (2004) :
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) :
Big Fish (2003) :
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) :
The Brothers Grimm (2005) :
The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–10) :
Coraline (2009) :
Corpse Bride (2005) :
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) :
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) :
D-War (2007) :
Dorian Gray (2009) :
Dungeons & Dragons (2000–12) :
Elf (2003) : ''
The Emperor's New Groove'' (2000) :
Enchanted (2007) :
Eragon (2006) :
Fat Albert (2004) :
The Golden Compass (2007) :
Harry Potter (2001–11) :
The Hexer (2001) :
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) : ''
Howl's Moving Castle'' (2004) :
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) :
Imagine That (2009) :
Inkheart (2008) :
The Invention of Lying (2009) :
King Kong (2005) :
Lady in the Water (2006) : ''
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004) :
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) :
The Lord of the Rings (2001–03) :
The Lovely Bones (2008) :
The Master of Disguise (2002) :
Monsters Inc. (2001–13) :
Nanny McPhee (2005) :
Night Watch (2004) : ''
Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) :
Peter Pan (2003) :
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-17) :
Prezzemolo (2003) :
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) :
The Science of Sleep (2006) :
The Secret of Kells (2009) :
The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007) :
Shrek (2001–10) :
Spider-Man (Raimi trilogy) (2002–07) :
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) :
Spike (2008) :
Spirited Away (2002) :
Stardust (2007) :
Star Wars Episodes I-III (1999–2005) :
Tales from Earthsea ((2006) :
Treasure Planet (2002) :
Twilight (2008–12) :
Underworld (2003–16) :
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) :
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
2010s The early 2010s saw a continuation of the book to screen adaptation fad of the 2000s. Also prevalent in the decade were remakes of older fantasy films especially from
Walt Disney Pictures. :
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) :
Aladdin (2019) :
Alice in Wonderland (2010) :
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) :
Aquaman (2018) :
A Monster Calls (2016) :
A Wrinkle in Time (2018) :
Baahubali: The Beginning (2014) :
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) :
Beauty and the Beast (2017) :
Black Panther (2018) :
Brave (2012) :
Christopher Robin (2018) :
Cinderella (2015) :
Clash of the Titans (2010) and its 2012 sequel,
Wrath of the Titans :
Conan the Barbarian (2011) :
Crimson Peak (2015) :
Dark Shadows (2012) :
Doctor Strange (2016) :
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) :
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) :
Frozen (2013) :
Frozen II (2019) :
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) :
Goosebumps (2015) : ''
Gulliver's Travels'' (2010) :
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) :
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) :
Hop (2011) :
How to Train Your Dragon (2010–19) :
Immortals (2011) :
Into the Woods (2014) :
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) :
John Carter (2012) :
Life of Pi (2012) :
Maleficent (2014) :
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) :
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) :
Maximum Shame (2010) :
Midnight in Paris (2011) :
Mirror Mirror (2012) : ''
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' (2016) :
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) :
Paddington (2014) :
Pan (2015) :
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Sea of Monsters (2013) :
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) : ''
Pete's Dragon'' (2016) :
Peter Rabbit (2018) :
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) :
Puss in Boots (2011) :
Sardaar Ji (2015) (Punjabi) :
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) :
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) :
Song of the Sea (2014) :
Sucker Punch (2011) :
The BFG (2016) :
The Hobbit (2012–14) :
The Jungle Book (2016) :
The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) :
The Last Airbender (2010) :
The Lorax (2012) :
The Muppets (2011) :
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) :
Trolls (2016) :
The Shape of Water (2017) : ''
The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' (2010) :
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) :
Thor: The Dark World (2013) :
Thor (2011) :
Toy Story 3 (2010) :
Toy Story 4 (2019) :
Wonder Woman (2017) :
Your Highness (2011)
2020s The 2020s as of 2023 have shown an increasing interest by studios to adapt games into film with
Monster Hunter,
Sonic the Hedgehog,
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. :
Bloodshot (2020) :
Dolittle (2020) :
Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020) :
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) :
Encanto (2021) :
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) :
Fantasy Island (2020) :
Jiu Jitsu (2020) :
Monster Hunter (2020) :
Mulan (2020) :
Nahuel and the Magic Book (2020) :
The Old Guard (2020) :
Onward (2020) :
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) :
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) :
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) :
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) :
Trolls World Tour (2020) :
The Witches (2020) :
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) :
Wolfwalkers (2020) :
KPop Demon Hunters (2025) ==See also==