10 Great Fantasy Movies For Beginners

While some may consider Fantasy as a genre to be kids’ stuff, some of the greatest films of all time have been one form of fantasy or another. It’s an incredibly flexible and inclusive genre, and it doesn’t hurt that fantasy films are increasingly high-grossing at the box office. Yet much of that phenomenal popularity often hinges on franchises, and for those who haven’t yet been bitten by the fantasy bug, an eight-film saga like Harry Potter doesn’t exactly seem like the most accessible starting point.

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There are dozens of incredible fantasy films that stand on their own and make for a fantastic introduction to the genre, whether you’re looking to find something to show your kids over the holidays or convince your uncle that fantasy films can be masterpieces. And even as an adult, many fantasy films just hit different, bringing an emotional depth that can touch us more poignantly than we could ever imagine.

10 Kubo and the Two Strings

2016, Directed By Travis Knight

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9/10 9.3/10 Kubo and the Two Strings PG

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*Availability in US Director Travis Knight Release Date August 19, 2016 Cast Charlize Theron , Art Parkinson , Minae Noji , Ralph Fiennes , Brenda Vaccaro , Rooney Mara , Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa , Alpha Takahashi , Matthew McConaughey , George Takei Runtime 101 Minutes

This stop-motion-animated action-adventure draws inspiration from Japanese mythology and art, particularly traditional woodblock prints. The titular Kubo (Art Parkinson), is a young boy who lives in a cave, caring for his ailing mother, making a living by playing his shamisen and magically making origami dance to entertain the nearby village. Kubo yearns to learn the fate of his father, the mighty samurai Hanzo, but in pursuing this knowledge he winds up far away from home, on a quest to find the scattered pieces of his father’s armor before he’s hunted down by the cruel Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), his grandfather.

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Related Kubo and the Two Strings Review

Kubo and the Two Strings is Laika’s most poignant, entertaining, and beautiful film yet – and one of the best movies, animated or not, of 2016.

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With a whimsical and unique art style, compelling score, and an all-star cast that also includes Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey, Kubo and the Two Strings is a family-friendly adventure that can appeal to all ages. Laika as a studio has repeatedly demonstrated their mastery of stop-motion animation, and Kubo is the underrated jewel in that impressive crown.

9 How to Train Your Dragon

2010, Directed By Chris Sanders And Dean DeBlois

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9/10 19 9/10 How to Train Your Dragon PG

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*Availability in US Director Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders Release Date March 18, 2010 Cast Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill Runtime 98 Minutes

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Before it was a franchise of three feature films, five short films, three streaming series, and now a live-action remake, How to Train Your Dragon was a single film, adapted from a children’s book of the same name, with significant changes by directors Sanders and DeBlois. The two used their experiences from working on Disney’s Lilo & Stitch together to change Cressida Crowell’s book series from something they described as too “sweet” and “whimsical” into a thrilling, Viking-filled coming-of-age adventure.

Our hero is Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), an awkward boy who, unlike the rest of the Vikings he lives with, has no talent for fighting the dragons that plague their island village of Berk. A chance encounter with a wounded dragon — a near-mythical and dangerous Night Fury — shows Hiccup that there is a chance for the Vikings and the dragons to live in peace as he helps nurse the Night Fury back to health. It’s a heartwarming and gentle film that forces even the most hard-headed among us, Vikings or otherwise, to reconsider our biases about things we don’t understand.

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8 The Book of Life

2014, Directed By Jorge R. Gutierrez

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6/10 The Book of Life PG

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*Availability in US Director Jorge R. Gutierrez Release Date October 17, 2014 Cast Diego Luna , Zoe Saldana , Channing Tatum , Ice Cube , Ron Perlman , Kate del Castillo , Christina Applegate Runtime 95 minutes

The pet project of Tijuana-born director Jorge Gutierrez, who wanted to create a film that served as a magical reflection of his beloved Mexico, The Book of Life is both a story about romance and a parable about death that inspires viewers to embrace life, as is only fitting for a film centered around Día de los Muertos. While the animation is entirely computer-generated, the style defies verisimilitude, with the characters’ models resembling wooden dolls and marionette puppets and the landscapes exploding with fantastical color.

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Fans of The Book of Life, the 2014 animated film from animator Jorge R. Gutierrez, should check out this list of similarly themed films to binge.

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The Book of Life tells the story of three youths in the fictional village of San Angel, located on a peninsula shaped exactly like a guitar. This touch of magical realism carries through the entire film as the youths — Manolo (Diego Luna), María (Zoe Saldana), and Joaquín (Channing Tatum) — struggle with their affections for each other and their families’ unrealistic expectations, all the while serving as the unwitting pawns in a bet between La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), the queen of the Land of the Remembered, and her husband Xibalba (Ron Perlman), ruler of the frigid Land of the Forgotten.

With a story that takes viewers through both lands and beyond (including a stop-off to visit an affable spirit voiced by Ice Cube), The Book of Life uses the trappings of traditional Mexican fables to tell a story that reminds everyone that since death is inevitable, the only way to face it is by being brave enough to live.

7 Shrek

2001, Directed By Andrew Adamson And Vicky Jenson

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8/10 8/10 Shrek PG

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*Availability in US Director Vicky Jenson , Andrew Adamson Release Date May 18, 2001 Cast Cameron Diaz , Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy , John Lithgow Runtime 90 minutes
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Another film that started as a standalone adaptation of a children’s book and accidentally launched a multimedia franchise, the original Shrek may have been released in 2001, but its roots are firmly in that tongue-in-cheek 90s humor. As a result, Shrek is the prototype for films that are meant for kids but include material that will genuinely entertain adults, with a soundtrack packed with both hilarious covers (like Smash Mouth’s cover of The Monkees’ “I’m A Believer,” used to close out the film) and poignant adult contemporary hits (John Cale’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s heartbreaking “Hallelujah”).

The plot is simple; Shrek (Michael Myers) is an ogre who just wants to be left alone, but after the diminutive Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) exiles all the fairy-tale creatures to live in Shrek’s swamp, he is forced reluctantly to remedy the situation by rescuing the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz). Aided by the indefatigable Donkey (Eddie Murphy), the heroes dethrone Farquaad, discover Fiona is actually an ogre, and go off to enjoy their happily-ever-after ending in the swamp. Along the way, there are enough fart jokes, social commentary, and Disney parodies to make even the grumpiest ogre chuckle.

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6 Howl’s Moving Castle

2004, Directed By Hayao Miyazaki

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Adapted with significant changes from the first book in Diana Wynne Jone’s Howl Series, this Studio Ghibli classic at once embraces and subverts some of the most prevalent tropes in fantasy films. Although set entirely in a fictional kingdom, Howl’s Moving Castle is one of Hayao Miyazaki’s several films redolent with anti-war imagery in response to real-world events during its production through the early 2000s. It is also one of the best animated fantasy movies ever made.

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When young hatter Sophie (Emily Mortimer in the English dub, Chieko Baisho in the original Japanese) crosses the malevolent Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall/Akihiro Miwa) and is cursed with old age, she is forced to seek out the mysterious wizard Howl (Christian Bale/Takuya Kimura) in hopes of restoring her youth. Howl is a mercurial man with problems of his own, but as their kingdom is gripped by war, the two learn to rely on each other, and that vulnerability is the real source of strength.

5 Stardust

2007, Directed By Matthew Vaughn

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6/10 7.3/10 Stardust PG-13

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*Availability in US Director Matthew Vaughn Release Date August 10, 2007 Cast Claire Danes , Charlie Cox , Sienna Miller , Ricky Gervais , Jason Flemyng , Rupert Everett , Peter O’Toole , Michelle Pfeiffer , Robert De Niro Runtime 128 Minutes

Yet another book adaptation, this time from a Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, Stardust is yet another play on the classic fairy-tale story of a young man on a quest to prove his love for a beautiful young woman. Tristan (Charlie Cox) lives in the rural English village of Wall, named because of the small stone wall near it that no one ever goes past. Tristan, however, crosses it in search of a falling star, and in doing so winds up in a fantastical kingdom and finds himself an heir to a throne he never knew existed.

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Stardust‘s cast is as star-studded as can be, a literal who’s who of British acting talent, including Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter O’Toole, Ben Barnes, Henry Cavill, and Ian McKellen. Of particular note is Robert DeNiro stealing the show as the secretly flamboyant sky-pirate Captain Shakespeare, whose role is expanded significantly from the book and lets DeNiro chew the scenery delightfully.

4 Labyrinth

1986, Directed By Jim Henson

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8/10 8.3/10 Labyrinth PG

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*Availability in US Director Jim Henson Release Date June 27, 1986 Cast Christopher Malcolm , Toby Froud , Shelley Thompson , Jennifer Connelly , David Bowie Runtime 101 minutes

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The 1980s saw a renaissance of fantasy films, and several of the most brilliant and strange of those films came from Jim Henson and his incredible team at his Creature Shop. While their first major production was 1982’s The Dark Crystal, which saw some incredible developments in the art of puppetry, it’s Labyrinth that remains one of the most enduring, bizarre, and memorable films of the era.

When 16-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) accidentally gets her baby brother Toby (Toby Froud) kidnapped by the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie), she is forced to race against time and get him back from the Goblin King’s castle at the heart of the mysterious Labyrinth. Along the way, she learns to trust other people instead of only her own impulses. With a soundtrack including some of Bowie’s catchiest songs and some of Henson’s best puppetry, Labyrinth has absolutely earned its place as a cult classic (and source of karaoke standards).

3 The Princess Bride

1987, Directed By Rob Reiner

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10/10 9/10 The Princess Bride PG

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*Availability in US Director Rob Reiner Release Date October 9, 1987 Cast Mandy Patinkin , Chris Sarandon , Robin Wright , Cary Elwes , Christopher Guest Runtime 98 minutes
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This beloved movie takes a metatextual approach to its story (much like the source novel) by using the framing device of the grandfather (Peter Falk) reading S. Morgenstern’s original book to his sick grandson (Fred Savage). The joy of the film, though, is the swashbuckling main narrative, which sees stable boy-turned-pirate Westley (Cary Elwes) overcoming Sicilians, eels, rodents of unusual size, and even death itself to save his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from having to marry the foul Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon).

While there have been multiple attempts to adapt the film into a stage musical, as well as years’-worth of rumors of a remake, no major adaptation of The Princess Bride has ever appeared to eclipse the glory of the original. In fact, the only professional adaptation of it to reach any amount of acclaim was only released in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Director Jason Reitman wanted a project that actors could do from their homes, and used his connections to officially license the story and create Home Movie: The Princess Bride.

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Filmed on cell phones and using whatever items were to hand as props, dozens of actors contributed to the project, with each character changing actors in each scene. Fred Savage reprised his role as the grandson, and original director Rob Reiner also played that part, with his father, famous actor Carl Reiner, playing the grandfather in the final scene in his final film appearance before his death. The Princess Bride has remained a cult classic for the nearly four decades since its release, and is simply a cultural icon that anyone even remotely interested in fantasy films should see.

2 Willow

1988, Directed By Ron Howard

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Willow PG

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*Availability in US Director Ron Howard Release Date May 20, 1988 Cast Jean Marsh , Val Kilmer , Joanne Whalley , Patricia Hayes , Warwick Davis Runtime 126 minutes
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While Lucasfilm has always been synonymous with science fiction thanks to the Star Wars films, the company has also provided some excellent fantasy fare, with George Lucas serving as executive producer for this clever sword-and-sorcery adventure. The film follows the eponymous Willow (Warwick Davis), an aspiring dwarven sorcerer who finds a human baby that is being hunted by the dark Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). With the help of the braggadocious mercenary Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), Willow must protect the child and return her home.

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Although it was a mixed success at the box office, Willow was nominated for two Academy Awards when it was released, and the digital effects developed by Industrial Light and Magic are still considered to have been a milestone in the development of CGI. A sequel television series, also called Willow, was released on Disney+ in 2022, with Ron Howard returning to executive produce. Unfortunately, the series, which was met with no small amount of critical excitement, was removed from streaming in 2023 as a part of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s cost-cutting purge of Disney and Hulu’s catalog.

1 The Mummy

1999, Directed By Stephen Sommers

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8/10 8/10 The Mummy PG-13

Director Stephen Sommers Release Date May 7, 1999 Cast Brendan Fraser , Rachel Weisz , John Hannah , Arnold Vosloo , Jonathan Hyde , Kevin J. O’Connor , Oded Fehr Runtime 125 minutes

While most people consider fantasy films to involve knights, dragons, and wizards, there are ways to work fantasy into any place or time, and 1999’s The Mummy, a very loose remake of the 1932 film of the same name starring Boris Karloff, is an excellent example of a fantasy film set in a more modern world. In 1926, librarian and Rhodes Scholar Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) finds a map and key to the legendary ancient Egyptian city of Hamunaptra, said to be full of lost riches.

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After recruiting soldier and ruffian Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), she journeys there but unintentionally awakens Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), an Egyptian sorcerer cursed with immortality for daring to love the Pharaoh’s mistress Anck-su-namun. Rick, with the help of Medjai warrior Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr), must race to stop Imhotep before he regains his power, sacrifices Evelyn to reincarnate his beloved, and unleashes Old Testament-grade plagues upon the world.

…the remake is a fantastical action-comedy that still remains faithful to its predecessor, switching seamlessly from genuine hilarity to horrifying visuals involving very hungry scarab beetles.

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While the original The Mummy was a horror movie, the remake is a fantastical action-comedy that still remains faithful to its predecessor, switching seamlessly from genuine hilarity to horrifying visuals involving very hungry scarab beetles. Critics were mixed on the film, but it grossed over $400 million worldwide, launching a series of sequels and enshrining Brendan Fraser as a beloved comic action star. Roger Ebert, in his original review for the Chicago Sun-Times, said it best, if begrudgingly: “There is hardly a thing I can say in its favor, except that I was cheered by nearly every minute of it.”

Sources: RogerEbert.com

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