After updating our list of essential sci-fi novels last week, this week’s focus is creating a list of the must-see fantasy films. Unlike comedy, drama, and even horror and science fiction, fantasy seems hard to pin down. It can incorporate elements of all these genres, but it’s sometimes tough to define it as a category. Some people hear the word and picture elves, wizards, and fauns, while others expand their definition to include contemporary tales of imagination and narratives that simply couldn’t happen inside the framework of reality.
For this brand new list, we’re going beyond just imaginary worlds and including weird and wonderful stories from our own. It’s a diverse genre, and so is our list. Here there be dragons, but you’ll also find special-effects-laden blockbusters, black-and-white classics, and films that defy easy categorization.
J.R.R. Tolkien helped popularize fantasy fiction, and we’d be ashamed if we didn’t include Peter Jackson’s jaw-dropping adaptations of The Lord of the Rings on our list. The magical cinematic might of Harry Potter makes the series’ best entry, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, an equally important addition. Rob Reiner’s highly quotable The Princess Bride isn’t just about the power of love; there’s also giants, dwarves, and an R.O.U.S. or two to make the film even more enchanting.
Though Excalibur and Willow fit the typical definition of fantasy, there’s more to the category than these standards. You won’t find a single wizard’s hat or bewitched sword in contemporary movies like Groundhog Day or Being John Malkovich, but there’s an undeniable magic in them.
A number of down-the-rabbit-hole adventures are included here as well (we’ll reserve our judgment for Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland ’til after its release next month). The 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz should be on every best-of fantasy list — as well as every best-of cinema roster — and we’d hate not to include its 2009 equivalent, Coraline. Hayao Miyazaki is a master of the genre, and his Spirited Away is a beautifully animated, wonderfully imaginative tale that wows children and adults alike.
The work of other fantasy-loving directors is here as well. Guillermo Del Toro often dives into the dreamlike (and the nightmarish), and his Oscar-winning film Pan’s Labyrinth is a must for anyone looking for an alternative to the banal. Terry Gilliam has several entries on the list (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Brazil, and Time Bandits) as does the dearly missed Jim Henson (Dark Crystal and Labyrinth). Deciding to include films from Tim Burton wasn’t an issue, but picking just two (Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish) was a problem.
Jean Cocteau’s gorgeous French Beauty and the Beast, the moving Wim Wenders German film Wings of Desire, and Taiwan’s poetic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon demonstrate that America doesn’t hold a monopoly on the genre. Meanwhile, the presence of Merian Cooper’s 1933 version of King Kong and the 1947 romantic fantasy The Ghost and Mrs. Muir proves that CGI isn’t necessary to make an enduring film with elements of the unreal.
As with our other top lists, the essential fantasy films list we’ve created is just a starting point and we’re relying on your knowledge and input to improve it. We hope you’ll tell us about which films we overlooked (and which ones we should have). As always, be sure to follow us on Twitter @getglue for all our updates and news.
