List of fantasy films
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| - | '''Fantasy films''' are films with [[fantasy fiction|fantastic]] themes, usually involving [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]], [[supernatural]] events, make-believe creatures, or exotic [[fantasy world]]s. The [[Film genre|genre]] is considered to be distinct from [[science fiction film]] and [[horror film]], although the genres do [[overlap]]. | + | '''List of fantasy films''' is a chronological listing of [[film]]s in the [[fantasy film|fantasy]] genre. [[Fantasy television]] programs, including made for TV movies and miniseries, should be listed at [[List of fantasy television programs]]. |
| - | ==History== | + | |
| - | 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. | + | Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap. |
| - | What follows are some notable Fantasy films. For a more complete list see: [[List of fantasy films]] | + | Films in other languages should be listed under their English titles exclusively. |
| - | ===Early years=== | + | ==Lists by decade== |
| - | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:TheWizardofOzDVDcover.jpg|thumb|''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), a fantasy film classic]] --> | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:Pre 1930]]''' |
| - | In the era of [[silent film]] the outstanding fantasy films were [[Douglas Fairbanks]]' ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1924)|The Thief of Bagdad]]'' (1924) and [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Die Nibelungen]]'' (1924). Following the advent of [[sound film]]s, audiences of all ages embraced what is surely the best loved fantasy film of all time, 1939's ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. Also notable of the era, the iconic 1933 film ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' is not a pure example of the genre, but borrows heavily from the [[Lost World (genre)|Lost World]] subgenre of fantasy fiction. And [[Frank Capra]]'s 1937 picture ''[[Lost Horizon (film)|Lost Horizon]]'' transported audiences to the [[Himalaya]]n fantasy kingdom of [[Shangri-La]], where the residents magically never age. | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:1930s]]''' |
| - | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:1940s]]''' | |
| - | ===1940s=== | + | * '''[[List of fantasy films:1950s]]''' |
| - | + | * '''[[List of fantasy films:1960s]]''' | |
| - | The 1940s then saw several full color fantasy films produced by [[Alexander Korda]], including ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]'' (1940) and ''[[Jungle Book (1942 film)|Jungle Book]]'' (1942). In 1946, [[Jean Cocteau]]'s classic adaptation of ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1946 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' won praise for its [[Surrealism|surreal]] elements and for transcending the boundaries of the [[fairy tale]] genre. ''[[Sinbad the Sailor (1947 film)|Sinbad the Sailor]]'' (1947), starring [[Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.]], has the feel of a fantasy film though it does not actually have any [[fantastic]] elements. Conversely, ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' and ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'', both from 1946, do not feel like fantasy films yet both feature [[supernatural]] elements and the latter movie could reasonably be cited as an example of [[Bangsian fantasy]]. | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:1970s]]''' |
| - | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:1980s]]''' | |
| - | Several other pictures featuring supernatural encounters and aspects of Bangsian fantasy were produced in the 1940s during [[World War II]]. These include ''[[Beyond Tomorrow (1940 film)|Beyond Tomorrow]]'', ''[[The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941 film)|The Devil and Daniel Webster]]'', and ''[[Here Comes Mr. Jordan]]'', all from 1941, ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)|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 (film)|One Touch of Venus]]'' and ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'', both 1948. | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:1990s]]''' |
| - | + | *'''[[List of fantasy films:2000s]]''' | |
| - | 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 5000 Fingers of Dr. T]]'', the latter penned by [[Dr. Seuss]]. Jean Cocteau's [[Orphée|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 (film)|Ilya Muromets]]'' (1956), and ''[[Sampo (film)|Sampo]]'' (1959). | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Other notable pictures from the 1950s that feature fantastic elements and are sometimes classified as fantasy are: ''[[Harvey (film)|Harvey]]'' (1950), featuring a [[púca]] of [[Celtic mythology]]; ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|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 (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' is also a fantasy classic. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | There were also a number of low budget fantasies produced in the 1950s, typically based on Greek or Arabian legend. The most notable of these is probably 1958's ''[[The 7th Voyage of Sinbad]]'', featuring special effects by [[Ray Harryhausen]]. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===1960s and 1970s=== | + | |
| - | Harryhausen worked on a series of fantasy films in the 1960s, most importantly ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]'' (1963). Many critics have identified this film as Harryhausen's masterwork for its [[stop-motion]] animated statues, skeletons, [[harpies]], [[Lernaean Hydra|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 (1961 film)|Mysterious Island]]'', the critically panned ''[[One Million Years B.C.]]'' starring [[Raquel Welch]], and ''[[The Valley of Gwangi]]'' (1969). | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | 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 (film)|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. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | 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 (film)|Wizards]]'' (1977) had limited success at the box office but achieved status as a [[cult film]]. Some would consider 1977's ''[[Oh God!]]'', starring [[George Burns]] to be a fantasy film, and ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|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 (film)|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. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===1980s=== | + | |
| - | <!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Ladyhawke ver1.jpg|200px|thumb|As fantasy film's box office draw increased, so did its star power. 1985's ''[[Ladyhawke]]'', for example, starred [[Matthew Broderick]], [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] and [[Rutger Hauer]].]] --> | + | |
| - | The release of the historical fantasy ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' in 1981 began a fantasy explosion which continues into the twenty-first century. The modern sword and sorcery boom also began at this time with 1982's ''[[Conan the Barbarian (film)|Conan the Barbarian]]''. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | * This is only a partial list. For a more complete list of fantasy films, including those since 1980 see: [[List of fantasy films]]. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===1990s=== | + | |
| - | :''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Ghost (film)|Ghost]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Ghost in the Machine (1993 film)|Ghost in the Machine]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[The Green Mile (film)|Green Mile, The]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[The Indian in the Cupboard (film)|Indian in the Cupboard, The]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Jumanji (film)|Jumanji]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Meet Joe Black]]'' | + | |
| - | :''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' (''Mononoke Hime'') | + | |
| - | :''[[The Sixth Sense|Sixth Sense, The]]'' | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===2000s=== | + | |
| - | <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Poster9.jpg|thumb|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth fantasy adventure film in the popular Harry Potter films series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling.]] --> | + | |
| - | : ''[[Harry Potter film series]] / [[Harry Potter]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy]] / [[The Lord of the Rings]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia film series]] / [[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean films]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Science of Sleep]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Nanny McPhee]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Eragon (film)|Eragon]] / [[Eragon]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Night Watch (2004 film)|Night Watch]] / [[Day Watch]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Stardust (2007 film)|Stardust]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising]] / [[The Dark Is Rising Sequence]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[300 (film)|300]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[The Spiderwick Chronicles (film)]] / [[The Spiderwick Chronicles]]'' | + | |
| - | : ''[[Twilight (film)]] / [[The Twilight Series]]'' | + | |
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[List of horror films]] | ||
| + | *[[List of science fiction films]] | ||
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Revision as of 13:16, 17 January 2009
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List of fantasy films is a chronological listing of films in the fantasy genre. Fantasy television programs, including made for TV movies and miniseries, should be listed at List of fantasy television programs.
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap.
Films in other languages should be listed under their English titles exclusively.
Lists by decade
- List of fantasy films:Pre 1930
- List of fantasy films:1930s
- List of fantasy films:1940s
- List of fantasy films:1950s
- List of fantasy films:1960s
- List of fantasy films:1970s
- List of fantasy films:1980s
- List of fantasy films:1990s
- List of fantasy films:2000s
See also
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "List of fantasy films" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
