The 10 Best Fantasy Movies To Check Out From the 1970s
Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.
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The fantasy genre has allowed storytellers to go wild when it comes to settings, characters, and mystical powers. In the world of film, this was probably best seen up to the 1970s. No two fantasy movies were ever the same: they varied in tone and creativity, from traditional sword and sorcery to contemporary settings with a dash of magic tucked in the corner, and everything in between.
The success of many of these movies encouraged Hollywood to put more money into the fantasy and science fiction genre, which resulted in more elaborate productions in the '80s. With the fantasy genre now more popular than ever thanks to the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and House of the Dragon, there's never been a better time to dive into the 70s' best fantasy films.
10 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' (1971)
In the world of candy production, nobody is more beloved than the mysterious Willy Wonka – a chocolatier who closed his factory years ago yet continues to create new treats. One day, he announces that he has hidden five golden tickets inside his candy bars all around the world. Whoever finds these tickets will win a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.
Although despised by author Roald Dahl, who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is arguably the most beloved adaptation of his work. The movie has a whimsical quality reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, thanks in no small part to an iconic performance by Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The opening song, "The Candy Man," would gain worldwide fame when covered by singer Sammy Davis Jr.
9 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' (1971)
During the Second World War, three siblings are put in the care of Miss Eglantine Price. They discover she is a witch trying to use magic to help Britain win the war. In exchange for their silence, Miss Price enchants a bedknob that allows the children to travel around the world.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks was originally shelved for being too similar to Mary Poppins, but was put back into production when Disney lost the film rights to the sequel books. Being similar to Poppins isn't a bad thing: B&B has the same blend of British wit and classic Disney humor, as well as plenty of fun special effects. The music by the Sherman Brothers once again delivers iconic and bouncy songs.
8 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad' (1973)
The second of three Sinbad films produced by Columbia Pictures sees Captain Sinbad on a quest for the mystical Fountain of Destiny. Whoever claims it shall rule over the city of Marabia, as well as gain eternal youth and a shield of darkness. One such claimant is Koura, an evil magician willing to sell his soul to darkness to get what he wants.
While less groundbreaking than 1958's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is a fantastic adventure movie. The creatures are brought to life by legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, who worked on all three Sinbad films. Among the human actors, Tom Baker steals the show as Koura, adding a level of tragedy to what could have been a one-dimensional villain — which actually got him cast as the fourth Doctor on Doctor Who.
7 'Charlotte's Web' (1973)
Produced by Hanna-Barbera, Charlotte's Web tells the story of Wilbur, a pig who is sold to a new farm. Although he tries to make friends, the animals refuse, saying it's only a matter of time before he's slaughtered. However, Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who promises to use her skill in spinning words into her webs to save his life.
While not a huge success on release, Charlotte's Web developed a following through home video for its heartfelt performances and songs from the Sherman Brothers. Test audiences for the 2006 remake requested the fair sequence be extended because of the iconic "Smorgasbord" scene. Debbie Reynolds also steals the show as Charlotte, whose soothing and motherly voice brings to life the nicest spider in fiction.
6 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' (1975)
Walking through the countryside while his manservant bangs coconuts together to simulate horse-hooves, King Arthur seeks out the most worthy knights to join his Knights of the Round Table. Once assembled, God speaks to Arthur and tasks him with finding the Holy Grail. The quest will be filled with dangers, however, including killer rabbits, knights who say "Ni," and taunting Frenchmen.
Unlike Monty Python's previous movie, Holy Grail is an original story with no pre-existing skits or characters from their show Mony Python's Flying Circus. The writing is superb, and many jokes have become cemented in popular culture, such as the invincible Black Knight. Eric Idle would transition the movie into a Broadway musical-comedy in 2005 called Spamalot.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Fantasy World Do You Belong To? Middle-earth · Grand Line · The Continent · Camp Half-Blood
Pick your magic, your crew, where you want to wake up and who you would rather be fighting, and we will tell you which world you actually belong in. Four are open to you: an ancient kingdom living through its last good age, an endless sea full of pirates, a continent that pays people to kill monsters, and a summer camp where the Greek gods are extremely real and mostly a nuisance.
💍Middle-earth(Rings of Power)
👒Grand Line(One Piece)
🐺The Continent(The Witcher)
🔱Camp Half-Blood(Percy Jackson)
01
What kind of power do you want? Every one of these worlds runs on a completely different sort of magic.
02
Who is travelling with you? Nobody gets through any of these stories entirely on their own.
03
Where do you want to wake up tomorrow? The best fantasy is usually just somewhere you would genuinely like to live.
04
How are you making a living out there? Even in fantasy somebody has to pay for the horse.
05
There is something in the woods. What do you do about it? All four of these worlds keep something unpleasant out there in the dark.
06
Who is the villain of your story? The enemy tells you far more about a world than the hero ever does.
07
What do you actually believe in out there? Every world hands its heroes one rule and asks them to hold onto it.
08
A thousand years from now, how are you remembered? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your world.
The Map Is Drawn Your World Is…
Four worlds and four completely different ideas of what a good life looks like. This is where you belong, what it would ask of you, and what you would get back in return.
Middle-earth
You belong somewhere old enough that the mountains have names and somebody can still tell you who gave them. Middle-earth is for people who think the right thing is worth doing even when it will not be finished in their lifetime.
- This is the only world on the list where doing good is understood as a very long defeat, fought anyway, by people who will never see how it ends.
- You are drawn to grandeur, to white cities and deep forges and the sense that almost everything you touch is older than your entire family line.
- The Rings of Power is set in the last good age before it all goes wrong, which gives every quiet scene in it a slightly unbearable weight.
- You would take the hard road, and you would take it on foot.
The Grand Line
You want the sea, a crew, and absolutely nobody telling you where you are allowed to go. The Grand Line is the world for people whose main ambition in life is finding out what is over there.
- One Piece has run for decades on one very simple engine, which is a group of people who each want something impossible and have decided to go and get it together.
- You collect people. Your ideal crew is a set of misfits who were each written off somewhere else before you turned up and offered them a better idea.
- The world is enormous and deliberately ridiculous, and the emotional gut punches land harder because of that rather than in spite of it.
- You would set sail knowing the map runs out, which is more or less the entire point of it.
The Continent
You would rather be feared and useful than liked and useless. The Continent is a world where the monsters are the straightforward part of the job and the people are where it all gets complicated.
- Witchers get paid to do what nobody else will and resented for existing at all, which is a trade most people would refuse and you would probably accept.
- You have no real illusions about which side is the good one, largely because on the Continent that question tends to have a disappointing answer.
- The best of these stories are not about the fighting. They are about somebody with a rigid code being repeatedly cornered into caring about people.
- You would take the coin, finish the job properly, and be out of town before the story got told wrong.
Camp Half-Blood
You want the myths to be real and loose in the actual world, and you want to find out at about thirteen that you were never anywhere near as ordinary as everybody kept telling you.
- Percy Jackson takes the oldest stories we have and drops them into car parks and diners, which makes the gods considerably funnier and a great deal worse.
- You would be the kid every school gave up on, who turns out to have been built for something nobody thought to test for.
- The series is genuinely about friendship rather than destiny, and it says so out loud every time a prophecy tries to get in the way.
- Camp Half-Blood is the real fantasy here: a place where the thing that made you difficult everywhere else is the thing that makes you belong.
5 'Star Wars: A New Hope' (1977)
On a backwater planet covered in desert, Luke Skywalker acquires two droids carrying the plans to the Galactic Empire's superweapon. When the Empire kills his family while looking for them, Luke joins the rebellion and leaves with Obi-Wan Kenobi, a friend of his father's. They enlist the help of a dashing smuggler and race across the galaxy before the Death Star destroys what hope remains.
While Star Wars is often associated with science fiction, the movie contains many elements of classic fantasy. These are mostly present through the Force, whose philosophy and practice come across as outright magical. Star Wars' impact on popular culture cannot be understated: even today, the original movie inspires stories and characters across all genres.
4 'The Hobbit' (1977)
In a hole in the ground lived Bilbo Baggins, a respectable Hobbit who never went on any adventures. That is until Gandalf the Wizard arrived at his home with thirteen dwarves to hire him on as a burglar. It wouldn't be long before Bilbo found himself far from home, battling trolls, goblins, and a fire-breathing dragon as he helped the dwarves reclaim their home and find his courage as well.
Though much of the book had to be cut, the Rankin/Bass adaptation manages to be more faithful than the trilogy by Peter Jackson. This is because they keep the story on Bilbo and his growth from a quiet Hobbit into a capable burglar. Its unique animation was provided by Topcraft, who worked with Rankin/Bass on several other fantasy movies, including The Return of the King and The Last Unicorn.
3 'Watership Down' (1978)
A young rabbit named Fiver with powers of premonition warns that his warren and all who live in it will be killed. Though dismissed by the elders, his brother Hazel and their friends believe him, setting off to find a new home. Their journey takes them across many perils, including snares, predators, and rival rabbits.
Watership Down's fantasy elements come from the rabbits' mythology. Author Richard Adams made a detailed creation myth explaining why rabbits have so many predators and the adaptations they've developed to avoid them. The movie does a good job of maintaining a dark and mysterious tone to fit this mythology, accentuated by the haunting song "Bright Eyes" by Paul Simon.
2 'The Lord of the Rings' (1978)
Before Peter Jackson's trilogy changed cinema, animator Ralph Bakshi retold how Frodo Baggins came into possession of the One Ring of the Dark Lord, Sauron. Guided by Gandalf the Grey, he and his friends venture to Rivendell so that a great council can be held to decide what will be done with the ring. Ultimately, it is decided that it must be destroyed, and Frodo volunteers to see it done.
Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings adapts The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. While much is condensed, it does a good job sticking to the books. The cast isn't as perfectly matched as in Jackson's films, but John Hurt's portrayal of Aragorn offers a unique take that rivals Viggo Mortensen's.
1 'Superman' (1978)
Directed by Richard Donner and promoted with the tagline, "You Will Believe a Man Can Fly," Superman tells the story of Kal-El, the last son of a dying world called Krypton, who is sent to Earth for protection. He is raised by Jon and Martha Kent, and discovers that his alien biology grants him superhuman abilities thanks to Earth's yellow sun. Once grown, Clark Kent moves to Metropolis to work as a reporter at the Daily Planet and uses his powers to help others as Superman.
Before Donner's films, superhero movies were sparse and not given much thought. Superman changed that thanks to groundbreaking special effects and stellar performances from an ensemble cast, including Christopher Reed, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder. The film's success resulted in five sequels of varying quality.
Superman
- Release Date
- December 14, 1978
- Runtime
- 144 minutes
- Director
- Richard Donner
- Writers
- Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, Tom Mankiewicz, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
-
Christopher Reeve
Clark Kent / Superman
-
Margot Kidder
Lois Lane
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.