10 Fantasy Movies That Are Fun From Start to Finish
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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Fantasy movies are among the oldest examples of cinema. The genre was already beloved for its ability to tell imaginative stories that turn the mundane into the magical, and cinema allowed this to be fully realized thanks to special effects and elaborately constructed sets and animatronics. As technology has improved, it has allowed filmmakers to become more experimental, leading to more and more fantasy movies gracing the big screen.
One reason for the constant appeal of these beloved gems is how fun they are. Even if the film isn't a masterpiece, when enough creative ideas blend, fantasy movies can create a narrative that entertains the viewer with fun characters and engaging worlds, ensuring they finish with a smile on their faces.
'Dragonheart' (1996)
After rebels mortally wound Prince Einon (Lee Oakes and David Thewlis), his mother Queen Aislinn (Julie Christie) seeks out a dragon (Sir Sean Connery), who uses half of his heart to save Einon's life. Unfortunately, Einon proves to be a horrible tyrant, prompting his mentor, Sir Bowen (Dennis Quaid), to blame the dragon for corrupting Einon, and vow to hunt them down. Twelve years later, Bowen is fought to a stalemate against the dragon that saved Einon—whom he names Draco—forcing the two to form an unlikely partnership.
Dragonheart might not be one of the best fantasy movies in terms of its writing, but for what it is, it's an entertaining and fun time. A lot of this comes from Draco himself: the design of the dragon makes him powerful yet approachable, and Connery manages to inject him with a good amount of dignity, wisdom, and even a little sass. Bowen also has a good story about rediscovering his faith and belief in Chivalry, while side characters like the monk Brother Gilbert (Pete Postlethwaite) add some levity and jokes.
'Rise of the Guardians' (2012)
Jack Frost (Chris Pine) is a spirit of frost and winter fun who roams the Earth unseen by humans, desperately trying to find his lost memories. One day, he is approached by the Guardians of Childhood—Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman—who inform him that the Boogeyman, Pitch Black (Jude Law), has returned. Using his army of Nightmares, Pitch plans to infect all the children of the world with fear, weakening the Guardians to a point where he can usher in a new Dark Age.
Rise of the Guardians might not be one of the best DreamWorks movies, but it is easily among their most fun. The animation alone evokes joy through bright colors and captivating visuals, be they creative character designs like the Tooth Fairy resembling an anthropomorphic hummingbird, or the beautiful workshops of the Guardians. Speaking of the Guardians, each of them stands out thanks to their strong personalities and unique powers, demonstrated through some gorgeous action sequences.
'Missing Link' (2019)
Image via Laika
Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is an explorer who has dedicated his life to proving the existence of cryptids so he can join the Society of Great Men. His search leads him to the Pacific Northwest, where he encounters a sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis) who requests Frost's help in traveling to the Himalayas to find his cousins, the yetis. Meanwhile, the leader of the society, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Sir Stephen Fry), learns of Lionel's discovery and hires a bounty hunter to kill him.
Missing Link is a more lighthearted film compared to Laika's previous outings, but it's got all of their strengths. It is a wonderful homage to classic adventure stories like Around the World in 80 Days, while its core relationship between Frost and Mr. Link is a touching friendship that explores themes of found family and belonging. It also goes without saying that the stop motion is some of the best ever seen, with detailed character movements and impressive action sequences.
'Time Bandits' (1981)
Kevin (David Rappaport) is a young history buff who is shocked to find six dwarves materializing in his room. They explain that they used to work for the Supreme Being (Tony Jay and Sir Ralph Richardson) by using a map of the universe to fix portals in space-time, but have decided to go rogue and use the map to rob history blind. They end up bringing Kevin along on their misadventures, but unknown to all of them, they are being watched by the manifestation of Evil (David Warner), who plans to use the map to escape his prison and re-make reality.
Time Bandits is the first of the Trilogy of Imagination from director Terry Gilliam, and it's about as weird and captivating as you'd expect from a member of Monty Python. This is thanks in large part to how it captures the whimsical nature of a child's imagination, blending real history with surreal comedic moments and presenting the Bandits themselves as a dysfunctional family that loves and fights itself in equal measure. Yet there are also some interesting themes at play, such as a commentary about consumerism and the dangers of relying on technology, which feels more relevant today than when it came out.
'Alice in Wonderland' (1951)
While sitting by the river daydreaming of a world of her own, Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) spots a white rabbit (Bill Thompson) with a waistcoat and a pocket watch, fretting that he will be late. Curious about his destination, Alice follows him down a rabbit hole and winds up in a place called Wonderland. She quickly finds that the world is one of nonsense and improbability, full of colorful characters that are far from helpful in tracking down the rabbit, let alone finding her way home.
Alice in Wonderland is one of Disney's most visually stunning films, especially because it was made before the rise of computers, meaning every bit of animation was hand-drawn. The animators put everything into bringing Wonderland to life, resulting in iconic characters, bold colors, and gorgeous background art that makes you curious about what can be found around every corner. It also boasts the most songs of any Disney film, and while some of them are only a few seconds long and pretty forgettable, others are catchy earworms that help put a bit more wonder in Wonderland.
'Stardust' (2007)
When the dying King of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole) sees that three of his seven sons are still alive, he tosses his ruby into the sky, claiming that whoever claims it will be the next king. The ruby causes a star to fall from the sky, prompting a young man named Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) to venture out of his village and into a land of magic to recover it for his sweetheart. The star has transformed into a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes), and is also being hunted by a trio of witches who want to use her heart to restore their youth.
Stardust changes the tone from the book to be more lighthearted and romantic, which makes for a very fun time. Cox and Danes have great chemistry together, allowing you to easily believe their budding romance and enjoy their playful banter. The rest of the film is a fun adventure through magical lands that see the protagonists cross paths with colorful characters, such as Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), a crossdressing thespian sky pirate.
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.
'The Thief of Bagdad' (1940)
King Ahmad of Baghdad (John Justin) disguises himself as a commoner to get to know his people better, but is betrayed by his Grand Vizier, Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), who seizes power and sentences Ahmad to death. Fortunately, he escapes prison with the help of a young thief named Abu (Sabu), and the two flee to neighboring Basra. Ahmad falls in love with the city's princess (June Duprez), but Jaffar also lusts after her and possesses formidable knowledge of black magic.
Magical is the best way to describe The Thief of Bagdad. Thanks to some impressive locations and the first-ever use of blue screen technology, the movie feels like you are watching legendary creatures interact with mortals, and all manner of mystical arts that can reshape reality. The performances from everyone involved are also fantastic, especially Sabu's infectious charisma, and Veidt's haunting non-verbal performances.
'Shrek 2' (2004)
Upon returning home from their honeymoon, ogre couple Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are invited to the kingdom of Far Far Away by Fiona's parents, Queen Lillian (Dame Julie Andrews) and King Harold (John Cleese). Shrek and Harold take a dislike of one another, but after a talk with Fiona, Shrek decides to try and see if he can change to be the type of husband she deserves. Meanwhile, Fiona's Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) learns that she has married an ogre, so she blackmails Harold into hiring an ogre hunter named Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to kill Shrek, so Fiona can marry her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
Shrek 2 is one of the best animated sequels and gives the audience a natural continuation of the story that ups the comedy and heartfelt character moments. It fully embraces its satirical take on fairy tale clichés while also demonstrating the depths of Shrek and Fiona's love for one another, and how much he is willing to sacrifice for her. Fairy Godmother is also a fantastic villain: she mass-produces happily ever after endings and has no qualms about manipulating the emotions of others to ensure she gets what she wants, topped off by Saunders' deliciously evil performance.
'The Princess Bride' (1987)
A grandfather (Peter Falk) visits his sick grandson (Fred Savage) to read him a fairy tale. It follows Buttercup (Robin Wright), a peasant girl who is chosen as the bride of Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) after her love, Westley (Cary Elwes), is lost at sea. She is captured by three brigands who want to spark a war between Humperdinck and a neighboring kingdom, but as they head to the border, they are pursued by a mysterious and highly skilled man in black.
The Princess Bride is the type of movie that knows exactly what it is and invites the audience to come along for the ride. It's a beautiful tongue-in-cheek fairy tale full of witty and quotable dialogue, engaging swordfights, a sweet romance, and lovable characters. The one who stands out the best is the Spanish fencer Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), thanks to his revenge storyline and Patinkin's fantastic charisma and conviction.
'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)
When a tornado sucks up her farmhouse, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto (Terry) end up in the magical land of Oz. With her house having crushed the evil Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy is given ownership of her magic Ruby Slippers, then told by the good witch Glinda (Billie Burke) to seek out the Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) if she wishes to get home. She picks up a brainless Scarecrow (Frank Morgan), a heartless Tin Man (Bert Lahr), and a Cowardly Lion (Jack Haley) along the way, while also making an enemy of the deceased witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
The Wizard of Oz overcame a disastrous production to become a contender for the most influential film in history. Revolutionary use of three-strip Technicolor made Oz truly feel magical and otherworldly compared to the black-and-white imagery of Kansas, while its archetypal characters and catchy songs burn themselves into the memories of everyone who experiences them. No matter how many times you see the film, and at what stage of life, it always pulls you into its whimsical adventure and heartfelt story about the importance of home.
The Wizard of Oz
- Release Date
- August 25, 1939
- Cast
- Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick, Terry, Adriana Caselotti, Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, Buddy Ebsen, Parnell St. Aubin, Billy Bletcher, Pinto Colvig, Charles Becker, Mitchell Lewis, Buster Brodie, Ethelreda Leopold, Billy Curtis, Eleanor Keaton, Angelo Rossitto
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Director
- Victor Fleming
- Writers
- Edgar Allan Woolf, Florence Ryerson, Noel Langley, L. Frank Baum
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