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Criteria: This list includes films that contain 'unreal' earthly (or heavenly) locations, 'supernatural' human powers (Superheroes), and 'supernatural' entities (angels, wizards, ghosts, dragons, witches...) This list does NOT include Animated, Horror-Fantasy, or Science Fiction-Fantasy movies. These films were NOT chosen for how highly rated they are overall, but how they rate in the subject of "Fantasy Movie".

Edited By: Lew
Last Updated: 2024-07-31

Link: https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movi ... antasy.php



Title - (Year, Primary Director) (Staring Actors)

1. The Wizard of Oz - (1939, Victor Fleming) (Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley)
2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - (2003, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin)
3. Beauty and the Beast - (1946, Jean Cocteau) (Jean Marais, Josette Day)
4. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - (2001, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen)
5. Time Bandits - (1981, Terry Gilliam) (Craig Warnock, Sean Connery, John Cleese)
6. Legend - (1985, Ridley Scott) (Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry)
7. The Princess Bride - (1987, Rob Reiner) (Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Mandy Patinkin)
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone - (2001, Chris Columbus) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
9. Willow - (1988, Ron Howard) (Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Jean Marsh)
10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - (2002, Peter Jackson) (Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen)
11. Edward Scissorhands - (1990, Tim Burton) (Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder)
12. Pan's Labyrinth - (2006, Guillermo del Toro) (Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, Sergi López)
13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - (2004, Alfonso Cuaron) (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint)
14. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - (1989, Terry Gilliam) (John Nevile, Oliver Reed)
15. Labyrinth - (1986, Jim Henson) (Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie)
16. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - (2005, A. Adamson)
17. Superman - (1978, Richard Donner) (Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman)
18. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - (2003, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp)
19. Dragonslayer - (1981, Matthew Robbins) (Ralph Richardson, Peter MacNicol)
20. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - (2006, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp)
21. Excalibur - (1981, John Boorman) (Nigel Terry, Nicole Williamson, Liam Neeson)
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark - (1981, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies)
23. The Dark Crystal - (1982, Jim Henson, Frank Oz) (Voices of- Jim Henson, Frank Oz)
24. What Dreams May Come - (1998, Vincent Ward) (Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra)
25. Ghostbusters - (1984, Ivan Reitman) (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver)
26. Dragonheart - (1996, Rob Cohen) (Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Dina Meyer)
27. Spider-Man 2 - (2004, Sam Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina)
28. Ladyhawke - (1985, Richard Donner) (Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer)
29. Batman Begins - (2005, Christopher Nolan) (Christian Bale, Michael Caine)
30. Hook - (1991, Steven Spielberg) (Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams)
31. Neverending Story - (1984, Wolfgang Petersen) (Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Deep Roy)
32. The Shape of Water - (2017, Guillermo del Toro) (Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon)
33. X-Men: The Last Stand - (2006, Brett Ratner) (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen)
34. Big Fish - (2003, Tim Burton) (Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney)
35. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - (2002, Chris Columbus) (Daniel Radcliffe)
36. Sleepy Hollow - (1999, Tim Burton) (Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci)
37. Stardust - (2007, Matthew Vaughn) (Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro)
38. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - (2005, Mike Newell) (Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman)
39. Jumanji - (1995, Joe Johnston) (Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt)
40. Faust - (1926, F.W. Murnau) (Silent - Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn)
41. Highlander - (1986, Russell Mulcahy) (Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart)
42. Batman - (1989, Tim Burton) (Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger)
43. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - (1989, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
44. Black Panther - (2018, Ryan Coogler) (Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o)
45. X2: X-Men United - (2003, Bryan Singer) (Huge Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry)
46. The Prestige - (2006, Christopher Nolan) (Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine)
47. The Crow - (1994, Alex Proyas) (Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis)
48. The Mask - (1994, Chuck Russell) (Jim Carrey, Peter Riegert, Richard Jeni)
49. Darkman - (1990, Sam Raimi) (Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand)
50. Stairway to Heaven - (1946, Michael Powell) (David Niven, Kim Hunter, Raymond Massey)
51. The Mummy - (1999, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
52. X-Men - (2000, Bryan Singer) (Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen)
53. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - (2009, David Yates) (Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon)
54. Clash of the Titans - (1981, Desmond Davis) (Harry Hamlin, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress)
55. Conan the Barbarian - (1982, John Milius) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones)
56. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - (2007, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom)
57. Pleasentville - (1998, Gary Ross) (Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy)
58. Jason and the Argonauts - (1963, Don Chaffey) (Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Nigel Green)
59. Spider-Man - (2002, Sam Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst)
60. Watchmen - (2009, Zack Snyder) (Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode)
61. Bridge to Terabithia - (2007, Gabor Csupo) (Josh Hutcherson, Zooey Deschanel)
62. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I - (2010, David Yates) (Daniel Radcliffe)
63. Reign of Fire - (2002, Rob Bowman) (Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco)
64. MirrorMask - (2005, Dave McKean) (Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon)
65. Peter Pan - (2003, P.J. Hogan) (Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood)
66. The Mummy Returns - (2001, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
67. The Thief of Bagdad - (1969, Ludwig Berger) (Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez)
68. Unbreakable - (2000, M. Night Shyamalan) (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn)
69. Constantine - (2005, Francis Lawrence) (Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf)
70. Blade - (1998, Stephen Norrington) (Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Traci Lords)
71. FairyTale: A True Story - (1997, Charles Sturridge) (Harvey Keitel, Florence Hoath, Elizabeth Earl)
72. The Brothers Grimm - (2005, Terry Gilliam) (Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce)
73. Hulk - (2003, Ang Lee) (Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte)
74. Superman II - (1980, Richard Lester) (Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder)
75. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - (1984, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw)
76. The Fountain - (2006, Darren Aronofsky) (Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz)
77. Bruce Almighty - (2003, Tom Shadyac) (Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston)
78. Return to Oz - (1985, Walter Murch) (Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Piper Laurie)
79. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - (2008, A. Adamson) (Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley)
80. The Golden Compass - (2007, Chris Weitz) (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards)
81. Van Helsing - (2004, Stephen Sommers) (Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale)
82. Spawn - (1997, Mark A.Z. Dippé) (Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen)
83. Batman Returns - (1992, Tim Burton) (Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer)
84. Sword of the Valient - (1984, Stephen Weeks) (Thomas Heathcote, Miles O'Keeffe, Sean Connery)
85. The Forbidden Kingdom - (2008, Rob Minkoff) (Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano)
86. The Witches of Eastwick - (1987, G. Miller) (Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon)
87. The Indian in the Cupboard - (1995, Frank Oz) (Hal Scardino, Litefoot, David Keith)
88. Ella Enchanted - (2004, Tommy O'Haver) (Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver)
89. Spider-Man 3 - (2007, S. Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco)
90. Wings of Desire - (1987, Wim Wenders) (Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk)
91. The Scorpion King - (2002, Chuck Russell) (The Rock, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steven Brand)
92. Meet Joe Black - (1998, Martin Brest) (Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani)
93. The Picture of Dorian Gray - (1945, Albert Lewin) (Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, George Sanders)
94. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - (2004, Brad Silberling) (Jim Carrey)
95. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - (2003, S. Norrington) (Sean Connery, Stuart Townsend)
96. Conan the Destroyer - (1984, Richard Fleischer) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Mako)
97. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - (1958, Nathan Juran) (Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant)
98. Krull - (1983, Peter Yates) (Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Liam Neeson)
99. The Science of Sleep - (2006, Michel Gondry) (Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg)
100. Jabberwocky - (1977, Terry Gilliam) (Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier)

I spotted 3 errors on the list:
57. Pleasentville - (1998, Gary Ross)
67. The Thief of Bagdad - (1969, Ludwig Berger)
84. Sword of the Valient - (1984, Stephen Weeks)

The first should be spelled "Pleasantville", and on the 3rd one, it's spelled "Valiant". On the 2nd, there's more than one movie with that title, but the one with the director and actors listed is from 1940. The 1940 one is the one I'd expect to find on this list anyway. BTW, that one is pretty acclaimed; it could stand to be higher. I think it's worthy of the top 40.

I believe the following should be on the list, roughly in this order:

Mary Poppins - (1964, Robert Stevenson) (Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson)
The Green Knight - (2021, David Lowery) (Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton)
The Seventh Seal - (1957, Ingmar Bergman) (Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot)
Ugetsu - (1953, Kenji Mizoguchi) (Machiko Kyo, Mitsuko Mito, Kinuyo Tanaka)
Orpheus - (1950, Jean Cocteau) (Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, Marie Déa)
The Holy Mountain - (1973, Alejandro Jodorowsky) (Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - (1971, Mel Stuart) (Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum)

I'm basing this mostly on acclaim. All of these are pretty widely considered to be great fantasy movies. I think #24 would be a good spot for Mary Poppins. I picked that position because The Dark Crystal is at #23, and it's pretty big too. I don't see anything below it that I would put ahead of Mary Poppins. I think that the next 3 are worthy of the top 40, and the last 3 worthy of the top 50, with the possible exception of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which is maybe borderline top 50.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is also a possibility, though I could see that one maybe being left out on the grounds that it's more a comedy movie. The Fall (2006) and Being John Malkovich (1999) might also be worthy of consideration for the lower part of the list.

These are the entries I would drop to make room for the proposed additions:

46. The Prestige
49. Darkman
81. Van Helsing
84. Sword of the Valiant
89. Spider-Man 3
91. The Scorpion King
96. Conan the Destroyer

I think the first 2 are more science fiction than fantasy, and the third is more horror, and the criteria excludes sci fi fantasy and horror fantasy. Van Helsing also isn't very acclaimed. For the last 4, it mostly came down to lack of acclaim and that they currently occupy a fairly low position on the list. Conan also wasn't very big at the box office, and the success of SM3 and Scorpion at the box office was aided by movies that preceded them. If an additional movie needs to be dropped, or if there's reluctance to drop any of these, The Brothers Grimm could be dropped. Also, some of the superhero movies border on sci fi, so dropping one of them might be considered.

For all these genre lists, it might be worthwhile going through our all-time and decade lists to check for genre movies. At least the top spots would be set then.

Looking only at the current top ten, both the 1924 and 1940 Thiefs of Bagdad should absolutely be top ten locks. Hugely influential and successful at the time.

The all-time and decade lists wouldn't exactly set the positions on this list since the list is ranking them as fantasy movies, which in some cases would be different from how they rank as movies overall. But it might be worthwhile to go through the all-time and decade lists for genre movies just to make sure nothing was overlooked. I think that's probably what happened with The Seventh Seal and Ugetsu. I doubt that they were intentionally excluded.

Since my previous post, it occurred to me that Mary Poppins includes some animation, and maybe to be eligible for the list there must be zero or almost zero animation. I would say that it's primarily not an animated film, but with some animation included, so I don't think of it as an animated film.

Im partial to animation being excluded. I think Spirited Away, for example, would fit pretty well with the list.

Wicked probably deserves a slot as well.

ManPerson wrote: Mon Dec 01, 2025 4:53 pm Im partial to animation being excluded. I think Spirited Away, for example, would fit pretty well with the list.

The criteria excludes animated films, so that explains why Spirited Away isn't on the list. My question is whether that only means that fully animated films are excluded, or if films like Mary Poppins that have some animation, but are primarily live-action, are also excluded.

Mary Poppins is definitely more live action than not.