Fantasy is probably the oldest genre of storytelling. It has long allowed humans to make sense of the world around them by presenting relatable fears, virtues, and aspirations as horrific monsters, ancient curses, and brave heroes. When cinema began to emerge at the turn of the 19th century, fantasy movies were some of the earliest, and the years have only seen them get better thanks to improved effects and more creative writers.
Some fantasy films are more noteworthy than others thanks to how they shook up the genre. Be it through amazing effects, trend-setting writing choices, or iconic character archetypes, these fantasy movies set a standard that few others have been able to match, let alone surpass. Within the beloved genre, there is a clear before and after these movies, cementing their legacies as bona fide pioneers.
‘Shrek’ (2001)
When Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) orders all fairy tale creatures banished from his lands, they are relocated to a swamp inhabited by an antisocial ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers). With the aid of a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek meets Lord Farquaad, who agrees to remove the squatters if Shrek will recover his would-be bride, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), from a dragon-guarded castle. However, there is more to Fiona than meets the eye, and she and Shrek quickly begin to bond.
Shrek is one of the seminal films of the 21st century: it established that 3D was the new way to make animated films, and cemented DreamWorks as a legitimate contender against the likes of Disney and Pixar. The writing was also very influential thanks to its raunchy and satirical take on classic fairy tale tropes that had been popularized by Disney in the 1990s. Finally, the film just has a great, timeless feel to it, with a universal message about acceptance and the dangers of judging too quickly.
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
While moving to a new house, Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) becomes trapped in the spirit world with her parents, who are transformed into pigs for eating spirit food. She is helped by a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden), who helps her get a job at the local bathhouse. There, the witch Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette) takes Chihiro’s name as part of the contract and renames her Sen. However, the job provides Chihiro with a level of security, allowing her to come up with a plan to rescue her parents and escape.
Spirited Away was the first foreign film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and influenced many creatives who viewed it, thanks to its gorgeous atmosphere. There are plenty of quiet moments that let the emotional weight of the scene resonate with the viewer, and a creative spirit world with its own confusing yet internally consistent rules. Then there is the animation, which is some of the most detailed and fluid ever seen in a 2D film, leading to creative creature designs, expressive facial and body movements, and so much detail that you need to watch the film several times to catch it all.
‘The Dark Crystal’ (1982)
On the planet Thra, there live two ancient races: the avian Skeksis, who drain the planet’s life force through the damaged Crystal of Truth, and the mystical urRu, who live in secret and shelter one of the last Gelflings, named Jed (Stephen Garlick). One day, both the Skeksis Emperor and the leader of the urRu die, so Jed is sent on a quest to recover the missing shard of the Crystal of Truth to stop the Skeksis from completely draining the planet during the Great Conjunction. He finds allies in Mother Aughra (Billie Whitelaw), the ancient but eccentric wise woman of Thra, and Kira (Lisa Maxwell), a female Gelfling who survived the Skeksis’ genocide against their people.
The Dark Crystal is a masterpiece by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. Thus, it’s no surprise that the puppetry in the film is revolutionary, with every creature and plant looking, moving, and feeling like something truly alien. The Skeksis are the best of these fascinating creations, with incredibly expressive faces that help to complement their wicked personalities.
‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)
When raiders led by Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones)wipe out his village and kill his parents, Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sold into slavery and turned into a prized gladiator. He eventually earns his freedom and joins two companions—an archer named Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and a warrior named Valeria (Sandahl Bergman)—with whom he teams up to rob a snake temple. As it turns out, this temple is operated by Thulsa Doom, which sets Conan down the path of vengeance.
Conan the Barbarian kicked off the golden era of 1980s fantasy films thanks to its high production value and epic scale. Between its iconic music, gritty action sequences, and fantastic performances from the cast, it transported audiences into a world of ancient mythology where magic is a terrifying force, and people must rely both on brute force and cunning to survive. It also began Schwarzenegger’s career as an action star, leading to future roles in The Terminator and The Predator, among so many others.
‘The Lost World’ (1925)
Paula White (Bessie Love) approaches eccentric Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery) with her father’s journal, which details a plateau in South America where dinosaurs may still walk the Earth. Challenger funds an expedition to the plateau to rescue Paula’s father, bringing with him big game hunter Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone), reporter Edward Malone (Lloyd Hughes), and Professor Summerlee (Arthur Hoyt), among others. What they find is a hostile landscape where prehistoric animals constantly battle one another for survival, while they are stalked by a mysterious ape-man (Bull Montana).
The Lost World is a pioneering silent film that set the framework for the “lost world” trope, where modern civilization clashes with remnants of a bygone era. The stop-motion effects by Willis O’Brien were also revolutionary, bringing the prehistoric creatures to life in a way never seen before. O’Brien would expand on this foundation eight years later for King Kong, and future stop-motion legends like Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippett would be inspired by his work.
‘The Thief of Bagdad’ (1940)
A blind beggar in Basra reveals to a crowd of listeners that he is Ahmad (John Justin), the king of Baghdad, who was recently deposed by his evil grand vizier, Jaffar (Conrad Veidt). He escapes execution with the help of a thief named Abu (Sabu), and the two flee to Basra, where Ahmad falls in love with its princess (June Duprez). However, Jaffar also lusts after her, and he is prepared to use his excessive knowledge of black magic if anyone gets in his way.
The Thief of Bagdad is a remake of the 1924 silent film of the same name. However, it’s arguably the more influential version thanks to its pioneering use of blue screen technology, which gives the magical moments and creatures a feel of slight otherworldliness that cements them as unnatural when set against gorgeous sets and on-site locations. Its aesthetic can also be felt in every subsequent adaptation of the One Thousand and One Nights, but can most obviously be seen in films like Aladdin.
‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’ (1926)
A wicked sorcerer approaches the local Caliph and offers a magical flying horse in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Caliph’s son, Prince Achmed, objects to the proposal, so the sorcerer offers to let him sample the horse first. Unfortunately, Achmed isn’t able to get the horse to descend until he is lost in the land of Wak Wak, and must find his way home while facing horrible demons and other dark forces.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the oldest surviving animated film and was a pioneer in many areas. It was among the first uses of the multiplane camera, which was crucial in creating the film’s unique shadow-puppet aesthetic. It’s also one of the earliest films that adapt the One Thousand and One Nights, even if it’s combining elements from numerous stories to create a single, new narrative.
‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937)
When the Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) learns that her stepdaughter, Snow White (Adriana Caselotti), is considered fairer than her, she tasks her huntsman (Stuart Buchanan) with killing the princess. He can’t bring himself to do it and instead warns Snow White to flee into the forest. There, she makes friends with the wildlife and eventually meets seven dwarfs, who agree to let her stay with them in their cottage.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was not only the first animated film in the Disney canon, but also North America’s first animated film, and the first made in three-strip Technicolor. Nobody thought that it would succeed at first, but it broke all expectations thanks to its beautiful animation and simple but emotionally gripping story and characters. It showed that audiences were not only hungry for animated films, but fairy tales in general.
‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy (2001-2003)
Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is a young hobbit from the Shire who learns that the golden magic ring he inherited from his uncle, Bilbo (Sir Ian Holm), is actually the One Ring: an artifact forged by the dark lord, Sauron (Alan Howard), and imbued with a piece of his soul. At the instruction of the wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), he travels to the elven city of Rivendell with trusted companions, where it is decided that the Ring must be destroyed before Sauron can reclaim it. As Frodo begins the perilous journey to the volcano Mount Doom, Sauron gathers his army and wages his final war on the free people of Middle-earth.
Sir Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy broke new ground by proving that fantasy movies could be major blockbusters. The third film, The Return of the King, even won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture. Groundbreaking special effects and the beautiful New Zealand landscape brought Middle-earth and its people to life so vividly that it feels like an actual, tangible location, with plenty of history and rich cultures to explore beyond what the movies show. The trilogy kicked off a huge wave of fantasy movies in the 2000s, including adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia.
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
When a tornado sweeps up her farmhouse, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto (Terry) find themselves transported to the magical land of Oz, where her house killed the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda (Billie Burke), the Good Witch of the North, gives Dorothy the deceased witch’s ruby slippers and tells her to travel to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) to get her home. She makes friends with a brainless Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heartless Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), but also an enemy in the deceased witch’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
The Wizard of Oz is a landmark film in cinema history thanks to its iconic use of three-strip Technicolor to show the difference between Oz and the real world. Beyond that, it cemented the fairy-tale film style thanks to its easy-to-follow story, iconic characters, catchy songs, and great sense of whimsy and fun. It proved that fantasy films could be enjoyed by all audiences, thus paving the way for everything that followed.