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Fantasy films are films that belong to thefantasy genre with fantastic themes, usuallymagic,supernatural events,mythology,folklore, or exoticfantasy worlds. Thegenre is considered a form ofspeculative fiction alongsidescience fiction films andhorror films, although the genres do overlap.[1] Fantasy films often have an element of magic,myth,wonder,escapism, and the extraordinary.[2]
Several sub-categories of fantasy films can be identified, although the delineations between these subgenres, much as in fantasy literature, are somewhat fluid.
The most common fantasy subgenres depicted in movies arehigh fantasy andsword and sorcery.[according to whom?] Both categories typically employ quasi-medieval settings, wizards, magical creatures and other elements commonly associated with fantasy stories.
High fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world, and may also be more character-oriented or thematically complex. Often, they feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil set against each other in an epic struggle. Many scholars citeJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings novel as the prototypical modern example of high fantasy in literature, and the recentPeter Jacksonfilm adaptation of the books is a good example of the high fantasy subgenre on the silver screen.
Sword and sorcery movies tend to be more plot-driven than high fantasy and focus heavily on action sequences, often pitting a physically powerful but unsophisticated warrior against an evil wizard or other supernaturally endowed enemy. Although sword and sorcery films sometimes describe an epic battle between good and evil similar to those found in many High fantasy movies, they may alternately present the hero as having more immediate motivations, such as the need to protect a vulnerable maiden or village, or even being driven by the desire for vengeance.
The1982 film adaptation ofRobert E. Howard'sConan the Barbarian, for example, is a personal (non-epic) story concerning the hero's quest for revenge and his efforts to thwart a single megalomaniac—while saving a beautiful princess in the process. Some critics refer to such films by the termSword and Sandal rather than sword and sorcery, although others would maintain that the Sword and Sandal label should be reserved only for the subset of fantasy films set inancient history on the planet Earth, and still others would broaden the term to encompass films that have no fantastic elements whatsoever. To some, the term Sword and Sandal has pejorative connotations, designating a film with a low-quality script, bad acting, and poor production values.
Another important subgenre of fantasy films that has become more popular in recent years iscontemporary fantasy. Such films feature magical effects or supernatural occurrences happening in the "real" world of today.
Films with live action and animation such asDisney'sMary Poppins,Pete's Dragon,Enchanted, and theRobert Zemeckis filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit are also fantasy films although are more often referred to as Live action/animation hybrids (2 of those are also classified as musicals).
Fantasy films set in theafterlife, calledBangsian fantasy, are less common, although films such as the 1991Albert Brooks comedyDefending Your Life would likely qualify. Other uncommon subgenres includehistorical fantasy andromantic fantasy, although 2003'sPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl successfully incorporated elements of both.
As noted above, superhero movies and fairy tale films might each be considered subgenres of fantasy films, although most would classify them as altogether separate movie genres.
As a cinematic genre, fantasy has traditionally not been regarded as highly as the related genre of science fiction film. Undoubtedly, the fact that until recently fantasy films often suffered from the "Sword and Sandal" afflictions of inferior production values, over-the-top acting, and decidedly poor special effects was a significant factor in fantasy film's low regard.
Since the early 2000s, however, the genre has gained new respectability in a way, driven principally by the successful adaptations ofTolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings andJ. K. Rowling'sHarry Potter series. Jackson'sThe Lord of the Rings trilogy is notable due to its ambitious scale, serious tone, and thematic complexity. These pictures achieved phenomenal commercial and critical success, and thethird installment of the trilogy became the first fantasy film ever to win theAcademy Award for Best Picture. TheHarry Potter series has been a tremendous financial success, has achieved critical acclaim for its design, thematic sophistication and emotional depth, grittier realism and darkness, narrative complexity, and characterization, and boasts an enormous and loyal fanbase.
Following the success of these ventures, Hollywood studios have greenlighted additional big-budget productions in the genre. These have included adaptations of the first, second, and third books inC. S. Lewis'The Chronicles of Narnia and the teen novelEragon, as well as adaptations ofSusan Cooper'sThe Dark Is Rising,Cornelia Funke'sInkheart,Philip Pullman'sThe Golden Compass,Holly Black'sThe Spiderwick Chronicles, Nickelodeon's TV showAvatar: The Last Airbender, and theFantasia segment (along withJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's original poem)The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Many fantasy movies starting in the 2000s, such asThe Lord of the Rings films, the 1st and 3rdNarnia adaptations, and the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7thHarry Potter adaptations have most often been released in November and December. This is in contrast tosci-fi films, which are often released during the northern hemisphere summer (June–August). All 3 of thePirates of the Caribbean films, however, were released in July 2003, July 2006, and May 2007 respectively, and the latest releases in theHarry Potter series were released in July 2007 and July 2009. The huge commercial success of these pictures may indicate a change in Hollywood's approach to big-budget fantasy film releases.
Screenwriter and scholarEric R. Williams identifies fantasy films as one of eleven super-genres in hisscreenwriters taxonomy, claiming that all feature length narrative films can be classified by these super-genres. The other 10 super-genres areaction,crime,horror,romance,sci-fi,slice of life,sports,thriller,war andwestern.[3]
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Fantasy films have a history almost as old as the medium itself. However, fantasy films were relatively few and far between until the1980s, when high-tech filmmaking techniques and increased audience interest caused the genre to flourish.
What follows are some notable Fantasy films. For a more complete list see:List of fantasy films
In the era ofsilent film, the earliest fantasy films were those made by French film pioneerGeorges Méliès from 1903. The most famous of these was 1902'sA Trip to the Moon. In theGolden Age of Silent film (1918–1926) the most outstanding fantasy films wereDouglas Fairbanks'The Thief of Bagdad (1924),Fritz Lang'sDie Nibelungen (1924), andDestiny (1921). Other notables in the genre wereF.W. Murnau's romantic ghost storyPhantom,Tarzan of the Apes starringElmo Lincoln, andD. W. Griffith'sThe Sorrows of Satan.
Following the advent ofsound films, audiences of all ages were introduced from 1937'sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs to 1939'sThe Wizard of Oz. Also notable of the era, the iconic 1933 filmKing Kong borrows heavily from theLost World subgenre of fantasy fiction as does such films as the 1935 adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's novelShe about an African expedition that discovers an immortal queen known as Ayesha "She who must be obeyed".Frank Capra's 1937 pictureLost Horizon transported audiences to theHimalayan fantasy kingdom ofShangri-La, where the residents magically never age. Other noteworthy fantasy films of the 30s includeTarzan the Ape Man in 1932 starringJohnny Weissmuller starting a successful series of talking pictures based on the fantasy-adventure novels byEdgar Rice Burroughs and theG. W. Pabst directedThe Mistress of Atlantis from 1932. 1932 saw the release of theUniversal Studios monster movieThe Mummy which combined horror with a romantic fantasy twist. more light-hearted and comedic affairs from the decade include films like 1934s romantic drama filmDeath Takes a Holiday whereFredric March plays Death who takes a human body to experience life for three days and 1937sTopper where a man is haunted by two fun-loving ghosts who try to make his life a little more exciting.
The 1940s then saw several full-color fantasy films produced byAlexander Korda, includingThe Thief of Bagdad (1940), a film on par withThe Wizard of Oz, andJungle Book (1942). In 1946,Jean Cocteau's classic adaptation ofBeauty and the Beast won praise for itssurreal elements and for transcending the boundaries of thefairy tale genre.Sinbad the Sailor (1947), starringDouglas Fairbanks Jr., has the feel of a fantasy film though it does not actually have anyfantastic elements.
Several other pictures featuring supernatural encounters and aspects of Bangsian fantasy were produced in the 1940s duringWorld War II. These includeBeyond Tomorrow,The Devil and Daniel Webster, andHere Comes Mr. Jordan, all from 1941,Heaven Can Wait the musicalCabin in the Sky (1943), the comedyThe Horn Blows at Midnight and romances such asThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),One Touch of Venus andPortrait of Jennie, both 1948.
An astonishing anticipation of the full "sword and sorcery" genre was made in 1941 in Italy by Alessandro Blasetti.La Corona di Ferro presents the struggles of two imaginary kingdoms around the legendary Iron Crown (historically the ancient crown of Italy), with war, cruelty, betrayal, heroism, sex, magic and mysticism, a whirl of events taken from every possible fairy tale and legend source Blasetti could find. This movie is unlike anything done before; indeed, considering that it was finished fifteen years before the publication of Lord Of The Rings, its invention of a vast, national epic mythology is an act of genius. And while the storytelling is rough - due to the need to insert everything - and the resources limited, Blasetti shows how to make a little go a long way through beautifully staged and designed battle and crowd scenes.
Although it's not classified as a fantasy film,Gene Kelly'sAnchors Aweigh had a fantasy sequence called "The King who Couldn't Dance" in which Gene did a song and dance number withJerry Mouse fromTom and Jerry.
Because these movies do not feature elements common to high fantasy orsword and sorcery pictures, some modern critics do not consider them to be examples of the fantasy genre.
In the 1950s there were a few major fantasy films, includingDarby O'Gill and the Little People andThe 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., the latter penned byDr. Seuss. Jean Cocteau'sOrphic Trilogy, begun in 1930 and completed in 1959, is based onGreek mythology and could be classified either as fantasy or surrealist film, depending on how the boundaries between these genres are drawn. Russian fantasy directorAleksandr Ptushko created three mythological epics from Russian fairytales,Sadko (1953),Ilya Muromets (1956), andSampo (1959). Japanese directorKenji Mizoguchi's 1953 filmUgetsu Monogatari draws on Japanese classical ghost stories of love and betrayal.
Other notable pictures from the 1950s that feature fantastic elements and are sometimes classified as fantasy areHarvey (1950), featuring apúca ofCeltic mythology;Scrooge, the 1951 adaptation ofCharles Dickens'A Christmas Carol; andIngmar Bergman's 1957 masterpiece,The Seventh Seal. Disney's 1951 animated filmAlice in Wonderland is also a fantasy classic.
There were also a number of lower budget fantasies produced in the 1950s, typically based on Greek or Arabian legend. The most notable of these may be 1958'sThe 7th Voyage of Sinbad, featuring special effects byRay Harryhausen and music byBernard Herrmann.
Harryhausen worked on a series of fantasy films in the 1960s, most importantlyJason and the Argonauts (1963). Many critics have identified this film as Harryhausen's masterwork for itsstop-motion animated statues, skeletons,harpies,hydra, and other mythological creatures. Other Harryhausen fantasy and science fantasy collaborations from the decade include the 1961 adaptation ofJules Verne'sMysterious Island, the critically pannedOne Million Years B.C. starringRaquel Welch, andThe Valley of Gwangi (1969).
Capitalising on the success of thesword and sandal genre several ItalianB-movies based on classical myth were made, including theMaciste series. Otherwise, the 1960s were almost entirely devoid of fantasy films. The fantasy picture7 Faces of Dr. Lao, in whichTony Randall portrayed several characters from Greek mythology, was released in 1964. But the 1967 adaptation of the Broadway musicalCamelot removed most of the fantasy elements fromT. H. White's classicThe Once and Future King, on which the musical had been based. The 1960s also saw a new adaption of Haggard'sShe in 1965 starringUrsula Andress as the immortal "She who must be obeyed" and was followed by a sequel in 1968The Vengeance of She based loosely on the novelAyesha: The Return of She both produced byHammer Film Productions. The musical fantasy filmMary Poppins was released in 1964, and 1968 saw the release ofChitty Chitty Bang Bang based on a story byIan Fleming with a script fromRoald Dahl.
Fantasy elements ofArthurian legend were again featured, albeit absurdly, in 1975'sMonty Python and the Holy Grail. Harryhausen also returned to the silver screen in the 1970s with two additionalSinbad fantasies,The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) andSinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). The animated movieWizards (1977) had limited success at the box office but achieved status as acult film. There was alsoThe Noah (1975) which was never released theatrically but became acult favorite when it was finally released on DVD in 2006. Some would consider 1977'sOh God!, starringGeorge Burns to be a fantasy film, andHeaven Can Wait (1978) was a successful Bangsian fantasy remake of 1941'sHere Comes Mr. Jordan (not 1943'sHeaven Can Wait).
A few low budget "Lost World" pictures were made in the 1970s, such as 1975'sThe Land That Time Forgot. Otherwise, the fantasy genre was largely absent from mainstream movies in this decade, although 1971'sBedknobs and Broomsticks andWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory were two fantasy pictures in the public eye the former being predominantly from the same team who didMary Poppins the latter again being from Roald Dahl in both script and novel.
1980s fantasy films were initially characterized by directors finding a new spin on established mythologies. Ray Harryhausen brought the monsters of Greek legends to life inClash of the Titans while Arthurian lore returned to the screen inJohn Boorman's 1981Excalibur. Films such asRidley Scott's 1985Legend andTerry Gilliam's 1981–1986 trilogy of fantasy epics (Time Bandits,Brazil, andThe Adventures of Baron Munchausen) explored a new artist-driven style featuring surrealist imagery and thought-provoking plots. The modernsword and sorcery boom began around the same time with 1982'sConan the Barbarian followed byKrull andFire and Ice in 1983, as well as a boom infairy tale-like fantasy films such asThe Neverending Story (1984),Ladyhawke (1985),The Princess Bride (1987), andWillow (1988).
The 1980s also started a trend in mixing modern settings andaction film effects with exotic fantasy-like concepts.Big Trouble in Little China (1986), directed byJohn Carpenter and starringKurt Russell, combined humor, martial arts and classic Chinese folklore in a modern Chinatown setting.Highlander, a film about immortal Scottish swordsmen, was released the same year.
Jim Henson produced two iconic fantasy films in the 80s, the solemnThe Dark Crystal and the more whimsical and loftyLabyrinth. Meanwhile,Robert Zemeckis helmedWho Framed Roger Rabbit, featuring various famous cartoon characters from animation's "Golden Age," includingMickey Mouse,Minnie Mouse,Donald Duck,Bugs Bunny,Daffy Duck,Droopy,Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner,Sylvester the Cat,Tweety Pie, andJiminy Cricket, among others.
The 90s saw theDisney Renaissance in which many successful adaptations of written fantasy works were released byDisney Animation.
The 2000s saw a boom in the genre. This was compounded by the success ofLord of The Rings andHarry Potter, which spurred a movement in film adaptations of fantasy literary works includingThe Chronicles of Narnia,Tales from Earthsea,Eragon,Inkheart, andThe Golden Compass. TheStar Wars prequel trilogy andPirates of the Caribbean also saw success at the box office.
The early 2010s saw a continuation of the book to screen adaptation fad of the 2000s. Also prevalent in the decade were remakes of older fantasy films especially fromWalt Disney Pictures.
The 2020s as of 2023 have shown an increasing interest by studios to adapt games into film withMonster Hunter,Sonic the Hedgehog,The Super Mario Bros. Movie, andDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
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