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World-building, the elements of a story that make its fictional setting feel real and lived-in—from geography to history to all sorts of in-world rules—is essential in almost any kind of genre film. But few genres demand strong world-building more than fantasy, and thankfully, the large number of fantasy masterpieces that can be counted among the best movies from their era all have some incredible world-building.
Whether it’s a well-constructed magic system, a carefully designed set of magical creatures, or simply incredible sets and production design, there are tons of ways for a fantasy film to get world-building right; and these ten gems nail all of those ways. From classics like The Dark Crystal to modern masterpieces like Pan’s Labyrinth, these movies are proof of just how important world-building can be in this genre.
10
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
Only a handful of 2020s fantasy movies are true masterpieces, and David Lowery‘s The Green Knight is right up there. Based on the titular tale from Arthurian legend, it’s a brilliant arthouse adaptation of all of the original story’s core thematic concerns: chivalry, masculinity, mortality, and the cost of honor. It’s slow-burning and definitely not designed for all kinds of cinematic palates, but it’s one of the most perfect fantasy films of the decade so far.
Primarily through the methodically-paced beauty of Lowery’s quiet direction, the world of The Green Knight comes across as an enthralling mixture of realistic Medieval elements with gorgeous bits of surrealism sprinkled in. It’s simple enough world-building, but it results in such an effective dreamlike atmosphere that it’s difficult to resist.
9
‘The Dark Crystal’ (1982)
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, The Dark Crystal was promoted as the first major live-action film without any human actors, instead featuring characters realized through groundbreaking animatronics and puppets. Over 40 years later, the result still looks every bit as impressive as it did back in 1982; except that now, that impressive look is mixed with a hugely effective aura of pure nostalgia.
It’s one of the best fantasy movies of the 1980s, and even though its narrative is definitely not its strongest element, the world-building is so phenomenal that it becomes far easier to overlook whatever narrative flaws may be present. The film’s uniquely non-human aesthetic gives it a vibrant, textured look that not many other films in the genre share, and the deep lore and mythology of the universe of Thra is nothing if not engaging.
8
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
Studio Ghibli in general and Hayao Miyazaki specifically produced some incredible work over the course of the ’90s, but there’s really no question as to when Miyazaki’s ’90s career peaked. It has to be 1997, when he released Princess Mononoke, an animated masterpiece that people still remember as one of the greatest and most mature animated movies of the 20th century.
It’s one of the best war-fantasy movie masterpieces ever, a thematically powerful tale about the destructive clash between nature and an industrialized civilization. Set in a historical, semi-fantastical version of Muromachi-period Japan, the movie draws elements from that period of history, Japanese folklore, and Miyazaki’s imagination to create one of Ghibli’s most atmospheric and engrossing worlds.
7
‘Labyrinth’ (1986)
Back in 1986, Labyrinth was met with mixed reviews and a lukewarm box office reception. Written by Monty Python’s Terry Jones and directed by Jim Henson (it was actually the last feature film he ever directed), it has since been reevaluated as a bona fide cult classic musical. It’s easily one of the best dark family movies that everyone should watch at least once.
Starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly at their most irresistibly magnetic, it’s a funny and imaginative gem full of memorable songs. What really makes it special, though, is the world-building. Permeated by the same kind of handmade aesthetic that makes the rest of Henson’s work magical, the film is full of fun sets and beautifully-designed creatures.
6
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz is the kind of classic Hollywood fantasy film that requires no introduction. It’s one of the most universally-beloved American movies of all time, a masterful family musical made in some of the most vibrant and gorgeous Technicolor that the big screen has ever seen. The Wizard of Oz didn’t invent the use of color in cinema, but it sure revolutionized it.
From the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City, from the inventive design of Dorothy’s friends to the contrast between Kansas and Oz, and from the eye-popping sets to the iconic costumes, there’s virtually nothing to not love or praise from The Wizard of Oz‘s world-building. All of it executed with some of the most detailed and whimsical aesthetic that the fantasy genre has ever seen, it’s why the genre has rarely ever been this good.
5
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
Guillermo del Toro is the modern master of dark fantasy, and the considerable majority of his movies have some incredible world-building. But which one has the best of the bunch? It’s really not much of a question. Almost universally regarded as del Toro’s magnum opus, Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the greatest masterpiecs that the fantasy genre has seen at any point during the 21st century.
It’s also one of the darkest fairy tale movies of all time, and that’s largely thanks to the perfection of del Toro’s understanding of world-building. Blending bleak, mythical, fairy-tale-like elements with the brutal political horrors of Francoist Spain, del Toro strikes a balance that makes this extraordinary fantasy film feel undeniably modern yet still delightfully old-school in its world-building.
4
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
No conversation about the best world-building in the fantasy genre would ever be complete without Miyazaki being a lengthy part of the conversation, and in this particular case, that means mentioning what many people agree is the auteur’s greatest work: Spirited Away. Winner of the second Best Animated Feature Academy Award in history, it has aged flawlessly as one of the most immensely beloved and acclaimed animated movies ever made.
It’s one of the best high fantasy movies of the last 50 years, a beautifully imaginative coming-of-age story that benefits greatly from having some of the most deeply atmospheric world-building in the history of animation. This is the kind of world-building that only the animated medium could have possibly achieved: surreal, incredibly detailed, perfect in how it draws elements from real cultural roots without losing a single bit of its originality. It’s simply perfect fantasy filmmaking.
3
‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ (2001)
Deservedly controversial of a figure though she may be, there’s no denying that what J. K. Rowling achieved in her Harry Potter saga was a revolutionary accomplishment for an endless number of reasons, one of them being the fact that she puts together some of the most incredible world-building in the history of literary fantasy. Fittingly, Chris Columbus‘ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a marvelous adaptation of the first book in the series, has some of the best world-building of any 21st-century fantasy film.
The rest of the Harry Potter franchise has some amazing elements of world-building, of course, but Sorcerer’s Stone‘s world-building efforts deserve the most respect for the incredible job they did at establishing the foundations of this magical world to begin with. Things like quidditch, Hogwarts, the many spells that Harry and his friends use, and the general rules of this setting are big part of what makes this one of the best fantasy movies of the last 25 years,
2
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings books are perhaps the most groundbreaking and important work of literary fantasy from the 20th century, and as such, no one expected Peter Jackson‘s adaptation to be nearly as extraordinary as it turned out to be. From the moment they watched the nearly-flawless The Fellowship of the Ring, audiences knew they were in for a hell of a ride.
In the same vein as Sorcerer’s Stone, Fellowship also has sequels with some exceptional world-building, but deserves the most recognition for how perfectly it kicked things off. It’s part of why this is one of the best fantasy movies of the 21st century. Visual storytelling does a lot of the heavy lifting here, with some of the most admirable technical qualities of any genre movie from the 2000s; but there’s also the very specific geography, languages, cultures, and politics of Middle-earth, which give this fantastical world a charming feeling that no other fantasy film has been aple to parallel since.
1
‘Star Wars’ (1977)
Retroactively known as Episode IV — A New Hope, George Lucas‘ Star Wars was a gargantuan success back when it first hit theater’ screens, reigning supreme as the highest-grossing movie of all time until the release of Steven Spielberg‘s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. It remains the quintessential Hero’s Journey movie, and though The Empire Strikes Back is generally agreed to be the better of the two overall, there’s simply no beating A New Hope‘s world-building.
The elephant in the room is that Star Wars is a sci-fi film every bit as much as it is a fantasy film, and that blend of genres is a huge part of why its world-building is the best of any fantasy movie in history. The magic system of the Force is iconic, the galaxy feels massive even if we don’t get to explore it in its entirety, and the mythical feel that the Hero’s Journey archetype lends to the story works wonderfully. It’s classic, old-school fantasy world-building in the most enthralling outer-space setting that the genre has ever seen.
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https://collider.com/fantasy-movies-best-world-building/
Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
