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Fantasy is the oldest genre of storytelling, and by far the most diverse, as it is only limited by the imagination of the storyteller. It is often divided into various subsections, with the most recognizable being high fantasy. This subgenre refers to fantasy stories that tend to take place in a secondary world with its unique logic and rules, where monsters and magic are ever-present, the stakes are high, and adventure is around every corner.
High fantasy is a popular genre for films, since it allows the crew to design grand battles and epic quests, which always lead to solid character arcs. Narrowing down the best ones is a Herculean task, so take this list less as a definitive ranking and more as a snippet of what high fantasy cinema has to offer.
10
‘The NeverEnding Story’ (1984)
While hiding from bullies in a bookstore, Bastian Balthazar Bux (Barret Oliver) ends up swiping a book from the cryptic owner, Carl Conrad Coreander (Thomas Hill), which he reads in his school’s attic. The book, titled The Neverending Story, is about a fantasy world called Fantasia, which is slowly being destroyed by an abstract force called The Nothing. A hero named Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) is called upon to look for a solution, but the more Bastian reads the story, the more things start to feel a little too real.
The NeverEnding Story is one of the most iconic fantasy films to come out of the 1980s, thanks to its mature story and captivating worldbuilding. Thanks to impressive sets and a variety of animatronics and puppets, Fantasia comes to life as a unique, rich fantasy world full of symbolism, such as a swamp that represents depression, which is the dwelling of the wise turtle Morla (Robert Easton), consumed by apathy for the world around her. The Nothing itself might be one of the most terrifying antagonists in fantasy films, as it’s not a physical being, but a representation of the death of human imagination and hope.
9
‘Excalibur’ (1981)
In exchange for helping King Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) seduce Igrayne (Katrine Boorman), wife of the Duke of Cornwall (Corin Redgrave), the wizard Merlin (Nicol Williamson) takes the baby, Arthur (Nigel Terry), to be raised in secret. Uther is shortly after killed by the Duke’s men, so he thrusts his magic sword, Excalibur, into a stone, proclaiming that whoever can pull it out will be the next king. Years later, a grown Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and rules with the aid of Merlin and his Knights of the Round Table.
Though a financial failure on release, Excalibur quickly gathered a cult following thanks to its fantastic production value, epic scale, and music, which utilizes orchestral scores from the operas of Richard Wagner. The film condenses the numerous tales of Arthurian Legend into a 140-minute runtime, while still keeping true to the story’s chivalric themes and most iconic moments. However, what sets Excalibur apart from other Arthurian adaptations is how well it balances those ideals of knighthood with the dark and gritty reality of the world, leading to plenty of morally gray characters and questionable decision-making.
8
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
During a raid on his village of Burk by dragons, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel), son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), shoots down one of the deadliest of dragons, a Nightfury. However, he finds that he can’t kill the dragon, whose tail fin was damaged when it was shot down, and instead studies its behavior and nicknames it Toothless (Randy Thom). As he excels in his dragon slaying classes, Hiccup also learns more about the dragons and their intelligence than he or any other Viking thought possible.
Based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon became one of the biggest successes from DreamWorks, spawning a franchise of multiple sequels, television shows, and a live-action remake. The success is thanks in large part to its simple but effective storytelling, which focuses on themes of friendship, overcoming prejudice and preconceptions, and a father and son trying to find common ground. It also looks beautiful, with detailed models for the dragons that still look good over 15 years later, and some of the most impressive flying scenes in any animated or fantasy movie.
7
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe’ (2005)
During the Blitz, the four Pevensie children—Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)—are sent to live in the countryside estate of Professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent). There, Lucy discovers an old wardrobe that leads to a magic world called Narnia, populated by talking animals, fauns, dwarves, and all manner of magical creatures. It is currently frozen in perpetual winter by the tyrannical White Witch, Jadis (Tilda Swinton), but there is a prophecy that the children are meant to stop her with the aid of Narnia’s true king, the great lion Aslan (Liam Neeson).
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe adapts the first book in C. S. Lewis‘ beloved book series into a fantasy epic. Great care was put into bringing the creatures of Narnia to life, from impressive costumes and CGI to just thinking about how creatures like centaurs and minotaurs would fight differently from one another, helping the world feel all the more believable. It also boasts a wide array of memorable characters, from the Pevensie children and their complementary personalities to Swinton’s unforgettably wicked and cold performance as Jadis.
6
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Feline outlaw Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is forced into early retirement after he learns he is down to the last of his 9 lives, and he is nearly killed in a battle with a mysterious wolf (Wagner Moura). It’s only when he learns of a map that leads to a Wishing Star that he gets back into the game, as he hopes to use the star to get his lives back. To that end, he teams up with an optimistic dog (Harvey Guillén) and his old cat burglar flame, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), but they not only have to deal with others who are after the wish, but also their insecurities, and the wolf, who has a particular vendetta against Puss.
As a sequel to a spinoff, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish did not have high expectations, so it was an even greater shock to everyone when the film turned out as good as it was. At its core, it’s a story about death, as Puss is forced to come to terms with his mortality, figure out his priorities, and decide if he will try to resist or embrace it. Of course, it’s also got plenty of laughs, fairy tale references, and stylistic action sequences to go alongside these themes, which gives the movie an interesting identity compared to the rest of the Shrek franchise.
5
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
While defending his village from a rampaging boar-god who has transformed into a demon, Prince Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda/Billy Crudup) is infected with a curse that grants him super strength, but also slowly kills him. To find a cure, he follows the boar’s trail and arrives in a forest inhabited by nature spirits based around the Forest Spirit, who represents both life and death. The spirits are at war with a village of humans who are trying to mine iron ore for weapons, and are aided by a young woman named San (Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes), who was raised by the wolf god Moro (Akihiro Miwa/Gillian Anderson).
Princess Mononoke could have ended up like any other environmentally conscious film in the 1990s by painting humanity as evil and nature as good, but it distinguishes itself thanks to a more nuanced approach to the conflict. It emphasizes the good and evil that can be found in both sides, such as the spirit’s rigid and fatalist nature, or the human’s camaraderie towards one another. Thus, both sides feel less like good and evil and more like people just trying to survive in a hostile and ever-changing world. It’s also a visual masterpiece, with fluid, detailed animation and gorgeous background paintings that work together to make you feel as if you are standing with the characters inside a deep forest.
4
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)
Belle (Paige O’Hara) is the bookish daughter of an eccentric inventor named Maurice (Rex Everhart), who longs for adventure beyond her provincial French town. She gets her wish when her father doesn’t return home from the fair, leading Belle to find him imprisoned in an enchanted castle ruled over by a monstrous Beast (Robby Benson). Unknown to Belle, the Beast is actually a cursed prince, and when Belle offers to take her father’s place as his prisoner, she unknowingly gives him a chance to break the spell by learning to love and be loved in return.
Beauty and the Beast has the honor of being the first animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and remains the only 2D animated film to be nominated, and the only one nominated before the category expanded to ten nominees. It captivated critics and audiences with its beautiful love story, memorable characters, iconic songs, and stellar animation, which included some brilliant use of CGI to get dynamic camera angles during the romantic ballroom dance scene. It’s also just a beautiful template for how to update a well-known fairy tale, keeping the spirit of the original while adjusting themes and characters for modern times, such as making Belle a more proactive heroine, and giving the Beast a character arc so that he and Belle both needed to compromise in order to make their relationship work.
3
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
After stopping at an abandoned amusement park on their way to their new home, Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) and her parents soon find themselves trapped in the spirit world. Her parents are turned into pigs, but Chihiro is saved by a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden), who instructs her to go to the local bathhouse and get a job from the witch Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette). Chihiro will be protected from the other spirits so long as she works hard, but Yubaba also takes her true name as part of their contract, and Chihiro will have to reclaim it in order to rescue her parents and get them home.
Spirited Away is the crown jewel of Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and is widely recognized as one of the greatest animated films ever made. Its story and world come across like a modern-day Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: the spirit world operates on its own rules that seem alien to us but have some curious sense to them, and every location and inhabitant is representative of a theme, such as a critique of capitalist greed or a warning about environmental damage. It’s all supported by some of the most detailed animation ever put to film, and a cast of diverse characters with their own charms and flaws who all help Chihiro undertake a coming-of-age adventure.
2
‘Star Wars’: The Original trilogy (1977-1983)
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a moisture farmer on the desert planet of Tatooine who longs to leave his backwater world and join the Rebel Alliance in their battle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. One day, while cleaning an astromech droid called R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), he discovers a message by Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) for Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness), the true identity of a hermit named Old Ben who lives close by. Obi-Wan reveals that he is one of the last of the Jedi Knights, an ancient order of warriors who tapped into the mystical energies of The Force, and offers to train Luke to be a Jedi to help the Rebellion and confront the powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader (David Prowse, Sebastian Shaw, and James Earl Jones).
Though primarily seen as a science-fiction franchise, Star Wars is equally steeped in high fantasy, particularly with how it conceptualizes and uses The Force. It’s also structured like a classic hero’s journey concerning Luke’s growth into a Jedi Knight, while other characters, like Leia, Vader, and the smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), fulfill such classical roles as princess, dark lord, and dashing rogue. These elements help the original trilogy in particular remain timeless nearly 50 years after A New Hope first premiered, and ensure that generations to come will get lost and inspired by the inspirational stories of defiance, camaraderie, heroism, and faith.
1
‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy (2001-2003)
When the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Sir Ian Holm) leaves Hobbiton for the elves of Rivendell, he bequeaths all of his possessions to his nephew, Frodo (Elijah Wood), including a peculiar gold ring that can make its wearer go invisible. However, the wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) identifies it as the One Ring, forged by Sauron (Alan Howard), the Dark Lord of Mordor, and containing a majority of his power. Thus, Frodo and a fellowship of companions made up of hobbits, elves, men, and dwarves set off to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, but the ring constantly tempts them in order to get back to its master, while Sauron musters his armies for war.
The release of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was game-changing for fantasy, both on the technical side thanks to its stellar effects, and for proving that the genre was capable of turning out blockbuster-worthy movies. They remain the go-to examples whenever anyone thinks of high fantasy, which makes sense since the books by J. R. R. Tolkien lay the foundation that all modern fantasy stories are built upon. The story speaks to the human soul, focusing on the desperate struggle to withstand the forces of darkness in the hope of a brighter tomorrow, the bonds of friendship that keep people going in their lowest moments, and the importance of valuing the simple pleasures in life, among so many other classical themes.
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Tyler B. Searle
Almontather Rassoul
