100 Greatest Fantasy Movies

Criteria: - This list includes films that contain 'unreal' earthly (or heavenly) locations, 'supernatural' human powers (Superheros), and 'supernatural' entities (angels, wizards, ghosts, dragons, witches...) This list does NOT include Horror-Fantasy, or Science Fiction-Fantasy. 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: 01-20-2010

Link: http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_fantasy.php

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 Rings - (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. Labrynth - (1986, Jim Henson) (Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie)
16. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - (2005, A. Adamson) (Georgie Henley)
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, Orlando Bloom)
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. X-Men: The Last Stand - (2006, Brett Ratner) (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen)
33. Big Fish - (2003, Tim Burton) (Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney)
34. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - (2002, Chris Columbus) (Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Harris)
35. Sleepy Hollow - (1999, Tim Burton) (Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci)
36. Stardust - (2007, Matthew Vaughn) (Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro)
37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - (2005, Mike Newell) (Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman)
38. Jumanji - (1995, Joe Johnston) (Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt)
39. Faust - (1926, F.W. Murnau) (Silent - Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn)
40. Highlander - (1986, Russell Mulcahy) (Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart)
41. Batman - (1989, Tim Burton) (Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger)
42. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - (1989, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
43. X2: X-Men United - (2003, Bryan Singer) (Huge Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry)
44. The Prestige - (2006, Christopher Nolan) (Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine)
45. The Crow - (1994, Alex Proyas) (Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis)
46. The Mask - (1994, Chuck Russell) (Jim Carrey, Peter Riegert, Richard Jeni)
47. Darkman - (1990, Sam Raimi) (Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand)
48. Stairway to Heaven - (1946, Michael Powell) (David Niven, Kim Hunter, Raymond Massey)
49. The Mummy - (1999, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
50. X-Men - (2000, Bryan Singer) (Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen)
51. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - (2009, David Yates) (Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon)
52. Clash of the Titans - (1981, Desmond Davis) (Harry Hamlin, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress)
53. Conan the Barbarian - (1982, John Milius) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones)
54. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - (2007, Gore Verbinski) (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom)
55. Pleasentville - (1998, Gary Ross) (Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy)
56. Jason and the Argonauts - (1963, Don Chaffey) (Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Nigel Green)
57. Spider-Man - (2002, Sam Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst)
58. Watchmen - (2009, Zack Snyder) (Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode)
59. Bridge to Terabithia - (2007, Gabor Csupo) (Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel)
60. Reign of Fire - (2002, Rob Bowman) (Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco)
61. MirrorMask - (2005, Dave McKean) (Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon)
62. Peter Pan - (2003, P.J. Hogan) (Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood)
63. The Mummy Returns - (2001, Stephen Sommers) (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo)
64. The Thief of Bagdad - (1969, Ludwig Berger) (Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez)
65. Unbreakable - (2000, M. Night Shyamalan) (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn)
66. Constantine - (2005, Francis Lawrence) (Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf)
67. Blade - (1998, Stephen Norrington) (Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Traci Lords)
68. FairyTale: A True Story - (1997, Charles Sturridge) (Harvey Keitel, Florence Hoath, Elizabeth Earl)
69. The Brothers Grimm - (2005, Terry Gilliam) (Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce)
70. Hulk - (2003, Ang Lee) (Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte)
71. Superman II - (1980, Richard Lester) (Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder)
72. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - (1984, Steven Spielberg) (Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw)
73. The Fountain - (2006, Darren Aronofsky) (Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz)
74. Bruce Almighty - (2003, Tom Shadyac) (Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston)
75. Return to Oz - (1985, Walter Murch) (Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Piper Laurie)
76. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - (2008, Andrew Adamson) (Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley)
77. The Golden Compass - (2007, Chris Weitz) (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards)
78. Van Helsing - (2004, Stephen Sommers) (Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale)
79. Spawn - (1997, Mark A.Z. Dippé) (Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen)
80. Batman Returns - (1992, Tim Burton) (Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer)
81. Sword of the Valient - (1984, Stephen Weeks) (Thomas Heathcote, Miles O'Keeffe, Sean Connery)
82. The Forbidden Kingdom - (2008, Rob Minkoff) (Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano)
83. The Witches of Eastwick - (1987, G. Miller) (Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer)
84. The Indian in the Cupboard - (1995, Frank Oz) (Hal Scardino, Litefoot, David Keith)
85. Ella Enchanted - (2004, Tommy O'Haver) (Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver)
86. Spider-Man 3 - (2007, S. Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church)
87. Wings of Desire - (1987, Wim Wenders) (Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk)
88. The Scorpion King - (2002, Chuck Russell) (The Rock, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steven Brand)
89. Meet Joe Black - (1998, Martin Brest) (Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani)
90. The Picture of Dorian Gray - (1945, Albert Lewin) (Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, George Sanders)
91. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - (2004, Brad Silberling) (Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep)
92. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - (2003, S. Norrington) (Sean Connery, Stuart Townsend)
93. Conan the Destroyer - (1984, Richard Fleischer) (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Mako)
94. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - (1958, Nathan Juran) (Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant)
95. Krull - (1983, Peter Yates) (Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Liam Neeson)
96. The Science of Sleep - (2006, Michel Gondry) (Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg)
97. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad - (1974, Gordon Hessler) (John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro)
98. Night at the Museum - (2006, Shawn Levy) (Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson)
99. Jabberwocky - (1977, Terry Gilliam) (Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier)
100. Fantastic Four - (2005, Tim Story) (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba)

Why don't superheroes have a separate list? It seems like this should be primarily dedicated to supernatural entities and locations, while another list should focus on superheroes.

I don't think Fantastic FOur should be on any kind of list though. Haven't gone through the effort to check out what's actually on it, my eye just fell on the bottom listing.

If I made a superhero movie list, it would probably look something like this:

1. Superman II (1980, Richard Lester) (Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Terrence Stamp)
2. The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan) (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart)
3. Spiderman 2 (2004, Sam Raimi) (Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina)
4. Superman (1978, Richard Donner) (Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman)
5. Batman Begins (2005, Christopher Nolan) (Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson)
6. X2 (2003, Bryan Singer) (Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry)

It could potentially make the worst movies list.

1 movie from the 1920's
1 movie from the 1930's
3 movies from the 1940's
1 movie from the 1950's
2 movies from the 1960's
3 movies from the 1970's

That makes eleven movies from the first ninety years of film history. It continues with:

26 movies from the 1980's
17 movies from the 1990's
46 bloody movies from the 2000's

What about "Miracle in Milan" for a start?

Yeah that was a fun movie. And the lack of A Matter Of Life And Death is utterly ridiculous.

What about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Big Trouble in Little China, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Groundhog Day, The Firghteners and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? could possibly qualify as well.

I think Legend is too high. Both Willow and The Princess Bride should take it.

Conan the Barbarian should probably be higher seeing that it was responsible for the 80s sword & sorcery boom, and is definitely one of the more culturally relevant films here.

Hawk the Slayer and Beastmaster aren't really popular with anyone but the biggest fantasy geeks, but they definitely deserve to be here more than Destoryer, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Fantastic Four.

This and (even more unbelievably) no King Kong, which would surely be a shoe-in for a top 5 placing.

Didn't even notice that King Kong wasn't on.

Awesome suggestions, they definitely all beat out Fantastic Four at least...

If this list is including superhero movies, WHERE THE HELL IS THE DARK KNIGHT?

All superhero movies are fantasies, but they're not all fantasy. TDK is a semi-quasi realistic interpretation of a really unrealistic story. But I definitely wouldn't file it under the fantasy genre, because it's not anymore fantastical then your typical action movie.

Superman films count as fantasy because they have supernatural elements. But The Dark Knight? Nah.

Oh, and for god's sake take Fantastic Four OFF this list. I know the bottom dwellers of these kinda lists tend to be filler, but c'mon Lew. You can find a better bookend than that piece of crap.

Also I think Legend is damn underrated... but that's the thing, it's underrated. Number 6? Really? That's extremely high for a movie with a small cult following at best.