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From enchanted kingdoms to unforgettable quests, these fantasy movies have cast a spell on audiences for generations. We’re counting down the magical films that made us believe in impossible adventures, from beloved fairy tales to epic journeys, whimsical classics, and dark modern masterpieces. Which one would you visit if you could step through the screen? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the fantasy movies that made
00:05us believe in magic, at least of the cinematic variety.
00:17Number 20. Edward Scissorhands. Few filmmakers blend everyday suburbia with gothic fantasy like
00:24Tim Burton. Of all his films, Edward Scissorhands arguably did this the best. There's no need to be
00:32nervous. They're so eager to meet you. You just have to be yourself. Myself? That's right, just your own
00:38sweet self. With the essence of a modern fairy tale, the titular Edward's twisted design poetically
00:44contrasts with the shy, gentle demeanor Johnny Depp brings to the role. At first, Edward is embraced
00:50for how different he is, which isn't all that surprising since the neighborhood is full of
00:56colorful characters. After some mishaps, though, people come to fear what they don't understand.
01:10Although Kim sees Edward as a kind soul trapped in a dangerous shell, their love story is one
01:17destined to end bittersweetly. It's a beautiful film on the inside and out, with Danny Elfman's
01:23angelic score complimenting Burton's enchanting imagery.
01:40Number 19. Wildwood. Few cinematic techniques are more magical or
01:46otherworldly than stop motion. Wildwood might not just be the pinnacle of everything Laika has been
01:53working towards, but a new gold standard for the craft that may never be topped.
01:59They took my brother. Please, I need your help.
02:04While there are numerous shots in Travis Knight's fantasy epic that'll have you asking,
02:09how did they do that? The technical wizardry becomes an afterthought compared to our investment
02:14in the story and characters.
02:17I don't even believe in magic.
02:18In our souls, Miss Father's world.
02:21You think you outgrew magic, but magic didn't upro you.
02:25This is a touching tale about family, treating its younger viewers like adults while making its
02:30older viewers feel like kids again. Laika breathes life into a world of talking animals,
02:36rousing battles, and immersive landscapes that emphasize practical magic tailored for the big screen.
02:50Number 18. Being John Malkovich. What if you could be another person for 15 minutes?
02:56What if that person just so happened to be the actor who played the virus from Con Air?
03:11That's the premise of Being John Malkovich, a strange and wondrous out-of-body experience
03:17that allows us to peer inside the wholly unique mind of writer Charlie Kaufman.
03:22Just as integral to the film's success is director Spike Jonze,
03:26who takes an out-there idea and presents it in a way that feels unusually relatable.
03:31I want to do it, then.
03:32I'm sure that would pale in comparison to the actual experience.
03:35I want to do it!
03:36But right now, Mr. Hiroshi's in the tube, and he's got about-
03:38Let him do it, Craig.
03:40Of course. Right this way, Mr. Malkovich. Compliments of the house.
03:43Part of that's because we can see ourselves in the characters,
03:46as they grapple with greed, desire, identity, and the need to escape their unfulfilled lives.
03:52The film wouldn't have worked without Malkovich in a role literally no one else could play.
03:57Mr. Malkovich, sir, with all due respect, I discovered that portal.
04:01I mean, it's my livelihood. Do you understand?
04:03It's my head, Schwartz. It's my head!
04:09I will see you in court!
04:11You know what's like finding a door to another realm?
04:14Entering the world of Ms. Mojo's 24-7 livestream.
04:18Scan the QR code on screen to join us live for fantastical fun.
04:21Malkovich, Malkovich. Malkovich, Malkovich. Malkovich. Malkovich. Malkovich. Malkovich.
04:31Number 17. The NeverEnding Story.
04:34The NeverEnding Story is the kind of fantasy adventure that we rarely see anymore.
04:38The kind that's marketed to kids, yet has zero qualms about scarring them for life.
04:45Are you dead! Stupid horse!
04:49You got him over, you'll die!
04:52Move, please!
04:54Despite this trauma, Wolfgang Peterson's film is the cinematic equivalent of a page-turner.
05:00You never know what hero Atreyu and reader Bastion will encounter next,
05:05be it a rock creature on a stone bicycle, a giant turtle,
05:09or a dragon who looks more like a white fluffy dog.
05:13I was just going to... I have to... I was trying to...
05:19Sneak away.
05:21I mean, no, no.
05:23I like children.
05:25For breakfast?
05:28There are more perilous foes in Fantasia, some literal, others abstract,
05:33and a few that blur the line between the two.
05:35Fantasia is such a breathtaking oasis of imagination, though,
05:39that the audience will confront their fears in a story that's more about the journey than the destination.
05:45Who are you?
05:46I am the morgue.
05:49And you, whoever you are, and have the honor of being my last victim.
05:59Number 16. Labyrinth
06:01For all that Jim Henson accomplished in his all-too-short lifetime,
06:05it feels like he still had so much more to give us.
06:08It's even sadder knowing that Henson didn't live to see Labyrinth become a cult classic.
06:14How do I get into the Labyrinth?
06:18Ah, now that's more like it.
06:23You get seen.
06:25There.
06:31Upon release, critics didn't seem to get Labyrinth.
06:34Henson made a contemporary Alice in Wonderland that's less about plot and more about pushing limits.
06:40Not just the limits of technology, but also the human imagination,
06:44which Henson and company let run wild.
06:47When you think it's one or two, now shake it down with the fucking
06:51Ah, shake your freaking little head.
06:53And it's all with the fucking
06:55Tap your pretty little feet.
06:57Good times, bad food.
06:59For all the extravagant puppets, nobody can upstage David Bowie's Jareth,
07:04whose charisma incarnate.
07:05Henson couldn't have known this would be his final feature directorial outing.
07:09With this swan song, though, Henson held nothing back,
07:13unleashing the boundless creativity of a true master.
07:16You've run so long, you've run so far
07:26Your eyes can be so cruel
07:32Just as I can be so cruel
07:35Number 15. The Secret of NIMH
07:39While there's also a science fiction element to director Don Bluth's debut feature,
07:43The Secret of NIMH is primarily grounded in what can't be easily explained,
07:47be it magic or love.
07:50When worn by one with a courageous heart, the stone glows red.
07:57It becomes a blinding radiance.
08:01Courage of the heart is very rare.
08:04Just beyond a run-of-the-mill farmhouse is a hidden society of intelligent rodents,
08:09otherworldly owls, and a mysterious amulet.
08:12At the story's heart is a mother mouse, who, on a quest to save her sickly son,
08:17gets roped into a larger conflict as worlds, ideals, and mythical forces collide.
08:22Come, come, let's return to the rosebush.
08:25NIMH is coming.
08:25NIMH!
08:26In the morning.
08:27NIMH?
08:27Yes. You will all die unless you leave the farm tonight.
08:31Lies.
08:31Please! You must believe me.
08:33What if it's true?
08:34We'll all be killed.
08:35Don't panic.
08:35Don't listen. She's hysterical.
08:37Get out now!
08:39Mrs. Brisby doesn't set out to be a hero.
08:42Through her unyielding dedication to her family, though,
08:45she awakens a power within that almost everyone underestimated.
08:49It may have talking mice, but the secret of NIMH is a human story about a mother's will.
09:07Number 14. Barbie.
09:09The fact that this movie exists at all makes us feel as if we're living in a fantasy world.
09:14It's not often that a major studio produces a feature based on a popular IP with an auteur at the
09:20forefront.
09:21And you look so beautiful, Barbie.
09:23Thanks, Barbie. I feel so beautiful.
09:26So do I.
09:26This is the best day ever.
09:27It is the best day ever, and so is yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and so is the day after
09:32tomorrow,
09:32and even Wednesdays, and every day for now and till forever.
09:36While this is Greta Gerwig's vision through and through,
09:39she made a film for anyone who grew up with Barbie, and even those who didn't.
09:44At the story's core is an overarching question.
09:46Who is Barbie?
09:48As it turns out, someone who can't so easily be put into a single box.
09:52You've been making women feel bad about themselves since you were invented.
09:56I think you have that the wrong way around.
09:58You represent everything wrong with her culture.
10:01Sexualized capitalism?
10:03Unrealistic physical ideals?
10:04No, no, no.
10:04You're describing something stereotypical.
10:07Barbie is so much more than that.
10:10Look at yourself.
10:12Barbie can be anyone or anything, yet still feels constrained.
10:17Barbie becomes a metaphor for every woman who's struggled against impossible odds to reach
10:22her full potential, combining fashionable fantasy with reality.
10:26By giving voice to the cognitive dissonance required to be a woman under the patriarchy,
10:30you robbed it of its power.
10:32Yes.
10:34Wow, I just said all of that.
10:35Number 13.
10:36Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
10:39The definitive adaptation of Ruald Dahl's literary classic is pure wish fulfillment.
10:45What child hasn't dreamed of winning a tour to a chocolate factory, especially after seeing
10:50this film?
10:51All I ask is a tall ship and a star to sail her by.
10:55All aboard, everybody.
10:56Ladies first, and that means Ruka.
10:58If she's a lady, I'm a vermicious knid.
11:01The characters, comedy, and music are so infectious that most viewers don't even realize that we
11:06don't enter the factory until about 45 minutes in.
11:09This is where the film reaches another level of greatness with the arrival of Gene Wilder,
11:14whose Willy Wonka is every bit as engrossing as the sights that await in his chocolatorium.
11:24Hold your breath.
11:25Make a wish.
11:27Count to three.
11:28The factory isn't up to code, as the less fortunate children learn the hard way.
11:32That doesn't mean we still don't fantasize about eating our way through the chocolate
11:36room, flying in the Wonk-a-Vader, or finding a golden ticket.
11:53Number 12.
11:55The Odyssey
11:55It's an interpretation of Homer's epic poem, as only Christopher Nolan can envision it.
12:00Nolan's Odyssey encompasses many familiar elements, such as a man-eating cyclops,
12:06lotus flowers that cloud memories, and a witch you should think twice about accepting a meal from.
12:12We want no war.
12:19Help me go home.
12:21Yet, Nolan brings a more human element to the timeless tale, as Odysseus faces what's truly
12:26standing between him and his family, the blood he's spilled along the way.
12:38To an extent, this is a more intimate, stripped-down version of the Odyssey.
12:43At the same time, it's as massive as motion pictures get, with the production's scale rivaling
12:49the depths of Nolan's philosophical storytelling.
12:52It's not a straightforward translation of the text, but this Odyssey towers over every other
12:57adaptation.
12:59No one could stand between me and home.
13:04Now these are the gods.
13:06Number 11.
13:07It's a Wonderful Life
13:08Although this Christmas classic is a fantasy, much of the plot revolves around the reality
13:13of life.
13:14For George Bailey, it's seemingly one disappointment after another, as his dreams grow further away.
13:35It isn't until George considers ending it all that he begins to see what a wonderful life
13:40he's lived. And more importantly, how his mere existence has enriched those around him.
13:46You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would
13:52be to throw it away?
13:54We may never get to see what the world would have been like if we were never born. Through this
13:59fable, though, we're reminded that just because life isn't playing out as we envisioned doesn't mean that you're not having
14:05an important impact.
14:06Sometimes it takes a work of fantasy to make us appreciate the simple things in life.
14:11Get me back to my wife and kids. Help me, Clarence, please. Please. I want to live again. I want
14:20to live again. I want to live again.
14:24Number 10.
14:25King Kong
14:26Every couple of decades, a film changes the way we view the medium, redefining what's possible to visualize on the
14:33silver screen.
14:34The original King Kong is one of the earliest examples, with Willis H. O'Brien's revolutionary special effects bringing the
14:42giant ape to life.
14:52Even with these technical breakthroughs, King Kong could have blended in with countless other monster pictures if it didn't have
14:59an equally essential element, heart.
15:02King Kong is intimidating when he first appears on screen.
15:14By the climax atop the Empire State Building, though, we empathize with what we once feared.
15:30Peter Jackson's adaptation lovingly reimagined the tale with modern effects, but the original remains king.
15:36It made us see the beauty in the beast.
15:39Speaking of which...
15:41Number 9.
15:41Beauty and the Beast
15:43Snow White and the Seven Dwarves forever made Disney synonymous with animated fairy tales.
15:49Everything you can do, anything you can do, a life of the world.
15:56Beauty and the Beast is one story that even Walt Disney himself struggled to crack back in the day.
16:02Decades later, the stars aligned as a once-in-a-generation collection of talent came together to produce this Best
16:08Picture nominee.
16:09From director Gary Truesdale and Kirk Wise to composer Alan Menken, one person can't take all the credit.
16:16You like it?
16:17It's wonderful.
16:19Then it's yours.
16:21Oh, thank you so much.
16:23Yet, there's a reason why the film's dedication to the late lyricist Howard Ashman singled him out as the one
16:29who gave the beast his soul.
16:31Just as petals fall from a rose, Ashman's time was tragically limited.
16:36His spirit endures through the songs that made this musical romance so enchanting.
16:41Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast.
16:49Number 8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
16:52The story of King Arthur has inspired some marvelous films, including 1981's Excalibur.
17:05If we had to single out our favorite, though, it would be Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
17:10We wouldn't be alone in that assessment.
17:12Admittedly, it feels weird saying that the best King Arthur movie is one with a killer rabbit who gets blown
17:17up with a holy hand grenade.
17:19However, an entire generation of audiences knows this movie better than the actual Arthurian legend.
17:25This just speaks to the film's cultural significance.
17:28Now look here, my good man.
17:30I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough whopper.
17:36I fart in your general direction.
17:40Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.
17:45What started as a parody became legendary in its own right,
17:48inspiring lines that fans can quote by heart as if they were scripture.
17:52Folklore and satire converged, creating a new mythology.
17:57Pythology, if you will.
17:58What is your quest?
18:00To seek the Holy Grail.
18:03What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
18:07What do you mean?
18:08An African or European swallow?
18:10I don't know that.
18:127. Pan's Labyrinth
18:19Although The Shape of Water brought him the Oscar,
18:22Pan's Labyrinth remains Guillermo del Toro's magnum opus.
18:26While the story echoes the likes of Lewis Carroll,
18:28the film is draped in the unparalleled genius of del Toro,
18:32who mixes the fantastical with brutal realism.
18:52Is young Ophelia retreating into make-believe as a coping mechanism,
18:56or are worlds actually colliding?
18:58Either way, not even the fantasy world's most menacing monsters
19:01can compete with the sheer evil of Ophelia's stepfather, Captain Vidal.
19:13It's fitting that del Toro was inspired in part by lucid dreaming,
19:17as Pan's Labyrinth doesn't just muddy the water between being awake and asleep.
19:21It's on another subconscious plane where the most haunting nightmares
19:24and thrilling dreams converge.
19:376. Mary Poppins
19:39Walt Disney was another innovator who didn't live to see all of his passion projects realized.
19:45Thankfully, Mary Poppins is one that Walt managed to get off the ground
19:48in the last chapter of his life.
19:55It's her. It's the person.
19:57She's answered our advertisement.
19:59Rosie, cheeks, and everything.
20:01Disney had spent years trying to make a film about the practically perfect nanny,
20:05until author P.L. Travers finally signed off.
20:08It was a blessing in disguise that Travers held out for so long.
20:12Otherwise, we might not have had Julie Andrews in her Oscar-winning role.
20:16As Mary Poppins, Andrews whisks us away for a jolly holiday,
20:21with animated characters and rooftop dances with chimney sweeps.
20:24Woo! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
20:28Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious
20:31If you say it loud enough, you'll always have a trocious
20:34Of course, she also teaches the Banks that feeding the birds or flying a kite
20:37can be every bit as magical.
20:39Come feed the little birds, show them you care
20:45And you'll be glad if you do
20:55We sympathize with die-hard fans who can't help but nitpick differences from the books.
21:00Considering the changes that inevitably come with any adaptation, though,
21:04the Harry Potter movies weren't just faithful to the source material.
21:07But, Hagrid, we're not allowed to do magic away from Hogwarts.
21:11You know that.
21:12I do.
21:14But your cousin don't, do he?
21:16Hey?
21:17Quite frankly, we sometimes take for granted what a miracle this film franchise's mere existence is.
21:23The first film alone had the daunting task of visualizing Hogwarts
21:26and casting dozens of roles that some actors, many children at the time, would play for over a decade.
21:33Harry, you wonderful boy.
21:37You brave, brave man.
21:43Let us walk.
21:44Throughout eight features, this creative team sustained that quality with immersive set pieces,
21:50mostly spot-on portrayals that improved with time,
21:53and a sense of wonder that encapsulated the spirit of the books.
21:56Whatever future adaptations hold, this one did it first and did it marvelously.
22:01What should we do with it?
22:03We?
22:05Just saying, that's the Elder Wand.
22:07Most powerful wand in the world.
22:10With that, we'd be invincible.
22:12Number four, Spirited Away.
22:15My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke
22:19are among the masterworks that made Hayao Miyazaki a modern legend.
22:24What is that other human doing here?
22:27He was shot, and then the great spirit healed his wound.
22:30This man is not our enemy.
22:32The forest spirit saved him?
22:35What's interesting about Miyazaki's filmography
22:37is that his movies usually find supernatural entities,
22:40be they spirits or witches, entering our world.
22:44In Spirited Away, it's reversed,
22:46with the all-too-ordinary Chihiro getting lost in a realm of six armed men,
22:51giant babies, and many others beyond description.
22:54What do you want with Haku? He's badly hurt.
22:57Too bad. He stole my solid gold seal.
23:00It's magic and powerful, and I want it back.
23:03Haku wouldn't steal. He's a good person.
23:06This is Miyazaki at his most Miyazaki,
23:09with every frame of animation dialing his inventiveness to 11.
23:13While the visuals are astounding,
23:15Spirited Away is also a deeply atmospheric film
23:18that sees its heroine come of age in quiet yet profound ways.
23:21Once you've seen it, your bar for fantasy, animation, and cinema
23:25will be forever raised.
23:27Thank you, everyone!
23:30All right, you win. Get out of my sight!
23:33Thanks for everything, Granny.
23:35Goodbye!
23:37Thank you!
23:40Haku!
23:41Let's go!
23:42Number 3. The Princess Bride
23:44What starts as a simple story that a grandfather reads to his grandson
23:48becomes something far grander by the final page.
23:51The same can be said about how the Princess Bride's place
23:53in the cultural zeitgeist has changed over time.
23:57He didn't fall?
23:59Inconceivable!
24:01You keep using the word.
24:02I don't think it means what you think it means.
24:04Coming from humble beginnings,
24:06Rob Reiner's adaptation of William Goldman's book
24:09performed modestly at the box office.
24:11Over time, it went from cult movie to indisputable classic,
24:15inspiring some of the most quotable dialogue in fiction.
24:18My name is Inigo Montoya.
24:20You killed my father.
24:22Prepare to die.
24:23Stop saying that!
24:25While there are other fantasy films with flashier effects and sets,
24:28The Princess Bride reigns above almost all of them
24:31through its loving direction, witty writing, and charming cast alone.
24:36Just as the grandson is eager to hear the story again,
24:39few films possess more rewatch value.
24:42Maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow.
24:48As you wish.
24:50Number 2.
24:51The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
24:52Ralph Bakshi's 1978 rotoscoped film
24:56showed that it was possible not only to translate
24:59J.R.R. Tolkien's books to film,
25:01but it could be done with maturity and gravitas.
25:04I will take the ring,
25:06though I do not know the way.
25:09I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo.
25:12Frodo, this is the hour of the Shire Folk at last.
25:16The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
25:18wasn't fully realized on screen, though,
25:20until New Line Cinema took a chance on director Peter Jackson,
25:24then better known for low-budget horror comedies.
25:26The trilogy's production would be an epic journey in and of itself,
25:30with Jackson shooting multiple films at once.
25:33You shall not pass!
25:51For all the hurdles Jackson's team faced,
25:54the results transported us to Middle Earth,
25:56from the Shire's quaint hobbit holes
25:58to the infinite splendor of Gondor.
26:00The trilogy took the fantasy genre to unprecedented heights,
26:05sweeping the Oscars by the final installment.
26:07This day does not belong to one man,
26:10but to all.
26:13Let us together rebuild this world,
26:17that we may share in the days of peace.
26:24Before we unveil our top pick,
26:26here are a few honorable mentions.
26:28Where the Wild Things Are
26:30A classic children's book becomes a film
26:32that may speak even more to adults.
26:35Let's eat it.
26:36Stop!
26:41Stop!
26:41I look at them so delightful and so enjoyable.
26:45Be still!
26:49Shrek.
26:50The gold or green standard for fractured fairy tales.
26:57I live in a swamp.
27:00I put up signs.
27:01I'm a terrifying ogre.
27:03What do I have to do to get a little prey message?
27:07Oh no.
27:09Oh no.
27:11No!
27:12No!
27:13The Company of Wolves.
27:15Red Riding Hood doesn't get bloodier than this.
27:31The Chronicles of Narnia,
27:33The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
27:35C.S. Lewis at his most cinematic.
27:37I have no interest in prisons.
27:40Kill them all.
27:42Kill them all.
27:53Willow.
27:54A little hero can go a long way.
27:56You are on your way to becoming a great sorcerer.
28:03Willow the sorcerer!
28:04You make us proud!
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28:34Number 1.
28:35The Wizard of Oz
28:36As influential as L. Frank Baum's books were,
28:40The Wizard of Oz is a rare adaptation
28:42that left an even more significant cultural imprint
28:44than its source material.
28:46It wasn't the first or last film set in Oz.
28:49It's good to see me, isn't it?
28:51Yet even the most successful interpretations like Wicked
28:54live in the shadow of MGM's Technicolor masterpiece.
28:57More than 80 years later,
28:59we remain in awe of the film's eye-popping visuals
29:02and grandiose production numbers.
29:14As is the case with most of the great fantasy stories, though,
29:18the film's emotional anchor is its relatable protagonist.
29:21From her performance of Over the Rainbow
29:23to her revelation that there's no place like home,
29:26Judy Garland's performance is the kind of magic
29:28that only the movies can deliver.
29:44What's your favorite fantasy movie?
29:46Let us know in the comments.