Fantasy Films: Top 25

image from The Wizard of Oz

Top 25 Fantasy Films These are the top 25 fantasy films of all time, as determined by aggregating multiple lists (see resources at bottom of page) and factoring in the films’ overall status in Dave’s Movie Database. In cases where more than one movie from a series ranked in the top 25 (such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy), they were consolidated into one entry. 1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) The Two Towers (2002) The Return of the King (2003) 3. Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (2006) 4. The Princess Bride (1987) 5. Edward Scissorhands (1990) 6. Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) 7. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001) 8. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) 9. Mary Poppins (1964) 10. Labyrinth (1986) 11. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Dead Man’s Chest (2006) At World’s End (2007) On Stranger Tides (2011) Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) 12. The Never Ending Story (1984) 13. The Dark Crystal (1982) 14. Groundhog Day (1993) 15. Time Bandits (1981) 16. Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete) (1946) 17. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) 18. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) The Desolation of Smaug (2013) The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) 19. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) 20. Avatar (2009) 21. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 22. Excalibur (1981) 23. King Kong (1933) 24. The Thief of Bagdad (1940) 25. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Genre Lists American Film Institute (2016). “Top 10 Fantasy FIlms” TheCinemaholic.com (2/5/2019). “30 Best Fantasy Movies Ever” CommonSenseMedia.org “Best Fantasy Movies” DigitalDreamDoor.com (1/24/2019). “100 Greatest Fantasy Movies” FilmsRanked.com (August 2018). “100 Greatest Fantasy Films” FlickChart.com “The Top 100 Fantasy Movies of All Time” Guinness Book of Film (1999). “The Top 100 Films by Genre Type” (includes top 5 fantasy films) HiConsumption.com (6/1/2014). “The 50 Greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies of All Time” Internet Movie Database (7/6/2012). “100 Best Fantasy Movies” Mandatory.com (12/12/2012). “The Top 25 (Other) Best Fantasy Movies Ever Made” The-Numbers.com (2019). “All Time Worldwide Box Office for Fantasy Movies” Ranker.com “The Best Fantasy Movies” RottenTomatoes.com “Best Fantasy Movies of All Time” ScreenRant.com (9/28/2018). “20 Best Fantasy Movies Ever Made, According to Rotten Tomatoes…” TasteOfCinema.com (2/12/2018). “The 25 Best Fantasy Movies of All Time” Time Out (8/22/2018). “The 50 best fantasy movies” TheTopTens.com “Greatest Fantasy Movies of All Time” TribaList.com “Best Fantasy Movies” Originally posted 9/6/2019; last updated 5/25/2023.

Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's magnum opus fairy-tale for adults, released

Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) Released: October 11, 2006 Studio: Warner Bros. Genre: fantasy/monster/foreign Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 37.63 Worldwide: 83.85 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Guillermo del Toro Screenwriting: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo Review: Pan’s Labyrinth is director/screenwriter Guillermo del Toro’s “magnum opus,” SF “the essence of the filmmaker distilled down to a single film.” SF It is a “fairy tale for grown-ups, as pull-no-punches brutal as it is gorgeously, baroquely fantastical.” E18 “There’s an earthy, primal feel to his fairy-world here, alien and threatening rather than gasp-inducing and ‘magical.’” E18 It is a “poignant, visually stunning dark fantasy about the loss of innocence set during the Spanish Civil War.” SF The story “follows a young girl who escapes her grim and death-filled reality by entering a world of magical creatures and wood fairies. del Toro doesn't sugarcoat or hide anything, paying as much attention to crafting a stunning magical world with stunning creature designs as he does to portraying the grim and violent reality of fascist Spain. Tying the fantasy to real-life horrors is the core of what makes this such a brilliant film, as it grounds both storylines, making reality feel fantastical, and fantasy feel real.” SF “This is in no small part thanks to the gorgeous visuals that realize del Toro’s vision to life, particularly the titular faun and the repulsive Pale Man, creating two memorable characters that will forever haunt your dreams — while the haunting score helps realize a world that is as beautiful as it is eerie.” SF Sources: E18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies” SF SlashFilm.com (5/23/2023). “Top 100 Movies of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Oscars: Wins: 3 – Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup Nominations: 6 – including Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Film, Best Original Score Lists: Hall of Fames: Experts’ Picks: Genre Lists: First posted 6/10/2023; last updated 3/5/2025.