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.

Animated Movies: Top 25

image from Toy Story

Top 25 Animated Movies 20 lists (resources listed at bottom of page) were aggregated to create this list of the top 25 animated films of all time. 1. Toy Story (1995) 2. Wall-E (2008) 3. Beauty and the Beast (1991) 4. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001) 5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 6. The Lion King (1994) 7. Up (2009) 8. Toy Story 3 (2010) 9. The Incredibles (2004) 10. Pinocchio (1940) 11. Fantasia (1940) 12. Finding Nemo (2003) 13. The Iron Giant (1999) 14. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 15. Ratatouille (2007) 16. Bambi (1942) 17. Coraline (2009) 18. Inside Out (2015) 19. South Park: Bigge, Longer & Uncut (1999) 20. Toy Story 2 (1999) 21. Aladdin (1992) 22. The Little Mermaid (1989) 23. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 24. My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) (1988) 25. Monsters, Inc. (2001) Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Genre Lists ABC News/People Magazine (3/22/2011). “Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time” (includes top 5 animated films) American Film Institute (2016). “Top 10 Animation” American Express Essentials “The Top 20 Greatest Animated Movies of All Time” BusinessInsider.com (3/10/2018). “The 50 best animated movies of all time, according to critics” Complex.com (7/17/2019). “The Best Animated Movies of All Time” Entertainment Weekly (9/4/2009). “Best Animated Movies Ever” Guinness Book of Film (1999). “The Top 100 Films by Genre Type” (includes top 5 animated films) IGN.com (6/25/2010). “Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time” MentalFloss.com (6/13/2017). “The 10 Best Animated Movies of All Time” Parade.com (6/12/2019). “The 20 Greatest Animated Films of All Time, Including All Your Disney Faves” Ranker.com “The Best Animated Films Ever” Rolling Stone (6/26/2016). “40 Greatest Animated Movies Ever” RottenTomatoes.com (as of 8/29/2019). “Tom 100 Animation Movies” ScreenRant.com (7/14/2019). “The 10 Best Animated Movies of All-Time According to IMDB” TheTopTens.com (as of 8/29/2019). “Top Ten Best Animated Movies of All Time” Time Out (2014). “The 100 Best Animated Movies” tvovermind.com (2018). “The Top 20 Animated Films of All-Time” USA Today (6/12/2018). “The 100 best animated movies of all time” Wikipedia.org (8/29/2019). “List of highest-grossing animated films” Originally posted 8/29/2019; last updated 5/25/2023.

Spirited Away released in Japan

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) Released: July 20, 2001 in Japan Studio: Toho Genre: animation/fantasy/foreign Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 12.40 Worldwide: 365.48 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: ? Worldwide: 645.07 estimated

Directing: Hayao Miyazaki Screenwriting: Hayao Miyazaki Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawagachi, Tsunehiko Kamijo Review: Initially released in Japan in 2001 as Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, this was released as Spirited Away in the United States by Disney Studios over a year later. Until 2016’s Your Name, it was the highest-grossing anime movie of all time. EM’18 The movie makes three different Dave’s Movie Database genre lists – animation, foreign, and fantasy. “Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal…tale about a lost little girl.” RT Spirited Away, his “most successful film…is truly a moving work of art, in both senses. Every frame bursts with vibrant detail and beautifully fantastical invention.” EM’18 “It’s a bit like Alice In Wonderland, but better.” EM’18 Chihiro is “a sullen 10-year-old girl” IMD on an outing with her family. They “come upon a blocked tunnel; her parents decide to have a look around – even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park…After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs.” RT Chihiro “learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world.” RT She “has to toil in a bath house for demons to return her piggy parents to human form.” EM’18 She also learns that “if she forgets her real name…then she will never be permitted to leave.” RT Sources: EM’18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies” RT Details unknown.

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Oscars: Wins: 1 – Best Animated Feature Nominations: 1 Other Awards: Other Lists/Honors: First posted 9/12/2019; last updated 5/28/2023.