Labyrinth

Appears on

• Top 6 Fantasy Films of All Time

  Currently #5 · score 0

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• The Wizard of Oz

  The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939, became one of the first major Hollywood films to use Technicolor extensively, and its dramatic transition from sepia-toned Kansas to the vividly colorful land of Oz became one of the most celebrated visual transitions in film history, a technique made possible by the still-relatively-new color film technology. Judy Garland's performance as Dorothy, including her rendition of "Over the Rainbow," established the song as one of the most enduringly beloved pieces of movie music ever recorded, and the American Film Institute has repeatedly named it the greatest movie song of all time. The film's production was notoriously difficult, including a serious on-set injury to the original actor cast as the Tin Man from toxic aluminum-based makeup, and Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered significant burns during a special effects mishap involving pyrotechnics. Despite its now-legendary cultural status, The Wizard of Oz was a modest box-office disappointment upon its initial release, and its status as one of the most beloved films in American history developed substantially through decades of subsequent annual television broadcasts that introduced the film to successive generations of children.

• The Princess Bride

  The Princess Bride, released in 1987 and directed by Rob Reiner, blends fairy-tale romance, swashbuckling adventure, and self-aware comedic wit, framed through a grandfather reading the story to his skeptical, initially reluctant grandson, giving the film a knowing, gently satirical relationship to traditional fantasy storytelling conventions. The film's sword fight sequence between Westley and Inigo Montoya, choreographed with unusually technical precision for a mainstream fantasy comedy, is widely regarded as one of the finest sword fights ever filmed, and actors Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin trained extensively to perform much of the elaborate choreography themselves. Its widely quoted dialogue, including "Inconceivable!" and "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die," has become deeply embedded in popular culture, and the film's specific blend of genuine romantic sincerity with constant comedic self-awareness established a tonal template numerous subsequent fantasy comedies have tried to replicate. The Princess Bride was a modest box-office performer upon its original release but became a genuine cultural phenomenon through home video, developing one of the most devoted cult followings of any fantasy film and eventually being recognized as one of the most quotable and beloved films of its era.

• Big Fish

  Big Fish, released in 2003 and directed by Tim Burton, follows a son trying to separate fact from his dying father's lifelong habit of embellishing his own life story with elaborate, tall-tale fantasy embellishments, presented through visually lush flashback sequences depicting the father's exaggerated personal mythology. The film's blend of genuine emotional father-son reconciliation with Burton's characteristically whimsical visual fantasy sequences gave Big Fish a different tonal register than much of Burton's more overtly gothic or macabre earlier filmography, reflecting a more sincere, less ironic sensibility. Its climactic sequence, in which the son finally embraces and continues telling his father's exaggerated stories himself during his father's final moments, offered a genuinely moving meditation on how personal mythology and storytelling can constitute a meaningful form of truth distinct from strict factual accuracy. Big Fish's combination of Burton's distinctive visual fantasy sensibility and its unusually sincere emotional core, less common in his broader filmography, made it one of the director's most critically well-received films outside his more typically recognized gothic aesthetic register.

• Edward Scissorhands

  Edward Scissorhands, released in 1990 and directed by Tim Burton, follows an artificial man left with scissor blades for hands after his creator dies before completing him, and Johnny Depp's largely wordless, physically expressive performance in the title role established the actor's long subsequent creative partnership with Burton across multiple later films. The film's visual contrast between its brightly colored, uniformly pastel suburban setting and Edward's dark, gothic castle home reflected Burton's recurring thematic interest in outsider figures who don't fit within conformist mainstream social environments. Edward's inability to touch anything without accidentally cutting it, despite his genuinely gentle nature, gave the film's central fantasy premise a poignant metaphorical dimension exploring isolation and the pain of being unable to fully connect with others despite one's best intentions. The film's combination of visually distinctive suburban gothic fantasy and its genuinely tender emotional core established much of Burton's signature directorial style, and Edward Scissorhands remains widely regarded as one of the finest and most personally significant films in Burton's broader filmography.

• Stardust

  Stardust, released in 2007 and based on Neil Gaiman's novel, follows a young man who crosses into a magical realm to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves, only to discover the star has taken human form and is being pursued by witches seeking to consume her for eternal youth. The film blended genuine fantasy-adventure spectacle with a knowingly witty, self-aware sensibility, and its ensemble cast, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Claire Danes, gave the fantasy adventure a level of established acting talent uncommon for the genre at the time. Robert De Niro's performance as a secretly flamboyant sky pirate captain, playing considerably against his more typical dramatic screen persona, became one of the film's most widely praised and unexpected elements, showcasing comedic range not typically associated with his broader filmography. Stardust was a modest commercial performer upon its original theatrical release but has since developed a substantial and devoted cult following, particularly among fans of Gaiman's broader literary work, and the film's blend of genuine romantic fantasy and comedic self-awareness has made it an increasingly frequently cited underappreciated entry in the modern fantasy film genre.