Amy's Favorite Fairytale/Myth/Legend/Fantasy movies
by renamski | created - 02 Nov 2010 | updated - 07 Nov 2010 | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Labyrinth (1986)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.
Director: Jim Henson | Stars: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson
Votes: 149,516 | Gross: $12.73M
A childhood favorite. I'd love to fall into this story.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,006,135 | Gross: $315.54M
Includes all three of the movies. The mother of all fantasy tales. This brings the very best of humanity and the very worst of evil in an epic battle. Grand in scope and every detail. A wonderful story adapted into a wonderful movie.
3. The Company of Wolves (1984)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A teenage girl in a country manor falls asleep while reading a magazine, and has a disturbing dream involving wolves prowling the woods below her bedroom window.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Graham Crowden
Votes: 18,399 | Gross: $4.39M
This story adhere's to the original intentions of "fairytales", to frighten children into behaving. This movie is full of the symbolism of young girls being devoured by men. Don't stray from the path. The smoothest tongue has sharpest tooth...
4. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
PG | 103 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Young Fiona lives with her grandparents in a small fishing village where she takes an active role to unravel the mysterious secrets.
Director: John Sayles | Stars: Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally, Pat Slowey
Votes: 9,869 | Gross: $6.10M
A classic Irish Fairytale. Happy and uplifting.
5. Legend (1985)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent
Votes: 72,434 | Gross: $15.50M
A childhood favorite. Dark and evil, but with the ultimate triumph of love.
6. The 13th Warrior (1999)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure, History
A man, having fallen in love with the wrong woman, is sent by the sultan himself on a diplomatic mission to a distant land as an ambassador. Stopping at a Viking village port to restock on supplies, he finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a quest to banish a mysterious threat in a distant Viking land.
Directors: John McTiernan, Michael Crichton | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhøi, Vladimir Kulich
Votes: 132,063 | Gross: $32.70M
Graphic and gory... but, oh so good! This is a story about confronting fear. One of my all time favorites.
7. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 450,808 | Gross: $30.86M
Adorable and hilarious. One of the best fairytales ever.
8. Ladyhawke (1985)
PG-13 | 121 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The thief Gaston escapes the dungeon of medieval Aquila through the latrine. Soldiers are about to kill him when Navarre saves him. Navarre, traveling with his spirited hawk, plans to kill the bishop of Aquila with help from Gaston.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo McKern
Votes: 50,938 | Gross: $18.43M
Another childhood and family favorite. Grred and selfishness will get you in the end. Love conquers all.
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
PG | 143 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
While playing, Lucy and her siblings find a wardrobe that lands them in a mystical place called Narnia. Here they realize that it was fated and they must now unite with Aslan to defeat an evil queen.
Director: Andrew Adamson | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes
Votes: 427,873 | Gross: $291.71M
Grand and epic... just as it should be. The Chronicles of Narnia is a story best told with all the visual embelishments available.
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
PG | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The Pevensie siblings return to Narnia, where they are enlisted to once again help ward off an evil king and restore the rightful heir to the land's throne, Prince Caspian.
Director: Andrew Adamson | Stars: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley
Votes: 225,387 | Gross: $141.62M
ditto above
11. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Votes: 855,706 | Gross: $317.58M
All movies in the series included. A true modern classic. Harry Potter will live in the hearts and minds of children for years and years to come. A MUST see.
12. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney
Votes: 156,875 | Gross: $20.16M
Every child should see this. Inspiring and imaginative.
13. Arabian Nights (2000)
Not Rated | 88 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
To cure a Prince's murderous madness, Scheherezade tells him a series of wondrous stories.
Stars: Mili Avital, Alan Bates, James Frain, Tchéky Karyo
Votes: 5,577
Loved this one. Funny and delightful.
14. Peter Pan (2003)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
The Darling family children receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Never Never Land where an ongoing war with the evil Pirate Captain Hook is taking place.
Director: P.J. Hogan | Stars: Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Olivia Williams, Lynn Redgrave
Votes: 80,138 | Gross: $48.46M
This is a more mature story of Peter Pan and Wendy. Enchanting.
15. Penelope (2006)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will accept her as one of their own."
Director: Mark Palansky | Stars: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, Richard E. Grant
Votes: 66,201 | Gross: $10.01M
Probably the best modern fairytale I have ever seen. Very sweet and heartwarming.
16. Twilight (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke
Votes: 487,420 | Gross: $192.77M
Love it or hate it, Twilight is here to stay. I, for one, love it. Although, it is a bit of a guilty pleasure.
17. Inkheart (2008)
PG | 106 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A teenage girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Andy Serkis, Eliza Bennett, Sienna Guillory
Votes: 82,322 | Gross: $17.30M
A dark, but ultimately happy tale. Loved Paul Bettany as Dustfinger.
18. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
R | 105 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
Votes: 383,786 | Gross: $101.07M
I love some dark Johnny Depp. He does it so well.
19. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Petr Ratimec
Votes: 126,237 | Gross: $37.92M
Beautiful scenery and dark delights. Not a happy tale, although it ends happily enough.
20. Alice in Wonderland (I) (2010)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Nineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Votes: 440,871 | Gross: $334.19M
I really enjoyed this version. The story as told in a cohesive whole. This may not be how the original author intended, but it works better for me.
21. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,818 | Gross: $57.27M
Evil witch, good witch, brave knight, damsel, baby fated to save the world, prophecies, dragons, brownies, dwarves, does a fantasy movie need anything else?
22. Stardust (2007)
PG-13 | 127 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Ian McKellen
Votes: 285,155 | Gross: $38.63M
A lovely little tale that is very funny in places.
23. Excalibur (1981)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
Votes: 67,139 | Gross: $34.97M
Can be a bit corny, especially if judged by today's standards. But, a classic nontheless.
24. The Dark Crystal (1982)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and to restore order to his world.
Directors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz | Stars: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
Votes: 71,426 | Gross: $40.58M
This movie really freaked me out as a kid. Very dark and filled with peril.
25. Coraline (2009)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Drama, Family
Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders
Votes: 263,633 | Gross: $75.29M
Very dark and creepy. It scared my kids half to death. My oldest still has bad dreams about the mother with button eyes...
26. Ondine (2009)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
An Irish fisherman discovers a woman in his fishing net whom his precocious daughter believes to be a selkie.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Dervla Kirwan, Alison Barry
Votes: 22,631 | Gross: $0.55M
A little bit of mystery, mix it with fulfilled wishes and belief, and you get the makings of a fairytale.
27. Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
PG-13 | 121 min | Drama, Romance
The Brothers Grimm arrive at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame who speaks of the many legends surrounding the fable of the cinder girl before telling the "true" story of her ancestor.
Director: Andy Tennant | Stars: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey
Votes: 81,695 | Gross: $65.71M
Boy do the steps get it in the end. Prince charming was kind of a creep though. I think I would have moved on to better things if I were Cinderella.
28. A Little Princess (1995)
G | 97 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Sara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer
Votes: 36,689 | Gross: $10.02M
My favorite version of this tale. I love it when the wicked stepmother/house marm/teacher gets her or his comuppance. And boy does she get it in this one.
29. The Secret Garden (1993)
G | 101 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott
Votes: 44,457 | Gross: $31.18M
A children's classic. Understated and sweet.
30. Clash of the Titans (1981)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith
Votes: 47,721 | Gross: $41.09M
I like this version over the new one for the feel of it. This version just feels more fantasy like. The newer version just feels like a greek myth version of the Transformer movies...
31. The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)
TV-PG | 70 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
An American spends his holiday in Ireland, where he is introduced to the world of magical creatures like leprechauns and fairies. In a subplot, a forbidden love story blossoms between leprechaun Mickey and fairy Jessica.
Stars: Randy Quaid, Whoopi Goldberg, Roger Daltrey, Colm Meaney
Votes: 4,470
Light hearted and sweet. A very fun family fantasy.
32. The Last Unicorn (1982)
G | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A beautiful unicorn sets out to learn if she truly is the last of her kind in this sparkling animated musical.
Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin
Votes: 29,522 | Gross: $6.46M
This story is full of symbolism. Sacrifice, inner beauty, love, searching for a place to belong.
33. The Last Mimzy (2007)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys. Soon the kids, their parents, and even their teacher are drawn into a strange new world and find a task ahead of them that is far more important than any of them could imagine!
Director: Robert Shaye | Stars: Joely Richardson, Rainn Wilson, Timothy Hutton, Chris O'Neil
Votes: 22,217 | Gross: $21.47M
An idealistic tail of the past saving the future after it has been corrupted by pollution. We need a little idealizm every now and then.
34. The Mists of Avalon (2001)
Unrated | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy
Tales of Camelot and Avalon, told from the perspective of the women of Uther and Arthur Pendragon's world.
Stars: Anjelica Huston, Julianna Margulies, Joan Allen, Samantha Mathis
Votes: 10,391
Better than the book... and I don't say that often. It left out most of the feminist theme of the book and got to the meat of the fantasy of King Arthur from a woman's perspective.
35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 281,559 | Gross: $128.08M
A classic tale of Chinese fatalism. Where sacrifice is the ultimate expresion of love.
36. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
G | 93 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A wily old codger matches wits with the King of the Leprechauns and helps play matchmaker for his daughter and the strapping lad who has replaced him as caretaker.
Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy O'Dea
Votes: 9,363
Oh, I just love this old classic. Sean Connery pre 007.
37. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Votes: 523,621 | Gross: $56.36M
Tragic tale. Another good Depp movie.
38. Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987)
50 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A miscellany of numerous classic fairy tales' adaptations.
Stars: Shelley Duvall, John Achorn, Patrick DeSantis, David McCharen
Votes: 2,517
Loved these as a child. One of my first introductions to fairytales.
39. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú
Votes: 702,767 | Gross: $37.63M
A very dark horrifying tale. I think of this movie as how a child's mind processes evil.
40. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,455 | Gross: $2.08M
This movie is so classic no one has ever tried to redo it. That says it all.
41. Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
R | 100 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
In this dark take on the fairy tale, the growing hatred of a noblewoman, secretly a practitioner of the dark arts, for her stepdaughter, and the witch's horrifying attempts to kill her.
Director: Michael Cohn | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill, Gil Bellows, Taryn Davis
Votes: 11,374
Tell Your Friends