TOP FANTACY MOVIES LIST

25. Labyrinth
David Bowie in skin tight pants that leave little to the imagination, a jailbait Jennifer Connelly and the wildly imaginative puppet creations of Jim Henson. What's not to love? A highly imaginative, trippy fantasy that is perfect for kids and stoners alike, Henson got the chance to go dark and seemed to revel in the opportunity. The story mixes classical fairy-tale elements with easily identifiable modern teen troubles, such as a pain-in-the-neck little brother. Bowie adds a number of unforgettable songs (Just try to get them out of your head, I dare you). -JO

24. Babe
Chris Noonan's family film about a pig who charms his owners and the rest of his fellow animals may outwardly have been borrowed from the pages of such other barnyard classics as Charlotte's Web, but the end result is an indelible, unforgettable live-action experience. James Cromwell plays the tight-lipped Farmer Hoggett, offering a human face to the unlikeliest of friendships, while Christine Cavanaugh provides the perfect voice for the film's porcine protagonist. The film's few detours into darkness notwithstanding, Babe is one of the most wholesome, intelligent and evocative family films of recent years; after watching it, you'll never look at bacon the same. -TG

23. Willow
"Magic is the bloodstream of the universe!" This tale of a little person with a big heart on an even bigger adventure featured the ultimate team-up of George Lucas and Ron Howard. Starring a young Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis (Wicket in Return of the Jedi and the leprechaun from The Leprechaun), Willow might not fully stand the test of time, but it is a sweeping fantasy adventure with some of the best effects (and, let's be honest, quotes) this side of Jackson's Lord of the Rings fantasy films.

While critics may not have wholly embraced Willow, it is a swashbuckling tale filled with great battles, plenty of magic, and one of the early gems of Kilmer's career. -CC

22. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

One may call it a guilty pleasure movie but you can't deny the impact that this 1989 time-travelling fantasy comedy had in the 1990s -- from pop culture phrases ("Party on, dudes!", "We are... Wyld Stallyns!") to Wayne's World to Keanu Reeves's film career. The two main characters, Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted "Theodore" Logan, are not-so-bright Valley boys but the film never feels like it's making fun of how dim-witted they are. The humor and situations may be silly, but Excellent Adventure has a heart that few adventures, fantasies, or comedies have. -BZ

21. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The first of Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings adaptations, The Fellowship of the Ring, is an introduction to his vision of Tolkien's Middle-Earth. The film draws viewers into this magnificent world, brought to life by the effects artists at Weta, inhabited by Men, Hobbits, Elves, Wizards and Dwarves. The story tells what happens when Sauron, the dark lord, is awakened and threatens to conquer Middle-Earth. To stop this ancient evil once and for all, Frodo Baggins must destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. The film won Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Best Original Score. -BL

20. Excalibur
John Boorman's excellent tale about the knights of the round table features some of the shiniest armor ever to grace a fantasy film. All the elements of the Arthurian legend are here, in well-acted, live action detail. It shows that Boorman poured his heart and soul into this production, which includes all the key parties from the tale: Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, and of course, Arthur. To this day it is the best (non-comedic) telling of King Arthur's tale. -CC

19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling's characters begin to grow up in both Rowling's third Harry Potter novel and this movie adaptation, directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien). Taking the reins from director Chris Columbus, Cuaron concocts a much richer world, with better developed relationships between the characters, a darker tone, and a story that flows quickly and smoothly. Some of the effects are a bit sub-par (such as the werewolf) but others are very impressive and unique (including Buckbeak the hippogriff and the effectively creepy Dementors). -BZ

18. Edward Scissorhands
True modern fairy tales are precious few and far between, but Burton's first collaboration with Johnny Depp is one of them. Edward Scissorhands is full of kitschy concepts, from the cardboard-cutout suburban landscape to the Avon ladies and their reluctant clientele to Burton's longtime love for Tom Jones. But it's also bursting with a tenderness that the director rarely shows - Edward's foibles are at once highly comedic (having him sleep on a waterbed was a stroke of brilliance) and undeniably sympathetic (who hasn't suffered the indignities of unrequited love?). The commingling of so many different, eccentric and evocative ideas makes for a real sort of modern mythology, and proves to be as perfectly and evocatively rendered as that topiary on your lawn. -TG

17. Groundhog Day
One of the more clever concepts for a comedy ever conceived, Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray as ill-mannered weatherman Phil Connors, who must re-live (and re-live and re-live and re-live…) the same despised groundhog day in smalltown, USA until he gets it right. Director Harold Ramis combines with Murray yet again to hit all the right notes. Murray and co-star Andie McDowell have a charming love/hate chemistry and Chris Elliot even provides a few background laughs. Groundhog Day has plenty of gut busting laughs, but the story within is sweet and you quickly grow to love Phil, even with all his flaws. Plus, Murray gets to play out one of life's great questions over and over: What would you do in a day if you knew it didn't matter? -JO

16. Beetlejuice
This 1988 dark comedy, directed by Tim Burton, tells the story of a young couple (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who die and become trapped in their house as ghosts. Soon afterward an annoying family moves in and the deceased couple decide to hire a "bio-exorcist" named Beetlejuice to get rid of them. Starring Winona Ryder in one of her first film roles, Beetlejuice's main attractions are a maniacally great performance by Michael Keaton as the title character and truly inventive and entertaining sequences, such as the dinner "haunting" to the tune of the "Banana Boat Song" by Harry Bellafonte. -BZ

15. The Neverending Story
Wolfgang Petersen's The NeverEnding Story is an adaptation of the fantasy novel by Michael Ende. The story begins as a troubled and bullied boy named Bastian finds refuge in the pages of a magical book in which he follows the adventures of a brave young man, Atreyu, on a quest to save Fantasia from a mysterious force called The Nothing. The boy slowly realizes that it is up to him to become part of the story and save Fantasia by giving the Empress a new name. -BL

14. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Tim Burton's feature debut wasn't merely the three-dimensional equivalent of his work as an animator at Disney, but an outright odyssey for the senses, leap-frogging through one impossible idea after another with the sort of dexterity that could only be achieved only by a man-child with a super-powered bike. Paul Reubens, of course, anchors the film with his whimsical and often weird portrayal of said man-child, but this film is Burton's show, and he delivers an unforgettable film that feels like a dream, a nightmare and a fantasy all at once. Perhaps the only movie on this list magical enough to make you rip the tags off of your mattresses. -TG

13. Conan the Barbarian
How many other movies can promise two hours of California's Governor running around in his skivvies? Huh, I'm listening? Before hitting the political landscape, it was Conan that launched Ah-nold into mainstream superstardom on his way to becoming the biggest action star of the 80's. Written by Oliver Stone and directed by John Milius, Conan was based off a series of pulpy novels - Scwarzenegger fit the bill to a T, oiled up and ready in the prime of his body-building reign. James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow add some dignity and flavor to the campy fantasy epic. -JO


12. Fantasia
This film isn't merely an engaging series of vignettes, nor an artsy departure from Disney's spate of fairy tale adaptations. Rather, it's an outright classic that elevated the entire medium, and offered an early glimpse of what might be possible in the realm of hand-drawn (and later, computer-generated) animation. "Night on Bald Mountain" offers one of the most chilling embodiments of a piece of music ever envisioned, while "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" takes Mickey's cheerful countenance and catapults him into a literal maelstrom of mischief. But the sweltering, dinosaur-laden "Rite of Spring" remains an achievement in animation that has yet to be surpassed. Forget about independent follicle motion or bounce shadows - the first, last and best significant benchmarks were made here. -TG

11. Time Bandits
Terry Gilliam's quirky tale of a ragged bunch of time travelers is the essential outline for all his successful films to come. Featuring gorgeous sets, an outrageous, time-spanning narrative, and wit to spare, it is an oft-overlooked gem. With everyone from Sean Connery to John Cleese making an appearance, it is the little people who steal the show. Yep, that's right... the bandits are dwarves, and they travel through time, stealing and intersecting with various figures from the past. -CC
10 MONTY PYHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

An infinitely rewatchable comedy classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a cult and pop culture touchpoint for several generations of fans since its intial 1975 theatrical release. Skewering the legend of King Arthur with nonstop jokes and ridiculous situations, Holy Grail tackles everything from the Knights of the Round Table, including "Sir Lancelot" (John Cleese) and "Sir Robin the Not Quite So Brave As Sir Lancelot" (Eric Idle), to a killer rabbit (defeated by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch) and the Black Knight (Cleese), who refuses to give up even when all his limbs have been hacked off by Arthur (Graham Chapman). -BZ

9. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
While Tim Burton languished in the minutiae of his 2005 remake, Mel Stuart's 1973 masterpiece aimed for a more captivating - and curiously weirder - adaptation of the acclaimed Roald Dahl novel. Revamping Dahl's original songs for a collection of tunes that persevere even today as silver screen classics, Stuart (along with a seldom-better Gene Wilder) elevate a world where kids can turn into oversized blueberries and teleport through TVs into palpable, three-dimensional reality. -TG

8. Clash of the Tit
Clash of the Titans is the 1981 epic fantasy adapted from the myth of Perseus and his quest to save the Princess Andromeda. Along the way he must confront the hideous Medusa and the sea monster, Kracken. The film, directed by Desmond Davids with stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen, has a unique cast that includes Harry Hamlin, Maggie Smith, Claire Bloom, Ursual Andress, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Sian Phillips and Sir Laurence Olivier. -BL

7. THE DARK CRISTAL
Jim Henson's dark, magical fairytale world comes alive for the first time in 1982's Dark Crystal. The film may have come as somewhat of a surprise to fans of The Muppets, expecting more of the cute and cuddly creations Henson was known for. Instead, Henson (along with co-director Frank Oz) offered up Crystal's nightmarish dream world, drawing influences from Tolkien to classical fairytales. Henson also pushed puppetry to a new level, quickly making audiences forget that these felt-covered creatures were being controlled by puppeteers off-set. Crystal is an unforgettable, timeless classic. -JO

6. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The climactic ending to the biggest saga in film history mixes the larger story of a world-wide battle with the smaller struggles of a band of adventurers coming to grips with their role in the proceedings. Based on the J.R.R. Tolkien work of the same name, it is the perfect screen adaptation; capturing the flavor of the book while making it work for the cinema.

With some of the largest battles ever to grace the screen, the most convincing use of CG yet, and a tried-and-true story, it is everything you want from the end of such a saga. Moving and inspiring, exhilarating and life-affirming, it is a big film in every sense, and more than delivers on the promise of the series. At the Academy Awards, the film made a well-deserved clean-sweep. -CC

5. King Kong (1933)
"It was beauty that felled the beast." These are the final lines of dialogue spoken in Merian C. Cooper's 1933 film about a giant ape and his doomed love affair with a starlet, and they only scratch the surface of King Kong's profound depths. An effects movie in a time where effects were nonexistent, Cooper's film proved to be the Jurassic Park of its day if for no other reason than its technological innovation, but remains a classic today not because of the wonderful stop-motion animation work, but its ability to render Kong as one of the silver screen's most tragic figures. Peter Jackson is scheduled to offer his own updated remake later this year, but there's no beauty that will fell man or beast better than this magnificent movie. -TG

4. Jason and the Argonauts
This 1963 classic is a rousing epic adventure based on the ancient Greek myth. The story follows the legendary Greek hero as he leads a group of adventurers on a quest for the coveted Golden Fleece. The film was directed by Don Chaffey with groundbreaking effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. The movie is known for its fantastic creatures like the Hydra, those freaky-looking harpies, the giant Talso, and the skeleton warriors. The sweeping fantasy story is backed by a classic score from composer Bernard Herrmann. -BL

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Great action sequences, impressive special effects, and breathtaking scenery are just some of the highlights of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second in director Peter Jackson's adaptation of the classic J.R.R. Tolkien series. With skillfully interwoven storylines, spectacular combat scenes and the most "realistic" CG character to date (Gollum, as developed from the performance of Andy Serkis), Two Towers stands as one of the greatest sequels ever made and as a wonderfully effective fantasty film that pulls you into the world of Tolkien's Middle-earth. -BZ

2. The Princess Bride
Rob Reiner's 1987 adaptation of William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride was only a modest success at the box office -- the film grossed a total of $30 million during its entire first run. But the lighthearted fantasy tale of adventure and romance has since developed a large cult following. The quirky yet romantic story follows a stable boy named Westley who must rescue his true love, Princess Buttercup, from the clutches of Prince Humperdinck. The superb cast includes Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon and Andre the Giant. Peter Falk and Fred Savage appear in the "reality" segments in which a grandfather reads his sick grandson the story. Billy Crystal, Carol Kane have memorable cameos along with Mel Smith and Peter Cook. -BL

1. The Wizard of Oz
In a period where color was still a relatively new medium, The Wizard of Oz gave a unique take, using color to transition from Dorothy's drab home life in Kansas to the wonderful dream world of Oz. The spectacular film that follows has just about everything you could want: fantasy, effects, wonderfully imaginative colorful sets, witches, wizards, tin men, lions, scarecrows and dwarfs. Add to that is an unforgettable musical soundtrack, and what more could you ask for? Not just a great film, but an icon for pop culture's history. -JO