Fantasy Films

The ABCs of 200 Live-Action Fantasy Films:

(I have seen the 89 live-action movies in bold.)

See also: My Top Sources of Fantasy Inspiration

Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989)
A: Arabian Nights Adventurers
    • Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
      1. Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves (1902) (French)
      2. Universal’s Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)
    • The Thief of Bagdad
      1. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
      2. The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
    • Sinbad
      1. Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)
      2. Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989)
    • Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad
      1. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
      2. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
      3. Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
    • Foreign Arabian Nights
      1. Arabian Nights (1974) (Italian)
    • Extra Early Arabian Nights Films
      • Georges Méliès’s The Palace of The Arabian Nights (1905) (French)
      • Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1917) (American)
      • One Arabian Night (Sumurun) (1920) (German)
    • Extra Other Arabian Nights Films
      • Universal’s Arabian Nights (1942)
      • Kismet (1944)
      • Kismet (1955)
      • Captain Sindbad (1963)
    • Extra Foreign Arabian Nights Films
      • Aladdin and His Magic Lamp (1967) (Soviet)
      • Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1980) (Indian-Soviet)
      • Les 1001 Nuits (Sheherazade) (1990) (French-Italian)
    • Animated
      • The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) (German)
      • The Singing Princess (1949) (Italian)
      • Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad (1962) (Japanese)
      • A Thousand & One Nights (1969) (Japanese)
      • Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1982) (Japanese)
      • Disney’s Aladdin (1992) (U.S.)
      • The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) (U.S.)
      • Disney’s The Return of Jafar (1994) (U.S.)
      • Disney’s Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) (U.S.)
      • Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) (U.S.)
Children of Blood and Bone (2027)
B: Black African Heroes
    1. Yeelen (1987) (languages used: Bambara & Fula)
    2. Guimba the Tyrant (1995) (Bambara)
    3. Keita! The Voice of the Griot (1995) (Epic of Sundiata) (Bambara)
    4. Sia, the Myth of the Python (2001) (Bambara)
    5. Juju Stories (2021) (English & Nigerian Pidgin)
    6. Saloum (2021) (Wolof & French)
    7. Aníkúlápó (2022) (Yoruba)
    8. Mami Wata (2023) (West African Pidgin English)
    9. Mpobe & The Mysterious World (2026) (English)
    10. Children of Blood and Bone (2027) (English)
    • Animated
      • Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998)
      • Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (2023)
Boudica Warrior Queen (2003)
C: Celts & Amazons
    • Celts
      1. Boadicea (1927)
      2. Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1963)
      3. Druids (2001)
      4. Boudica Warrior Queen (2003)
      5. The Gaelic King (2017)
    • Amazons
      1. Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960)
      2. War Goddess (1973)
      3. Hundra (1983)
      4. Barbarian Queen (1985)
      5. Amazons (1986)
    • Animated
      • Asterix the Gaul (1967)
      • The Secret of Kells (2009)
      • Disney Pixar’s Brave (2012)
The Magic Sword (Saint George and the Dragon) (1962)
D: Dragon Slayers & Riders
    1. Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
    2. Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Revenge (1924)
    3. The Magic Sword (Saint George and the Dragon) (1962)
    4. Dragonslayer (1981)
    5. DragonHeart (1996)
    6. Reign of Fire (2002)
    7. George and the Dragon (2004)
    8. I Am Dragon (2015)
    9. Damsel (2024)
    10. How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
    • Animated
      • The Flight of Dragons (1982)
      • How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
The Great Wall (2016)
E: Eastern Mystics
    1. Onibaba (1964)
    2. Kuroneko (1968)
    3. The Fate of Lee Khan (1973)
    4. Painted Skin (2008)
    5. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)
    6. The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
    7. Dragon Blade (2015)
    8. Mojin: The Lost Legend (2015)
    9. The Great Wall (2016)
    10. Legend of the Naga Pearls (2017)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Mulan (1998)
      • The Laws of the Sun (2000)
      • The Legend of Hei (2019)
      • White Snake (2019)
      • Ne Zha (2019)
      • Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
F: Fairyfolk
    • William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
      1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935)
      2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
    • Leprechauns
      1. Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)
      2. Finian’s Rainbow (1968)
    • Jim Henson’s
      1. The Dark Crystal (1982)
      2. Labyrinth (1986)
    • 21st Century
      1. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
      2. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
    • Animated
      • FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
      • Thumbelina (1994)
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
G: Giant Killers & Grimm Brothers
    • Giant Killers
      1. Edison Studios Jack and the Beanstalk (1902)
      2. Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
      3. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
    • Grimm Brothers
      1. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
      2. Gretel & Hansel (2020)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Brave Little Tailor (1938 short)
      • Disney’s Fun and Fancy Free (1947) “Mickey and the Beanstalk”
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
H: Robert E. Howard’s & Other Barbarians
    • Robert E. Howard’s Barbarians
      1. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
      2. Conan the Destroyer (1984)
      3. Red Sonja (1985)
      4. Kull the Conqueror (1997)
      5. Solomon Kane (2009)
      6. Conan the Barbarian (2011)
      7. Red Sonja (2025)
    • Other Barbarians
      1. Hawk the Slayer (1980)
      2. The Beastmaster (1982)
      3. The Barbarians (1987)
    • Animated
      • Thundarr the Barbarian (TV 1980)
      • Blackstar (TV 1981)
      • Galtar and the Golden Lance (TV 1985)
      • Conan the Adventurer (TV 1992)
      • Korgoth of Barbaria (2006)
Highlander (1986)
Highlander (1986)
I: Immortals
    1. Highlander (1986)
    2. Highlander II: The Quickening “Renegade Version” (1991)
    3. Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995)
    4. Highlander: Endgame (2000)
    5. Highlander: The Source (2007)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
J: Jungle Explorers
    • Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes (1914 book)
      1. Tarzan of the Apes (1918) and seven other silent films
      2. Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), Tarzan and His Mate (1934), and ten other films
      3. Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and several other films
      4. The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
    • Sheena: Queen of the Jungle
      1. Sheena (1984)
    • Jumanji
      1. Jumanji (1995)
      2. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
      3. Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
      4. Jumanji: Open World (2026)
    • Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894 book)
      1. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967)
      • Disney’s Tarzan (1999)
Excalibur (1981)
Excalibur (1981)
K: Knights
    1. The Crusades (1935)
    2. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)
    3. Ivanhoe (1952)
    4. Prince Valiant (1954)
    5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
    6. Excalibur (1981)
    7. First Knight (1995)
    8. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
    9. Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)
    10. The Green Knight (2021)
    • Extra Movies
      • Knights of the Round Table (1953)
      • Camelot (1967)
      • Lancelot Of The Lake (1974)
      • Sword of the Valiant (1984)
      • Prince Valiant (1997)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s The Sword in the Stone (1963)
      • Quest for Camelot (1998)
Hook (1991)
L: Lost Boys & Lost Girls
    1. Peter Pan (1924)
    2. Peter Pan (1955)
    3. Hook (1991)
    4. Peter Pan (2003)
    5. Pan (2015)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Peter Pan (1953)
      • Peter Pan and the Pirates (TV 1990)
The Shape of Water (2017)
M: Merfolk & Selkies
    1. The Loreley’s Grasp (1973)
    2. Splash (1984)
    3. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
    4. Aquamarine (2006)
    5. Ondine (2009)
    6. The Mermaid (2016)
    7. The Shape of Water (2017)
    8. Blue My Mind (2017)
    9. Cold Skin (2017)
    10. The Lighthouse (2019)
    • Animated
      • Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid (1975)
      • Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989)
      • Song of the Sea (2014)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
N: Narnians
    1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
    2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
    3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
    4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (2027)
    • Animated
      • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)
Oz The Great and Powerful (2013)
Oz The Great and Powerful (2013)
O: Ozians
    1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
    2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    3. Disney’s Return to Oz (1985)
    4. Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful (2013)
    5. Wicked (2024)
    6. Wicked: For Good (2025)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
P: Pirates
    • Pirates of the Caribbean
      1. The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
      2. Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
      3. At World’s End (2007)
      4. On Stranger Tides (2011)
      5. Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Q: Quest Campaigners
    1. The Holy Mountain (1973)
    2. The Arena (1974)
    3. Krull (1983)
    4. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
    5. Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (1987)
    6. Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
    7. The Fall (2006)
    8. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s The Black Cauldron (1985)
The Princess Bride (1987)
R: Royalty – Princesses & Princes
    • Beauty and the Beast
      1. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
      2. Beauty and the Beast (1978)
    • The Princess Bride
      1. The Princess Bride (1987)
    • Cinderella
      1. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)
    • Snow White
      1. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
      2. The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016)
    • Sleeping Beauty
      1. Sleeping Beauty (2014)
    • Tale of Tales
      1. Tale of Tales (2015)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
      • Disney’s Cinderella (1950)
      • Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959)
      • Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991)
      • Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009)
      • Disney’s Tangled (2010)
      • Disney’s Frozen (2013)
      • Disney’s Frozen II (2019)
Willow (1988)
S: Sorcerers & Sorceresses
    1. Ruslan and Ludmila (1972)
    2. The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
    3. Sorceress (1982)
    4. Deathstalker (1983)
    5. The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
    6. Ladyhawke (1985)
    7. Willow (1988)
    8. The Juniper Tree (1990)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Fantasia (1940) “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
      • Wizards (1977)
      • Fire and Ice (1983)
      • The Swan Princess (1994)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    T: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earthers
    • The Lord of the Rings
      1. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
      2. The Two Towers (2002)
      3. The Return of the King (2003)
    • The Hobbit
      1. An Unexpected Journey (2012)
      2. The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
      3. The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
    • Appendices
      1. The Hunt for Gollum (2027)
    • Animated
      • The Hobbit (1967)
      • The Hobbit (1977)
      • The Lord of the Rings (1978)
      • The Return of the King (1980)
      • The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
Legend (1985)
Legend (1985)
U: Unicorn Whisperers
    1. Legend (1985)
    2. Nico the Unicorn (1998)
    3. Stardust (2007)
    4. The Secret of Moonacre (2008)
    • Animated
      • The Last Unicorn (1982)
The 13th Warrior (1999)
The 13th Warrior (1999)
V: Vikings
    1. The Vikings (1958)
    2. Erik The Conqueror (1961)
    3. The Long Ships (1964)
    4. Hagbard and Signe (The Red Mantle) (1967)
    5. The Viking Saga (1995)
    6. The 13th Warrior (1999)
    7. Dark Kingdom (2004)
    8. Pathfinder (2007)
    9. Viking (2016)
    10. The Northman (2022)
    • Animated
      • How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
W: Wizards
    • Harry Potter
      1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
      2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
      3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
      4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
      5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
      6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
      7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
      8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
    • Fantastic Beasts
      1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
      2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
      3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Doctor Who – “Marco Polo” (1964)
X: Travelers to Xanadu & Other Places
    • Marco Polo’s The Travels of Marco Polo (to Xanadu) (1298 book)
      1. The Conqueror (1956)
      2. Marco the Magnificent (1965)
    • Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726 book)
      1. Gulliver’s Travels (1939)
      2. Gulliver’s Travels (1996)
    • Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865 book)
      1. Alice in Wonderland (1903)
      2. Alice in Wonderland (1999)
    • Extra Movies
      • The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938)
      • The Incredible Adventures of Marco Polo on His Journeys to the Ends of the Earth (1998)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Y: Yeoman Archers
    1. Robin Hood (1922)
    2. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
    3. Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
    4. Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
    5. Robin and Marian (1976)
    6. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
    7. John Irvin’s Robin Hood (1991)
    8. Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009)
    9. Robin Hood (2010)
    10. Robin Hood (2018)
    • Animated
      • Disney’s Robin Hood (1973)
The Legend of Zelda (2027)
Z: Zelda – Hylians
    1. The Legend of Zelda (2027)
    • Animated
      • The Legend of Zelda (1989)
      • Captain N: The Game Master (1989-1991)