Fantasy Films
Fantasy Films, unlike science fiction films that base their content upon some degree of scientific truth, take the audience to netherworld, fairty-tale places where events are unlikely to occur in real life. In mythological or legendary times, they transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. Fantasy films are often in the context of the imagination, dreams, or hallucinations of a character or within the projected vision of the storyteller. Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, escapism, and the extraordinary. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film.
Below is a collection of films where imagination has no bounds. Where entire worlds have been created and populated with mythical creatures, magical quests and larger than life heroes and villains.
Mysterious Island (1961)
6.8/10
Director: Cy Endfield
Starring: Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, Herbert Lom
The fantastic Captain Nemo once again inspires the spirit of adventure in another Jules Verne classic. Captain Cyrus Harding (Michael Craig) leads thr... Read more
The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn
One of Disney's best live-action comedies, this stars Fred MacMurray as a scientist who discovers 'Flubber' (Flying Rubber). Only trouble is, no one w... Read more
Testament of Orpheus (1960)
7.6/10
Director: Jean Cocteau
Starring: Jean Cocteau, Henri Cremieux, Edouard Dermithe
In his last film, legendary writer/artist/filmmaker Jean Cocteau portrays an 18th-century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom.... Read more
The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver (1960)
6.5/10
Director: Jack Sher
Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Jo Morrow, June Thorburn, Peter Bull
The Spellbinding Adventures Of "Gulliver's Travels" are transformed into three-dimensional reality in this live-action adaptation of Jonathan Swift's... Read more
The Shaggy Dog/The Shaggy D.A. (1959)
Director: Charles Barton, Robert Stevenson
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Jean Hagen, Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Tim Considine, Dean J...
The Shaggy Dog: The son of dog-hating former mailman Wilson Daniels (Fred MacMurray), young Wilby (Tommy Kirk) accidentally becomes a canine himself... Read more
Journey to the Centre of the Earth ( Blu-ray ) (1959)
4.2/10
Director: Henry Levin
Starring: Arlene Dahl, Diane Baker, James Mason, Pat Boone
A gloriously entertaining (in the old fashioned way) fantasy based on the Jules Verne novel. James Mason leads a group of scientists to the earth's co... Read more
Battle Beyond The Sun ( Nebo Zovyot ) (1959) / Star Pilot ( 2+5: Missione Hydra ) (1966) (1959)
7.6/10
Director: Francis Ford Coppola, Pietro Francisci, Mikhail Karzhukov, Aleksandr Kozyr
An americanised version of Nebo Zovyot was the product of Roger Corman's acquiring the rights to the Russian film and exploiting it for all the specia... Read more
Testament of Orpheus / The Blood of a Poet (1959)
Director: Jean Cocteau
Starring: Jean Cocteau, Henri Cremieux, Edouard Dermithe
In his last film, legendary writer/artist/filmmaker Jean Cocteau portrays an 18th-century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom.... Read more
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad ( Blu-ray ) (1958)
7.1/10
Director: Nathan Juran
Starring: Kathryn Grant, Kerwin Mathews, Richard Eyer
It's an incredible cinematic adventure as the legendary Sinbad sets off on a dangerous journey to the mysterious Island of Colossus. His quest is to b... Read more
The Wild Women of Wongo (1958)
2.1/10
Director: James L Wolcott
Starring: Jean Hawkshaw, Mary Ann Webb, Cande Gerrard, Johnny Walsh
A prehistoric beach blanket classic with leopard skin-clad women and brutish men engaged in the battle of the sexes on the idyllic island of Wongo. A... Read more