Fantasy film

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Template:Fantasy Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap.

1 Genre definition
2 Subgenres
3 Fantasy movies and the film industry
4 History
5 Additional examples
6 See also
7 External links

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Genre definition

The boundaries of the fantasy literary genre are not well-defined, and the same is therefore true for the film genre as well. Categorizing a movie as fantasy may thus require an examination of the themes, narrative approach and other structural elements of the film.

For example, much about the Star Wars saga suggests fantasy, yet it has the feel of science fiction, whereas much about Time Bandits (1981) suggests science fiction, yet it has the feel of fantasy. Some film critics borrow the literary term Science Fantasy to describe such hybrids of the two genres.

Animated films featuring talking non-human animals and other fantastic elements are not always classified as fantasy, particularly when they are intended for children. Bambi, for example, is not fantasy, nor is 1995's Toy Story, though the latter is probably closer to fantasy than the former. The Secret of NIMH from 1982, however, may be considered to be a fantasy film because there is actual magic involved.

Other children's movies, such as Walt Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are also difficult to categorize. Snow White features a medieval setting, dwarven characters, the use of sorcery, and other tropes common to fantasy. Yet many fans of the genre do not believe such movies qualify as fantasy, placing them in instead in a separate fairy tale genre.

Superhero films also fulfill the requirements of the fantasy or science fiction genres but are often considered to be a separate genre. Some critics, however, classify superhero literature and film as a subgenre of fantasy (Superhero Fantasy) rather than as an entirely separate category.

Films that rely on magic primarily as a gimmick, such the 1976 film Freaky Friday and its 2003 re-make in which a mother and daughter magically switch bodies, may technically qualify as fantasy but are nevertheless not generally considered part of the genre.

Surrealist film also describes the fantastic, but it dispenses with genre narrative conventions and is usually thought of as a separate category. Finally, many Martial arts films feature medieval settings and incorporate elements of the fantastic (see for example Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), but fans of such films do not agree if they should also be considered examples of the fantasy genre.

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Subgenres

Several sub-categories of fantasy films can be identified, although the delineations between these subgenres, much as in fantasy literature, are somewhat fluid.

The most common fantasy subgenres depicted in movies are High Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery. Both categories typically employ quasi-medieval settings, wizards, magical creatures and other elements commonly associated with fantasy stories.

High Fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world, and may also be more character-oriented or thematically complex. Often, they feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil set against each other in an epic struggle. Many scholars cite J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy as the prototypical modern example of High Fantasy in literature, and the recent Peter Jackson film adaptation of the books is a good example of the High Fantasy subgenre on the silver screen.

Sword and Sorcery movies tend to be more plot-driven than high fantasy and focus heavily on action sequences, often pitting a physically powerful but unsophisticated warrior against an evil wizard or other supernaturally-endowed enemy. Although Sword and Sorcery films sometimes describe an epic battle between good and evil similar to those found in many High Fantasy movies, they may alternately present the hero as having more immediate motivations, such as the need to protect a vulnerable maiden or village, or even being driven by the desire for vengeance.

The 1982 film adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian, for example, is a personal (non-epic) story concerning the hero's quest for revenge and his efforts to thwart a single megalomaniac -- while saving a beautiful princess in the process. Some critics refer to such films by the term Sword and Sandal rather than Sword and Sorcery, although others would maintain that the Sword and Sandal label should be reserved only for the subset of fantasy films set in ancient times on the planet Earth, and still others would broaden the term to encompass films that have no fantastic elements whatsoever. To some, the term Sword and Sandal has pejorative connotations, designating a film with a low-quality script, bad acting and poor production values.

Another important sub-genre of fantasy films that has become more popular in recent years is Contemporary Fantasy. Such films feature magical effects or supernatural occurrences happening in the "real" world of today. The most prominent example in the early 21st century is the Harry Potter series of films adapted from the novels of J. K. Rowling.

Fantasy films set in the afterlife, called Bangsian Fantasy, are less common, although films such as the 1991 Albert Brooks comedy Defending Your Life would likely qualify. Other uncommon subgenres include Historical Fantasy and Romantic Fantasy, although 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl successfully incorporated elements of both.

As noted above, superhero movies and fairy tale films might each be considered subgenres of fantasy films, although most would classify them as altogether separate movie genres.

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Fantasy movies and the film industry

Most fantasy movies are released during the winter season, particularly in November and December, in stark contrast with the summer, which releases mostly action and sci-fi movies.

As a cinematic genre, fantasy isn't as highly regarded as it's close neighbour science-fiction, the reason for this is until very recently, fantasy films were made of low or inferior production values, over-the-top acting and decidedly poor special effects. While Raiders of the Lost Ark did much to improve the genre's reputation in public as well critical circles, it's decidely comic-book like approach still prevented it from being taken too seriously.

The genre in recent times however has had a renaissance. This is largely indebted to the highly successful adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is particularly notable due to it's markedly serious approach to the material as well as it's phenomenal commercial and critical success. The third installment of the trilogy became the first fantasy film to ever win Best Picture.

Following the success of the trilogy, Hollywood studios are greenlighting newer ventures into the genre, including a successful adaptation of the first book of the The Chronicles of Narnia and an upcoming adaptation of cult novel Eragon.

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History

Fantasy films have a history almost as old as the medium itself. Fantasy offerings were released only sporadically until the 1980s, however, when high-tech filmmaking techniques and increased audience interest caused the genre to flourish.

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Early Years

In the era of silent film the outstanding fantasy films were Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungin (1925). Following the advent of sound films, audiences of all ages embraced what is surely the best loved fantasy film of all time, 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Also notable of the era, the iconic 1933 film King Kong is not a pure example of the genre, but borrows heavily from the Lost World subgenre of fantasy fiction.

The 1940s then saw several full color fantasy films produced by Alexander Korda, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Jungle Book (1942). In 1946, Jean Cocteau's classic adaptation of Beauty and the Beast won praise for its surreal elements and for transcending the boundaries of the fairy tale genre. Sinbad the Sailor (1947), starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., has the feel of a fantasy film though it does not actually have any fantastic elements. Conversely, It's a Wonderful Life and A Matter of Life and Death, both from 1946, do not feel like fantasy films yet both feature supernatural elements and the latter film reasonably could be cited as an example of Bangsian fantasy.

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1950s - 1970s

In the 1950's there were only two major fantasy films, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T and Darby O'Gill and the Little People. There were also several low budget fantasies, based on Greek or Arabian legend, by Ray Harryhausen. The 1960s were almost devoid of fantasy. The film Camelot removed most of the fantasy elements from T. H. White's classic The Once and Future King, on which it was based. The only true fantasy film in the 1970s was The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao. With Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 1981, a fantasy explosion began which continues into the Twenty-first Century.

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1980s

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Dragonslayer

Poltergeist

The Dark Crystal

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Legend

Ladyhawke

Highlander

Labyrinth

Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Destroyer

The Princess Bride

Willow

The Neverending Story

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Ghostbusters

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1990s

Edward Scissorhands

Ghost

Ghost in the Machine

Groundhog Day

Death Becomes Her

The Indian in the Cupboard

Jumanji

Dragonheart

The X-Files

Meet Joe Black

The Green Mile

The Sixth Sense

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2000s

The Chronicles of Narnia

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Unbreakable

Holes

Van Helsing

King Kong

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (The final Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King, was the first sci-fi, fantasy, or horror film to win an Oscar for Best Picture.)

The Harry Potter films

Big Fish

(There is also at least one fantasy film that would be spoiled if you knew it was fantasy before you saw it.)

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