A Century of Fantasy Movies – Christian Sauvé

A Century of Fantasy Movies
Christian Sauvé
Boréal 2025
September 2025
Goal, Warnings, Notes, etc.
A history of fantasy movies since the dawn of cinema
Fantasy films have a much deeper history than The Lord of the Rings
Links to the cultural and social context of the time
Not definitive or exhaustive – just a few essentials
“Barroom not Classroom”
A focus on Hollywood fantasy films, and a few overseas titles
The definition of Fantasy will be left to the presenter
Movie Titles in Bold, except for a corpus of 120 Top Fantasy films (See Appendix A) in Dark Orange Bold Small Caps
A few personal favourites highlighted with a 📼
Companion text (don’t take notes):
www.christian-sauve.com/century-of-fantasy-movies/
Who is Christian Sauvé?
Oh no, that guy again
Film critic for Solaris and Alibis from 2001-2017
Camera Oscura 1-60 and Sci-Néma 153-210
7,358 capsule film reviews at christian-sauve.com, with an enormous 2021-2025 backlog on the way
Has moderated convention panels on three continents
Attended seven World Fantasy Conventions (‘01, ’07-‘10, ’21, ‘24)
Has attended every Boréal since 1995; was Boréal’s programming director from 2004-2008; presented lectures in 2004, 2008, 2014-2016, 2023-2025…
Plus, somehow: Discussion par la bande-annonce
Amateur novelist, often in a fantasy-adjacent style
100 Years of (Fantasy) Film History: A Map
One Problem: What is Fantasy?
Building a Corpus: What is a fantasy film?
Usually: Compile “Best of” lists from various sources, total the numbers, call it a day, go watch the resulting corpus
But with Fantasy, the genre borders are fuzzy – does it contain all of SF and horror as well?
What to do with self-contained fantasy sub-verses (superheroes, anime, TV adaptations, national-myths cinema)?
In the end, NO CHOICES WERE MADE
Explicit Science Fiction and Horror mentioned (definition up to the lecturer)
The problem of Comic Books adaptations – most accounted for
Many series combined to avoid repetition
Hollywood emphasized but not to the point of excluding others
A few final words of introduction…
Overall structure of the presentation
Chronological overview of film history, with fantasy references
120-film corpus compiled from several “best-of’ lists
We will follow a few landmark sutdios/filmmakers
Opiniated lecture
Fantasy is far more than heroic high fantasy
The lack of specificity of fantasy is worthwhile because it applies to so many modes
1890s-1900s: Foundational fantasy
George Meliès: Illusionist, theater owner, technology enthusiast
27 December 1895: The birth of cinema: Meliès rebuffed by Lumière Brothers
Obtaining a projector from England, Meliès reverse-engineers a camera and creates his own shooting film from raw material
Builds a studio made of glass (for optimal lighting in shooting movies)
Specializes in effects first, story second (“Trick films”)
Makes dozens of short films spanning all genres, but in fantasy Cendrillon (1898), Les Miracles du Brahmine, Rêve de Noël (1900), La Chrysalide et le Papillon d’or, L’Antre des esprits (1901), and Voyage dans la Lune (1902)
Fantasy, trickery, special effects have always been part of cinema
1910s: Inventing Cinema
Europe is a dominant moviemaking force, but America catches up through raw application of capitalism
WW1 cuts short many European efforts in developing cinema as business
In America, moviemaking is an offshoot of the (disreputable) theatrical business, meaning that it is friendly to non-WASP businessmen.
The first Hollywood is Fort Lee, NJ (across the bridge from Manhattan)
Thomas Edison controls the means of filmmaking; enforces restrictions
Exodus to California begins in the early 1910s, motivated by weather and patents
The first silent movie moguls adapt known intellectual properties… which often happen to be fantasy stories
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1917), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910), Cinderella (1914), The Golem (1915), Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1916), Santa Claus (1912), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
Guess the Date…
1920s: Early days, and yet…
Germany takes filmmaking lead, invents expressionism
First known fight with a dragon: Die Nibelungen (1924)
Oldest surviving animated film: The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1924)
Transforming folklore into culture: F.M. Murnau’s Faust (1926)
First supervillain films: Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (and sequels)
Surprises from Sweden: Early Fantasy/horror
The Phantom Carriage (1921), Häxan (1924, Sweden/Denmark)
Hollywood is not so daring, but adapts fantasy literature as pretext to blockbuster special effects-driven adventures
The Thief of Bagdad (1924), The Wizard of Oz (1925)
Late 1920s: Invention and rapid adoption of sound cinema
1930s: Hollywood ascendant
Hollywood takes its place as a cinema powerhouse
Often by welcoming German expatriates (1,500 between 1933-38), bringing expressionism to B-grade horror films.
The invention of sound and better spectacle
Landmark for special effects, music score: King Kong (1933)
Literary adaptations: A Connecticut Yankee (1931), Alice in Wonderland (1933), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935), She (1935), Lost Horizon (1937), Gulliver’s Travels (1939)
Classic tales: Scrooge (1935), A Christmas Carol (1938)
Comedy: Babes in Toyland (1934, Laurel & Hardy)
Sound and colour: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, still a Top-10 box-office champion), The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Cinema hobbled by the Production Code (1934-1950s)
WW2 begins Sep.1939, shatters European film industry
1940s: Busier than expected
Much of Hollywood is dedicated to propaganda during WW2
Disney: Early successes, near-death during WW2
Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942) … and then short films anthologies due to various financial problems. Ends decade with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
More spectacle along familiar lines: The Thief of Bagdad (1940), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)
Horror/Fantasy: The Cat People (1942)
Supernatural Comedy: I Married a Witch (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945)
France: Poetic realism in La belle et la bête (1946)
England: Subtlety in A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Hollywood Fantasy as edification: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
Many supernatural romances! A Guy Named Joe (1943), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1948)
1950s
A decade for epic blockbusters (to lure viewers away from their TV), and yet not much fantasy compared to biblical or historical epics: The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), 1001 Arabian Nights (1959), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Disney is back with a strong decade: Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Sleeping Beauty (1959)
More moral edification from Hollywood: Harvey (1950), A Christmas Carol (1951)
Just Weird: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953, Dr. Seuss)
Around the world:
France: Poetic realism Orphée (1950, Cocteau), Black Orpheus (1959, Camus)
Japan: Ghost stories with Ugetsu (1953)
Sweden: Death and The Seventh Seal (1957, Bergman)
Early 1960s
Hollywood understands it’s losing ground to TV, tries to wow audiences with epic films and the odd fantasy spectacle
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961, Pal), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962, Pal), Jason & The Argonauts (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
Disney: The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Walt Disney dies in 1966 and the studio struggles in his absence.
Memorable but not good: One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Around the World:
Mexico: Surrealism and The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Japan: Folk tales in anthology Kwaidan (1964)
Late 1960s
The New Hollywood (1967-1977) temporarily mutes fantasy and fun at the movies: auteur-driven filmmaking about art, not spectacle, realism rather than escapism
Spectacular failures of conventional studio epics such as Doctor Doolittle (1967) don’t help
Still, there’s something in the air — possibly the water too: Barbarella (1968), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Yellow Submarine (1968)
The hold of the Production Code is broken – from now on, anything is possible.
Cinema, overall, shifts toward realistic portrayals of life at the expense of spectacle… at least for a few years.
Early 1970s
A few studio crowd-pleasers during the New Hollywood era: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1976), The Lord of the Rings (1978, Bakshi)
There’s a sense that despite the new possibilities of the medium, fantasy is spinning its wheels, not getting any attention.
In parallel: drug-fueled surrealism, humour and other transgressions
France: The charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972), Les Douze Travaux d’Asterix (1976)
Jorodowsky: “Acid Western” El Topo (1970) and Holy Mountain (1973)
Fantasy Parody: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Debuts: Eraserhead (1977, Lynch), The Castle of Cagliostro (1979, Myazaki)
The impact of Star Wars (1977)
On cinema at large: Builds upon the success of Jaws (1975) to show how blockbuster filmmaking is the way to large profits.
Sounds the death knell of the New Hollywood era
Leads to 1980s cinema, focused on audience entertainment
On fantasy cinema:
Affirms to studios that there’s money in non-realism
Builds expertise for special effects (inc. makeup)
Expands the palette of viable topics
Directly leads to the Fantasy boom of the early 1980s by forcing studios to do “something like Star Wars, but not the same.”
1980s: Fantasy’s first boom decade
The US/UK High Fantasy boom of the early 1980s: Clash of the Titans (1981), Dragonslayer (1981), Excalibur (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Dark Crystal (1982), The Neverending Story (1984), Ladyhawke (1985), Legend (1985)
Further echoes later during the decade: Labyrinth (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), Willow (1988)
Breathless blockbusters: Ghostbusters (1984), Return to Oz (1985), Batman (1989)
Science Fiction or Fantasy? Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Time Bandits (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
1980s: Fantasy in all other directions
Quieter fantasy: Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Big (1988), Field of Dreams (1989)
Weirder visions: Highlander (1986), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Beetlejuice (1988)
Animation: The Secret of NIMH (1982), Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
The Disney renaissance begins with The Little Mermaid (1989)
Elsewhere in the world: Wings of Desire (1987, Germany)
Myazaki’s first great decade: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
1990s: A lull, but an interesting lull
While Fantasy remains important, it’s noticeably not as dominant as in the preceding 1980s or the following 2000s.
The “indie boom” of the decade is a mini-New Hollywood focused on personal dramas and small-scale dark comedy thrillers (Tarantino, etc.).
Digital Special Effects technology comes of age, starts dominating films such as The Mummy (1999)
The Disney Renaissance in full bloom: The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), Tarzan (1999)
Pixar Begins: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999)
Tim Burton’s best decade: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Selick), Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996) Sleepy Hollow (1999)
1990s: More of a lull
Supernatural Romance: Ghost (1990),
Away from the anglosphere:
Miyazaki continues: Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997)
Japan: Dreams (1990, Kurosawa)
Caro/Jeunet: Delicatessen (1990), La cité des enfants perdus (1995)
For the family, sort-of: Witches (1990), Hook (1991), Jumanji (1995)
Personal visions: Groundhog Day (1993), Pleasantville (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), Orlando (1992), What Dreams May Come (1998)
…and from a guy named Peter Jackson: Braindead (1992), Heavenly Creatures (1994), Forgotten Silver (1995), The Frighteners (1996)
The impact of The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
An insane bet for “The House that Freddy Built” New Line Cinema – three massive films shot simultaneously?
Unproven cast and crew – Peter Jackson?! Very few marquee names.
$281M budget; months of shooting in New Zealand; budget overruns
Success: $2,900M box-office, rave reviews (90%), cultural phenomenon, lasting impact and legacy
More than anything else, 17 Oscars (including “Best Picture”) provide respect and legitimacy to the fantasy genre
Numerous copycat trilogy projects, many of them not making it past one film: Eragon (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), City of Ember (2008)
2000s: Fantasy’s Second Boom Decade
In the footsteps of LotR, series are big:
Harry Potter (2001-2011, 8 films)
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2007, 3 films)
Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010, 3 films)
Also many, many Young-Adult series adaptations
Fantasy eclipses Science Fiction for nearly a decade, until the 2009 cohort: Avatar, District 9, Moon, Star Trek, etc.
Rise of animated fantasy:
Shrek (2001)
Ratatouille (2007)
Coraline (2009)
Myazaki: Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
2000s (continued)
Uneven Tim Burton: Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeny Todd (2007)
Guillermo del Toro emerges: The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Personal visions: The Fall (2006),
Hard-hitting “family” fantasy films: Zathura (2005), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Where the Wild Things Are (2009),
Playing with fairy tales for jaded audiences: Enchanted (2007), Stardust (2007)
The curious case of David Fincher, fantasist: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Outside the Anglophere:
One-shot wonder: Russian Ark (2002)
Wuxia Eastern fantasy meets the west: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
2010s: Commodification of Wonder
There are more fantasy films than ever before, and they get forgotten just as quickly as they come out.
Disney ransacks its library for the live-action remakes: Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2018), Christopher Robin (2018), Dumbo (2019), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (2019), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019)
The MCU dominates: Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
A follow-up quickly forgotten: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
2010s (continued)
Smaller, more eccentric: Tree of Life (2011) Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), A Ghost Story (2017)
Animated :
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Disney: Frozen (2013)
Pixar: Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017)
Song Of The Sea (2014)
Stop-motion: Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)
Outside the Anglosphere
Indonesia: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Japan: Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Fantasy about trauma: A Monster Calls (2016), Life of Pi (2012)
Oscar Winner: The Shape of Water (2017, del Toro)
Game of Thrones (2011-2019) and the prestige TV boom
2020s: Too early to tell, but…
Uneven Pixar: Onward (2020), Soul (2020), Luca (2021), Turning Red (2022), Lightyear (2022), Elemental (2023), Inside Out 2 (2024), Elio (2025)
Disney can’t stop:
Animated: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Encanto (2021), Strange World (2022), Wish (2023), Moana 2 (2024)
Live-Action: Mulan (2020), Cruella (2021), Pinocchio (2022), Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), The Little Mermaid (2023), Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), Snow White (2025), Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Neither can Marvel, alas: Black Widow (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), The Marvels (2023), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Captain America: Brave New World (2025), Thunderbolts* (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Self-sufficient mythologies and the many metaverses
Although Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) is a lot of fun
More of the 2020s
Literary fantasy: Green Knight (2021)
Meta-Fantasy: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Damsel (2024)
The astonishing Rings of Power ($1B TV series budget)
Video Games adaptation finally grow up:
Indian fantasy mythmaking:
Where to now?
Fantasy has few default modes on which to fall back.
Fantasy often booms during reactionary periods (early 1980s, 2000s), but this feels different
Much of the basics are covered; on to more ambitious fare?
The future of streaming and TV is… uncertain
AI-generated material is a certainty. Will it be good?
Increased eastern influences? Chinese influence + internet culture
Where to see classic fantasy films?
The good news are that classic fantasy isn’t going away, and it’s never been easier to be a classic movie fan:
Physical media is doing well, with specialized re-masters
Criterion, Vinegar Syndrome, Shout!, Arrow, Kino Lorber and the studios
General streaming services will often carry the highlights, but may be sparser on the less-known backlist
Amazon Prime is the best of the big ones for older films
Specialized streaming services often propose more choices, although Fantasy is harder to find than horror or Science Fiction
Otherwise – you’d be surprised at what a Google/YouTube search can find… or the local library
Don’t overlook the Internet Archive.
(I’m not supposed to talk about private torrent trackers or free streaming sites)
Bonus: Top-120 Fantasy films corpus

A compilation of eighteen Top-fantasy-films lists, by release year