By the very nature of their genre, fantasy movies are nothing without a great visual narrative. Obviously, they still need good stories, characterizations, and themes, but a fantasy film simply cannot do its job if it doesn’t transport the viewer to a world of wonder. That’s a task that every fantasy masterpiece aims to achieve, and the best of the genre take things even further.
All the greatest fantasy films employ immersive visuals, but the best of the lot are the films that deliver a sumptuous artistic treat with every frame. In these films, beauty isn’t something you just see in a few select scenes — it suffuses the entire narrative from start to finish. Read on to discover our handpicked selection of some of the best fantasy movie masterpieces where every frame looks like a painting, including both acclaimed landmarks and more obscure films.
7
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
Easily the most famous Studio Ghibli film of all time, Spirited Away is a fantasy anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki that follows a young girl named Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) who accidentally ends up trapped in the spirit world. While trying to rescue her parents and find a way back to the human world, she takes a job working for a witch and meets several fascinating supernatural beings. The film’s Japanese voice cast also includes Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, and Bunta Sugawara, with Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, and more voicing the English dub.
A true landmark of Japanese animation and fantasy films in general, Spirited Away is a universally acclaimed movie that has had a tremendous impact on animation and cinema. A critical and commercial success in its day, the film has been widely praised for its beautiful hand-drawn animation and emotionally deep storytelling, not to mention its imaginative world-building. One of the greatest animated films ever made, the movie earned several accolades from around the world and is most noted for being the first hand-drawn, non-English-language animated film ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
6
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
A high fantasy adventure film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is an adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s eponymous novel directed, co-written, and produced by Peter Jackson. The first part of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the film is set in the fantastical world of Middle-earth, following young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his eight companions as they set out on a dangerous quest to destroy the One Ring, an evil artifact that belongs to the Dark Lord Sauron. Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, and more star in key supporting roles.
Tolkien’s novels are among the most celebrated books in the history of the fantasy genre, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies are their equal in the world of fantasy cinema. The first film, widely hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made, is arguably the best of the trilogy, with impeccable cinematography, sets, costumes, and art direction that truly bring Middle-earth to life. The movie’s depiction of the Shire is a particular highlight, with breathtaking landscapes filmed on location in New Zealand.
5
‘The Fall’ (2006)
Produced, co-written, and directed by Tarsem Singh, The Fall is a truly unique film that imaginatively combines drama and fantasy. Based on the 1981 Bulgarian movie Yo Ho Ho, the film follows a young girl who is hospitalized for a broken arm and meets a seriously injured stuntman, who then tells her a fantastical story that mirrors his own life, and hers. Lee Pace stars as the stuntman, Roy, and Catinca Untaru as the girl, Alexandria, with Justine Waddell, Daniel Caltagirone, Marcus Wesley, Robin Smith, Jeetu Verma, Leo Bill, and more in supporting roles.
The Fall had its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, but it wasn’t released in theaters and on home media until two years later. The movie wasn’t available on any streaming or rental platforms for a long time, which added to its niche status, until a 4K restoration was released on Mubi in 2024. A deeply layered and visually stunning film that deconstructs the very concept of storytelling through the meeting of two very different people, the movie has earned favorable reviews from critics and developed a cult following. It’s arguably one of the most original fantasy films of all time.
4
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)
Directed and co-written by James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water is the second film in the Avatar film series, released over a decade after the first movie. Set 16 years after the events of Avatar, the sequel follows Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully, a human-Na’vi hybrid, now a family man with kids, as he and his family are forced to flee to Pandora’s oceanic regions and seek refuge with a different Na’vi clan to escape the return of human colonizers. Zoe Saldaña and Stephen Lang reprise their roles from the first film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a new role. The movie also adds Kate Winslet, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, and more to the ensemble cast.
The Avatar movies are primarily presented as sci-fi stories, but their spiritual and quasi-mystical elements bring them closer to the fantasy genre, forming a unique blend of the two that comes to life through the use of cutting-edge visual techniques. Part of the reason Avatar: The Way of Water took so long to complete was that the technology for filming performance capture underwater, which the movie pioneered, had to be developed first. The result is a beautifully crafted journey with spectacular visuals and effects, creating a truly immersive experience. The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, and received the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
3
‘Treasure Planet’ (2002)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, Treasure Planet is a Disney animated film that reimagines Robert Louis Stevenson‘s classic adventure novel Treasure Island as a retrofuturistic science fantasy story. The film follows Jim Hawkins, a young boy who sets off on a cosmic voyage alongside his friend Dr. Delbert Doppler in search of the notorious space pirate Captain Flint’s treasure, meeting many interesting characters along the way, including the stern Captain Amelia and the enigmatic cyborg John Silver. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as the voice of Jim Hawkins, with Brian Murray as John Silver, David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Delbert Doppler, and Emma Thompson as Captain Amelia. Martin Short, Roscoe Lee Browne, Laurie Metcalf, and more voice supporting roles.
Though Treasure Planet was a box office failure when it premiered in 2002, the film earned positive reviews and has developed a cult following in the years since. That’s largely thanks to the movie’s fantastical visuals, combining traditional 2D animation with computer-generated 3D to create a mesmerizing cinematic journey. Its imaginative world, with cyborgs, aliens, and solar-powered sailships that fly in space, is arguably one of Disney’s finest, and it deserves all the appreciation it can get.
2
‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023)
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron is an anime fantasy film produced by Studio Ghibli and loosely inspired by (but not adapted from) Genzaburō Yoshino‘s 1937 novel How Do You Live?. The film follows Mahito Maki, a boy who moves to the countryside after his mother’s death, encountering a mysterious grey heron who lures him to a fantastical world. The movie’s Japanese voice cast stars Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, and Shinobu Otake, with Luca Padovan, Robert Pattinson, Karen Fukuhara, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, and more voicing the English dub.
Initially announced as director Miyazaki’s final film, The Boy and the Heron was highly anticipated ahead of its theatrical release in 2023, grossing over $294 million worldwide despite having minimal promotion. A masterpiece of traditional animation, the film is an immersive and layered visual journey coupled with an emotionally complex plot, and arguably Miyazaki’s best film since Spirited Away. The movie earned universal acclaim and received several accolades, including the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Oscar, and Japanese Academy Film Prize for Best Animated Feature Film.
1
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
An acclaimed Spanish‑language dark fantasy film, Pan’s Labyrinth was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Set in Spain in the summer of 1944, not long after the end of the Spanish Civil War, the film stars Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, a young girl whose mother has recently married a ruthless Civil Guard officer. When an insect leads her to an ancient labyrinth, Ofelia is drawn into a fairytale world that blurs the lines between myth and reality. Besides Baquero, the movie stars Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, and Álex Angulo in key supporting roles.
Pan’s Labyrinth was a huge critical success when it premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, receiving the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history. Arguably Guillermo del Toro’s greatest film, the movie’s fascinating blend of fantasy and history has earned it universal praise, as has its emotional depth, complex narrative, and poetic visual narrative. The film earned several accolades, including the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup, and it’s widely regarded as one of the best fantasy movies of all time.
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