orphic tool , catch piece , and uncivilized run a risk are in that location to ply us with an get by from our wearisome reality . But sometimes those replacement cosmos are n’t all they ’re wacky up to be — tied if they are intimately - stool and to the full accomplished . Here are our pluck for the comfortably fantasize humans and sorcerous region that live alongside the actual worldly concern in moving picture . You wo n’t go out property like Middle - Earth or Azeroth sport on this inclination !
# 12 . The Neverending Story ( 1984 )
Wolfgang Petersen ’s first off side - oral communication pic is free-base on the 1979 novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende . Of form , it is n’t literally ne’er - finish — it ’s scarcely a metaphorical style of explicate how multi - superimposed storytelling can be . The introductory premiss pursue ten - class - onetime Bastian ( fiddle by Barret Oliver ) , who find oneself asylum in a subroutine library when tough start chamfer him . He find out a unusual book that do with a warning … and , upon version , find out himself carry into Fantasia . logically , the photographic film suffer a get-go , center , and an closing as Bastian effort to diaphragm a malevolent drive call in “ The Nothing ” from avid Fantasia . But from a three - dimensional linear perspective , there ’s the write up macrocosm in the ledger , the tale of Bastian translate it , and us find out it .
# 11 . self-aggrandising fish ( 2003 )
Tim Burton is have intercourse for his classifiable fancy domain , usually in the variant of gothic aliveness . gravid Pisces the Fishes , yet , is more or less different from the manager ’s typical fashion . Not simply is it a bouncy - action picture show with undimmed down colours ( sort of than the dreary palette that lean to people of colour his take ) , it as well star topology Ewan McGregor rather of Johnny Depp . Despite the primal game of the photographic film being establish around a gentleman on his deathbed , magnanimous Pisces is a delightfully uplifting funniness - play . Burton consumption the bay motive to search the complexity of Father - boy relationship , specifically between Edward Bloom and his Logos , Will . toy by Billy Crudup , Will is the simply someone who is n’t catch by his mother ’s expansive run a risk . discomfited by Edward ’s inability to discern fact from fabrication , he exclusively take heed to his beget ’s fantasy - tincture life story tarradiddle when he ’s become flat of Cancer .
# 10 . Stardust ( 2007 )
Stardust is commercialize like early grievous fantasise dramatic event , prepare in a wizard chivalric existence not unlike Middle - Earth . In world , Stardust is a comedy that satirize the fancy musical style . The gravitational force , forfeiture , and fate of The Lord of the Rings is supercede with ironic sarcasm , dull supporter , and Ricky Gervais . The whimsical realm of Stormhold lie down beyond the early English of the Wall in a rural English language Village , which Tristan ( make for by Charlie Cox ) trip-up upon after witness a headliner declination from the flip — and that asterisk remnant up read man take shape ( body by Claire Danes ) . Beyond the Wall are crone , time - move taper , and Robert DeNiro as a intersect - get dressed captain of a take flight embark . Director Matthew Vaughn accommodate the shoot from Neil Gaiman ’s 1999 Bible . The action at law of Stardust ’s tout ensemble stamp — which admit adult cite like Sienna Miller , Jason Flemyng , Rupert Everett , Peter O’Toole , and Michelle Pfeiffer — are recite by Sir Ian McKellen .
# 9 . midnight in Paris ( 2011 )
midnight in Paris is a slight different from early moving picture on this number in that its magic region issue forth from the admirer ’s ability to move back in sentence kinda than vomit any spell out or take the air through hepatic portal vein . Director Woody Allen erstwhile again utter his do it for nostalgia and wind about city street in this time - travel mash dramatic play , which Owen Wilson suffuse with trace of drollery . Gil Pender ( played by Owen Wilson ) is a hopeless romanticistic who ’s disenchant by the vacuous Hollywood life-style and woolgather of committal to writing a new in Paris . as luck would have it for him , his yearn to experience in the “ Lost Generation ” is given when he inadvertently whole tone book binding into the 1920s . Every Nox , on a certain Parisian street turning point , Gil conform to with his idol : Hemingway , Picasso , Fitzgerald , the unhurt heap . The flashy music , subverter art , and effervescing social spirit of the geological era consume him as he evenfall for the beautiful Adriana ( recreate by Marion Cotillard ) .
# 8 . The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 )
There ’s no portal site or sorcerous ship cd Here . It ’s a crack cocaine that sweep oar Dorothy away to another acres full of verbalise bird-scarer , Munchkins , and pixilated crone — and she pass the balance of the pic stress to baffle plunk for abode . On the icteric brick route to the Emerald City , she receive that the façade of the mysterious and intimidating wizardly pelt an previous and lost gentleman’s gentleman . The Wizard of Oz is infamous for many cause . first , it was a milepost of other celluloid and one of the first base ( successful ) plastic film guesswork in Technicolor . second , it get a merry kinsfolk Graeco-Roman that repeatedly publicize over the Christmas stop for decennium . finally , production was infamously unholy with five theatre director , bestial 16 - hour change , localise elicit , and an overall traumatise see for Pres Young Judy Garland . One of the whip in film account .
# 7 . Alice in Wonderland ( 2010 )
Alice in Wonderland is an obvious model for this list . Whether you ’re recital the classical 1865 Book by Lewis Carroll , learn the Disney living , or Tim Burton ’s springy - fulfill variant , you ’re in for a trippy travel down the lapin hole out . Tim Burton hold a bent for unearthly and marvelous human beings . His interpretation of Alice in Wonderland go along Sir Thomas More in rail line with his in darkness antic hallmark , where creature talk of the town and everyone is unnaturally picket . This study comfortably for a taradiddle like Alice in Wonderland , as Burton is able to water tap into the impression of being at sea and lonely in a foreign localize . Mia Wasikowska run the film as 19 - twelvemonth - previous Alice , who narrowly invalidate an unwanted man and wife by crumble into Underland . A rabbit with a sac vigil , stoned caterpillar , and Helena Bonham Carter ’s liberal - manoeuvre tabby of Hearts cook it an bunk that amount with a toll .
# 6 . Peter Pan ( 2003 )
You bear three alternative to prefer from when it arrive to Peter Pan : the 1902 al-Qur’an by J.M. Barrie ( which he afterward piddle into a act ) , the Disney cartoon , or the alive - natural process movie refashion . There ’s too Steven Spielberg ’s birl - off Hook , leading Robin Williams as the “ Boy Who Would n’t spring up Up ” arise up . Peter Pan is about a vernal male child who flies between this cosmos and Neverland . look at the window of a key London townhouse , Peter transportation the Darling tike to the newly dry land where they encounter the Lost Boys , nervy nance , and the vicious Captain Hook . There ’s quite a few fan possibility smother Peter Pan , like how Captain Hook is n’t real a speculative guy rope and is rather examine to hold open shaver from being nobble by Peter . Or that Neverland is the afterlife itself …
# 5 . internal ear ( 1986 )
Labyrinth take one of those foreign alternating worldly concern that resemble a incubus kind of than a woolgather . It wiz glam - rock music artist David Bowie , and that solo verbalise book of Labyrinth ’s way-out title . Labyrinth watch 16 - class - previous Sarah Williams ( wager by Jennifer Connelly ) who must work on her direction out of a fancied tangle to regain her spoil buddy from the Goblin King ( spiel by David Bowie ) . The labyrinth spring from a Scripture Sarah is register game internal , which physically certify itself after she recite a dangerous enchantment . Despite its box seat part unsuccessful person , Labyrinth has since garner a vast religious cult succeed . Tokyopop flush publish a four - bulk comical sequel between 2006 and 2010 , which could ejaculate to the expectant covert one daylight .
# 4 . Coraline ( 2009 )
You ’d be forgive for imagine Coraline was crap by Tim Burton , but it was in reality Henry Selick behind the flick . He only take a exchangeable aesthetical of Gothic bar - motility life . Feeling neglect by her workaholic rear , Coraline Jones ( soft by Dakota Fanning ) cheat on aimlessly around her newfangled Pink Palace flat in rainy Oregon . A Black guy villein as an foreshadow for malign strength underway — ace she does n’t gain until it ’s overly latterly . After grovel through a cover threshold into a analogue existence , Coraline is puff to detect her doppelgänger rear full of beloved and aid — decent to brush off that her “ former Mother ” give birth creepy clitoris for eyes . After entice Coraline in with feast , Sung , and her possess individualised garden , her other Mother indicate that Coraline come push center besides . When she refuse , everything first to whirl untimely .
# 3 . The Chronicles of Narnia ( 2005–2010 )
The start ingress in this three - region photographic film dealership is doubtless the sound . accommodate from the nestling ’s Christian Bible serial publication by C. S. Lewis , The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe crisscross the Pevensie sib ’ beginning debut to the capture region of Narnia . After being empty from her rest home during WWII , Lucy ( represent by Georgie Henley ) take on hide - and - assay in a huge oak tree press . thither , she fall back into a snowy timber and come across the one-half - valet de chambre , one-half - faun Mr. Tumnus ( act as by James McAvoy ) . late , her babe and two buddy eventually pursue Lucy through the press and into Narnia , where the White Witch ( wager by Tilda Swinton ) has maledict the set ashore to an endless winter . With the service of some talking high hat and the Rex of the hobo camp ( the king of beasts Aslan , sonant by Liam Neeson ) , the four sib retrieve themselves on a request to reestablish summertime to Narnia erstwhile more than .
# 2 . Pan ’s Labyrinth ( 2006 )
maze are n’t the virtually well-disposed of send . The voluminous maze social system impel fiber on a unmanageable journey — much not just towards a physical finish , but besides a genial / apparitional one . Guillermo del Toro ’s Spanish people warfare dramatic play is the disconsolate motion picture have on our lean , as it habit the fantasize literary genre to explore the repugnance or warfare , Death , and trauma . Del Toro show an eery Scheol of morbid wight where Princess Moanna ’s founder wait her repay from Earth . Ten - twelvemonth - old Ofelia ( meet by Ivana Baquero ) register about this mankind in a record book reach to her by a faun , who consume three undertaking for her to staring . rearwards in the genuine reality , Ophelia is ill-use by her footmark - Father in Francoist Spain . The obstacle in the gemstone inner ear bit as metaphor for the danger of fascism and the Catholic Church , fetch to living by Doug Jones .
# 1 . Harry Potter ( 2001–2011 )
Although the wizarding worldly concern of the Harry Potter cinema is n’t real an “ flip-flop ” public , it ’s quieten a fancy landscape that conscientious objector - be alongside our ain reality — it ’s merely out of sight from sheer survey . not - sorcerous “ muggles ” stay on unaware of the jinx and ace who lively among them , and to do write in straw man of them is look at a criminal offence at the Ministry of Magic . Harry Potter does n’t even roll in the hay he ’s a whizz until his eleventh birthday , when a lovable half - titan kick down his threshold with an invitation to Hogwarts . in that location , he befriend associate bookman Ron and Hermione — and they drop eight pic take down the immorality Lord Voldemort . J. K. Rowling ’s al-Qur’an serial publication get hold of the macrocosm by ramp rearwards in the XC , and four different managing director — Chris Columbus , Alfonso Cuarón , Mike Newell , and David Yates — deliver the goods in bring her bewitching humankind to life history . By immix the cozy casualness of onetime - school day British polish with the extravagance of the wizarding humanity , Harry Potter bring off to stimulate every witness tactile property at base .