Definition: The fantasy film is a type of film that uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. It generally distinguishes itself from science fiction because it ignores scientific reasoning and themes.

Definition: Fantasy films take the audience to fairy-tale places where events are unlikely to occur in real life. 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. Definition:

The boundaries of the fantasy film type are not well defined. The elements that fantasy films typically share are largely narrative ones – similarities in plot, characters, and themes.

Definition: The Star Wars saga suggests fantasy, yet it has the feel of science fiction; while 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.

Definition: The Back to the Future trilogy combines science with fantasy. Some film critics borrow the literary term Science Fantasy to describe such hybrids of the two genres.

Characteristics: Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, escapism, and the extraordinary. The one element that all fantasy films have is a central situation that defies rational explanation (fantasy).

Characteristics: In fantasy films the situation cannot be explained; it must simply be accepted. How is it that in Oz the witch can fly with a broomstick?

Characteristics: In fantasy films the situation cannot be explained; it must simply be accepted. How do we accept the Hobbits’ Shire in Lord of the Rings as reality?

Characteristics: In fantasy films the situation cannot be explained; it must simply be accepted. How do we believe without hesitation that the train on Platform 9¾ will take students to Hogwarts?

Characteristics: The settings in fantasy films are more imaginative than they are common. The worlds or lands are invented and fully developed into a reality.

Characteristics: The central theme of many fantasy films is the classic “good versus evil.”

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: Tarzan (who can talk to animals and travel through treetops at great speed) Hero OR villain who has powers beyond mortal men. The superman

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: Darth Vader (uses the “Force” for evil) Hero OR villain who has powers beyond mortal men. The superman

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: Any comic book hero (Spiderman spins a web) Hero OR villain who has powers beyond mortal men. The superman

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: Powerful wizards, witches, and near-human monsters Hero OR villain who has powers beyond mortal men. The superman

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: These characters have to struggle in an adult world without understanding the potential outcome. The child hero Their natural innocence and goodness is more powerful than the supernatural evil which they face. Dorothy’s accidental triumph of the Wicked Witch

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: The child hero These characters have to struggle in an adult world without understanding the potential outcome. Elliot’s triumph over the adult world in E.T. Their natural innocence and goodness is more powerful than the supernatural evil which they face.

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: These characters provide assistance to the hero to help him through his quest or adventure. The supernaturally wise mentor Their powers often offset the opposing forces of the villain(s). Glinda (the good witch) in the Wizard of Oz

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: These characters provide assistance to the hero to help him through his quest or adventure. The supernaturally wise mentor Their powers often offset the opposing forces of the villain(s). Gandalf in Lord of the Rings

Characteristics: There are three character types that belong to fantasy films: These characters provide assistance to the hero to help him through his quest or adventure. The supernaturally wise mentor Their powers often offset the opposing forces of the villain(s). Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda in Star Wars

Types of Fantasy Films: High Fantasy They feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil set against each other in an epic struggle. High Fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world and may also be more character-oriented or thematically complex.

Types of Fantasy Films: Sword and Sorcery Sword and Sorcery movies tend to be plot-driven and focus heavily on action sequences, often pitting a physically powerful but unsophisticated warrior against an evil wizard or other supernaturally- endowed enemy. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian

Types of Fantasy Films: Sword and Sorcery They may 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.

Types of Fantasy Films: Fairy Tales Fairy tales, such as Walt Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, are also difficult to categorize. Snow White features a medieval setting, dwarfs, the use of sorcery, and other characteristics common to fantasy. Yet many fans of this film type do not believe such movies qualify as fantasy, placing them in instead in a separate fairy tale category.

Types of Fantasy Films: Superhero Superhero films also fulfill the requirements of the fantasy film but are often considered to be a separate type of film. These films feature comic book heroes from the 1940s and 1950s. Some critics classify the superhero film as a type of fantasy (Superhero Fantasy) rather than as an entirely separate category.

History of the Fantasy Film: The most famous of the early fantasy films was A Trip to the Moon (1902) made by French film pioneer Georges Méliès.

History of the Fantasy Film: The greatest children's fantasy/musical of all time was The Wizard of Oz (1939), a journey down the yellow brick road to the colorful Land 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 type of fantasy fiction.

History of the Fantasy Film: Fantasy has traditionally not been regarded as highly as the related science fiction film. Until recently, fantasy films often suffered from inferior production values, over-the-top acting and poor special effects.

History of the Fantasy Film: Since the late 1990s, fantasy films have gained new respectability because of the successful The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series.

History of the Fantasy Film: The Return of the King, the third installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, became the first fantasy film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Another modern example is The Chronicles of Narnia series.

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