Fantasy has always been my favorite genre.and there are some movies that I grew up watching that helped inspire my love for fantasy worlds. Everyone knows of fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings, but some of my favorite fantasy movies might be a little more obscure than that. If you are a lover of the fantasy genre, maybe you'll appreciate this list of odd or obscure fantasy movies. These are the ones I grew up watching and I feel like they are under appreciated. I will always have a love for these movies.
1. "Labyrinth"
I made this number one on the list because to me, it will always be number one. This is my all time favorite movie. Part of why I loved it growing up was because the main character and I share the name Sarah. The movie starts with Sarah having troubles with her home life, always taking care of her baby brother, Toby. She makes a wish for the child to be taken away, so she can have some peace, little did she know her wish would come true. The Goblin King, Jareth, played by the wonderful David Bowie, takes the child away to his Goblin Kingdom. In order to get Toby back, she must make it "through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered," all the way through Jareth's labyrinth. Her journey is full of strange creatures and weird obstacles. The whole movie is just a wonderful adventure. You have to watch it at least once in your life.
2. "Willow"
This is another great fantasy movie. In this movie, there is a prophesy about a child that is being born, Elora Danan. It is said that she is to be the end of the tyrant, Queen Bavmorda, and so the queen seeks to kill the child. A midwife escapes with the child, but the only way Elora will have any chance of survival is if she is sent down a river. And so she floats to safety, to a village of dwarfs known as Nelwyns. When a learning sorcerer, Willow (played by Warwick Davis) and his family discovers the baby they take it in even though they can tell it is not a Nelwyn, but a Daikini. Willow soon learns that she is no average baby.He plans to return the child to the Daikini people, but instead gets swept up as her guardian. The story develops around the safety of this baby and the prophesy surrounding her. It;'s definitely worth your time.
3. "The Black Cauldron"
This Disney movie is a crazy weird fantasy story. There is a lowly pig keeper who dreams of being a hero, a magic pig that can tell the future,a strange furry side kick, a magic cauldron that makes the keeper invincible, a Horned King who will do anything to get it, and of course there is a beautiful princess. This is just a weird, but cute fantasy story.
4. "The Princess and the Goblin"
This is another animated fantasy movie. This is the story of a Princess pairing up with a peasant boy to defeat the terrible Goblins that have tormented the kingdom. They don't have much to fight with, just a magic thread and the power of song. It may be a bit cheesy, but it was always one of those movies that fueled my love for the fantasy genre.
5. "The Dark Crystal"
This movie. Oh my goodness. It is the strangest thing, but it's so great. There are these cute creatures called Gelflings that look like little elf people. A Gelfling named Jen was taken in by the Mystics when there was basically a genocide of his people by the Skeksis. On his deathbed his Mystic Master tells Jen that he must heal the Crystal before the three suns align. If he fails, the the Skeksis will reign forever. So as you might guess Jen sets out on this quest o find a Crystal Shard to heal the Crystal. Along the way he discovers he's not the only Gelfling left when he meets Kira, who has the ability to communicate with animals. This entire movie is just a fantastic, odd adventure. If you ever come across this movie you should definitely watch it.
These are my recommendations for some really great fantasy movies. These are the films that started my love for the fantasy genre. A lot of them are really weird, but that's part of why I love them. If you need a good film to watch you should definitely look into these.
