While everyone loves a goodfantasyfilm series or franchise, there’s no question that Hollywood movies have become more and more reliant on the idea of sequels in recent years. Massive franchises likeHarry PotterandPirates of the Caribbeandominate box offices to the point that out of the10 highest-grossing fantasy films of all time, every single one is either part of a film series or a remake of an older movie.
That isn’t to say that sequels are bad, butthere is a certain power to a movie that doesn’t need a sequel.Fantasy films that stand aloneand tell complete stories can be far more satisfying to watch than ones that are clearly putting far more energy into establishing franchise potential than into crafting a compelling narrative. And, of course, there are fads likeDisney’s avalanche of 90s direct-to-video sequels, with their shoestring budgets and disappointingly outsourced animation. Thankfully, these ten films are some of the most incredible – and self-contained – fantasy stories ever put on the silver screen.
Escaflowne: The Movie
Cast
Escaflowne: The Movie is an animated fantasy film directed by Kazuki Akane. Set in a mystical world, it follows Hitomi Kanzaki, a disenchanted high school student who finds herself transported to the planet Gaea. There, she allies with Van Fanel, a young king, and his transforming mecha, Escaflowne, to thwart an impending war. The film offers a darker and more streamlined narrative compared to the original TV series.
While many anime series eventually get cut together into compilation films for theatrical releases, the film adaptation of the seminal1996 isekai mecha animeThe Vision of Escaflowneisa complete reimagining of Shōji Kawamori’s original storywith entirely new animation. The originalVision of Escaflownewas entirely a production of Sunrise Studios, but theEscaflownefilm was animated by Bones, a studio comprised of ex-Sunrise animators that split off in 1998, but remained in close partnership with their parent company.
TheEscaflownefilm is an incredibly beautiful work of animation. Much of the original show’s production team – director Kazuki Akane, character designer Nobuteru Yūki, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno – returned for the film, as did the original voice cast. Voice actress Maaya Sakamoto, the original voice of protagonist Hitomi Kanzaki, gives a particularly compelling performance, especially given the film’s far darker tone than the original show. With absolutely stunning animation of the combat sequences between the massive steampunk mecha Guymelefs, particularly the titular Escaflowne,the film is a gorgeous, stunning, and deeply romantic standalone fantasy adventure.
Brave
Pixar’s Brave follows Princess Merida of DunBroch (Kelly MacDonald), the daughter of a clan chief in medieval Scotland. When Meridia is told she must marry the suitor of her parents' choosing, she refuses, defying an age-old tradition and causing chaos in the kingdom. This starts a chain of events that causes Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), to fall victim to a magical curse, the princess sets off into the wild to rescue her.
It’s Disney’s nature as a company to churn out as many sequels as possible (or profitable) for its numerous films, especially the ones with princesses in them. That makesBraveall the more remarkable for its standalone nature, especially compared to its predecessorTangled, which got two short film sequels and a spin-off television series. Yeteven without the weight of its own mini-franchise backing it up,Bravewas a wildly successful Disney/Pixar film.
Bravewas such an ambitious film to animate from a technical perspective that it helped lead to Pixar developing entirely new in-house animation software for it, known as Presto. A smash critical and financial success thanks to its compelling and heartfelt story about repairing familial relationships,Bravealso netted numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a full sweep of all four awards it was nominated for at the 11th Visual Effects Society Awards. Best of all,Bravestar Kelly MacDonald adamantly opposes a sequel.
MirrorMask
MirrorMask is a fantasy film directed by Dave McKean, written by Neil Gaiman, centered on a 15-year-old girl navigating a surreal world of opposing kingdoms. Tasked with locating the legendary MirrorMask, she embarks on a journey to save the kingdom and return home. Released in 2005.
This criminally underrated Jim Henson Company production was an unfortunate commercial flop, only grossing just shy of a million dollars at the box office from its limited theatrical run – less than a quarter of the film’s $4 million budget – despite its warm reception at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Originally conceived of by the Hensons as a direct-to-video sequel to eitherLabyrinthorThe Dark Crystaldue to both of those films' phenomenal DVD sales at the turn of the millennium,MirrorMaskevolved into its own unique, beautifully flawed creation.
With a strange and heartfelt story about circus girl Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), whose fear over her sick mother sends her stumbling into the conflict between the strange and wondrous City of Light and the ominous Land of Shadows,MirrorMaskasks subtle questions about why we hide the most delicate parts of ourselves from our loved ones. While there are many similarities to Laika Studio’s later filmCoraline, right down to both using stories from author Neil Gaiman,MirrorMaskmostly utilizes CGI to create its bizarre characters, with some practical effects very much in the spirit of the Jim Henson company.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit combines live-action and animation to create a world where humans and cartoon characters coexist. Set in 1940s Hollywood, the film follows a private investigator who is contracted to work on the case of a cartoon framed for murder, despite his dislike of cartoons. Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd, and Kathleen Turner all star.
Loosely based on Gary K. Wolf’s novelWho Censored Roger Rabbit?, for which Wolf actually wrote two sequel books and a prequel after the film’s success, Robert Zemekis' first foray into directing animation remainsone of the greatest screwball buddy comedies ever released. The antics of washed-up private investigator Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) and the titular toon Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleisher) not only continue to entertain after almost 40 years, but also remain some of the most impressive footage to ever integrate live-action and animated characters interacting.
Why Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2 Will Never Be Made Explained By Robert Zemeckis
Who Framed Roger Rabbit director, Robert Zemckis, has said that the reason a sequel will never be made is because of current Disney sensibilities.
Netting four Oscars, a BAFTA, a Hugo, and two Saturn Awards,Who Framed Roger Rabbitproved forever that animated films, even extremely goofy ones, don’t have to be kiddie fare. It inspired the construction of the Toontown sections of Disney’s theme parks, and was evenselected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2016 for its cultural and historical significance. And of course, every groundbreaking film has its successors and imitators, of whichWho Framed Roger Rabbithas a multitude, such asCool World,Space Jam, andLooney Tunes: Back in Action.
Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is an animated adventure film featuring the legendary sailor Sinbad, voiced by Brad Pitt. The plot follows Sinbad as he is wrongly accused of stealing the magical Book of Peace and must embark on a perilous journey to retrieve it. Alongside his loyal crew and childhood friend Marina, voiced by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sinbad confronts fearsome creatures and overcomes numerous challenges.
Loosely mixing some of the Arabian classicOne Thousand and One Nightswith a generous helping of Greek mythology, DreamWorks' animated take onthe story of Sinbad the Sailorwas originally meant to be a Disney production in the early 90s, but got shelved; when Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney in 1994 to help found DreamWorks,he brought the seed forSinbadwith him.
Sadly,Sinbadwas considered a box-office failure, especially considering that after its first week in theaters it was blown out of the water by the release of Disney’sPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and that failure meant DreamWorks has been unwilling to risk making any traditionally animated films ever since. Still,Sinbadwas a far better adventure film than even its studio was willing to give it credit for, and in his review for theChicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert said it best:
[Sinbadis] a reminder that animation is the most liberating of movie genres, freed of gravity, plausibility, and even the matters of lighting and focus. … [A]s we watch it, we are sailing over the edge of the human imagination. (viaRogerEbert.com)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Princess Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind embarks on a perilous journey to save her people and the environment from a spreading toxic jungle filled with dangerous creatures. Gifted with the ability to understand and communicate with the jungle’s giant insects, she seeks to find a way for humans and nature to coexist. As she battles against opposing factions and uncovers the truth behind the devastation, Nausicaä’s courage and empathy become the keys to healing her world.
One of the last films made by Japanese production studio Topcraft before it folded and was reborn as the immortal Studio Ghibli,Nausicaä of the Valley of the Windisthe movie that showed the world how Hayao Miyazaki was a master of environmental storytelling. The story began as a manga that Miyazaki began releasing in serial form in the magazineAnimage; the original contract between Miyazaki and the magazine forbade him from ever releasingNausicaäas a film, whichAnimagebackpedaled on once the story proved popular enough among the magazine’s readers.
Nausicaä’s constantly relevant messages of empathy and conservationare ones that have echoed through the entirety of Miyazaki’s work, particularly once Studio Ghibli was founded a year after the film’s release and began working on movies likeCastle in the SkyandMy Neighbor Totoro. In fact,Nausicaäis usually considered the first Ghibli film, as well it should be, aswithout its massive success as both a manga and a film, Studio Ghibli would likely never have formed.
The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is set in Baltimore, Maryland in 1962, and follows Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a shy, mute woman who works as a custodian at a secure government facility. While at her job, Elisa meets and falls in love with a human-amphibian hybrid man, who is being held and experimented on at the facility by the evil Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon). Risking her life and the lives of her friends, Elisa hatches a plan to help her amphibian lover escape, pursued by Strickland and his forces in the government.
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is well-known for his love of monsters. His filmography is almost entirely composed of horror films and fantastical explorations of the monstrous; even his kaiju-smashing action epicPacific Rimnotably drew a parallel about the monstrous nature of the film’s massive Jaeger mecha, with the line “To fight monsters, we created monsters of our own.“Del Toro’s modern fairy taleThe Shape of Wateris notablymuch less focused on the horror aspect of his monsters, though. Instead,del Toro’s aquatic monster is far more sympatheticthan terrifying.
The Shape of Water, which tells the story of deaf janitor Elisa (Sally Hawkins), who works at a high-security US government facility and falls in love with the captive Amphibian Man (Doug Jones) held there against his will, isa beautiful exploration of the ways that people othered by social forces can find community and affection together, despite what the establishment says about their differences. It was a smash hit critically and won four Academy Awards out of the thirteen categories it was nominated in, with the distinction of only being the second fantasy film to ever win Best Picture.
Troll Hunter
Troll Hunter is a Norwegian fantasy film released on June 25, 2025. It follows a group of students investigating mysterious bear killings, who discover the activities of a clandestine troll hunter. As they join this hunter, they uncover encounters with mythical beings within Norway’s wilderness.
Found footage films, especially mockumentaries, are often extremely polarizing and often limited by the nature of their premise; when a movie is forced to look like it was entirely shot on a handheld camera, it often also has the commensurate production value. Yet despite those limitations,Troll Hunterremains a phenomenal film; although the cinematography is occasionally messy by design, it more than makes up for it with the fantastic visual effects and deep understanding of Norway and its long-lived cultural obsession with trolls.
The digital effects creating the various trolls are only a part ofTroll Hunter’s stunning visuals, though, as the vast spectacle of Norway’s fjords and forests are as much a part of the film’s visual language as the trolls. The cast, mostly Norwegian comedians, play the dialogue as straight as possible for maximum effect from their dry Nordic wit. With favorable reviews both by Norwegian critics and international ones, as well as winning an Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking award at 2011’s Newport Film Festival, it’s no wonderTroll Hunteris considered the Norwegian answer toThe Blair Witch Project.
The Princess Bride
Based on the 1973 novel by William Goldman, The Princess Bride is a comical fantasy adventure film that tells a swashbuckling tale of a hero and a princess, read to a young, sick boy in bed by his grandfather. The story itself follows farmhand Westley, who embarks on an epic journey to save his beloved princess from an evil prince as he meets strange but reliable companions along the way.
Few fantasy films have had the same kind of stunning cultural impact asThe Princess Bride. Its modest initial box office success didn’t dissuade critics from heaping the film with praise and awards, or from being selected asa 2016 addition to the Library of Congress. It helped launch the film careers of Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, and Robin Wright.
While no one has ever tried to make a sequel toThe Princess Bride, which is only fitting given how nicely the narrative ties everything together, there have been attempts to remake or reboot the film. In 2019, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra brought up the idea in an interview inVariety, butthe immediate backlash both from the public and the original film’s cast and crew shut the idea downbefore it got any more traction in the Hollywood reboot machine. Cary Elwes' response, in particular, was all that needed to be said on the matter:
Pan’s Labyrinth
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a ten-year-old girl living in 1940s Spain who learns she is actually a long-lost fairy princess. With the help of a faun, she is set a series of tasks to complete to return to her true home in the fairy underworld. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, with Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, and Doug Jones making up the rest of the main cast.
Del Toro’s 2006 supernatural horror masterpiecePan’s Labyrinthis explicitly an anti-fascist parable, warning about the societal ill that comes fromrefusing to stand against those who consider blind obedience as a virtue. The film clearly draws a connection between the monstrous Pale Man (Doug Jones), who serves both as a narrative parallel to fascist soldier Captain Vidal (Sergi López) and a general condemnation of the societal ills perpetuated by the Catholic Church.
Pan’s Labyrinthwas a smash success internationally, for whichspecific credit must be given to del Toro, who personally wrote the movie’s English subtitles after seeing how the subtitles for his previous Spanish-language film,The Devil’s Backbone, poorly rendered the dialogue (viaAFI). Del Toro’s attention to detail led toPan’s Labyrinthwinning a stunning number of awards, as well as winding up on dozens of critics' end-of-year lists for 2006. In 2007, del Toro did announce he was working on a sequel, but scrapped the project to instead filmHellboy 2: The Golden Army.
