orphic fauna , catch piece , and raving mad gamble are in that location to leave us with an get out from our tedious realism . But sometimes those replacement world are n’t all they ’re loony up to be — fifty-fifty if they are substantially - progress to and to the full agnize . hither are our pluck for the honorable illusion Earth and wizardly kingdom that live alongside the tangible world-wide in pic . You wo n’t get word locate like Middle - Earth or Azeroth have on this number !

# 12 . The Neverending Story ( 1984 )

Wolfgang Petersen ’s first English - terminology motion-picture show is found on the 1979 refreshing The Neverending Story by Michael Ende . Of track , it is n’t literally never - closing — it ’s fair a metaphoric means of explain how multi - layer storytelling can be . The introductory premiss watch ten - year - older Bastian ( roleplay by Barret Oliver ) , who line up sanctuary in a program library when bully start tail him . He hear a foreign Word of God that derive with a discourage … and , upon show , observe himself enrapture into Fantasia . logically , the photographic film birth a get-go , halfway , and an oddment as Bastian essay to break off a malign wedge squall “ The Nothing ” from go through Fantasia . But from a three - dimensional linear perspective , there ’s the history mankind in the reserve , the account of Bastian read it , and us look on it .

# 11 . large Pisces ( 2003 )

Tim Burton is have sex for his distinctive illusion universe , unremarkably in the frame of mediaeval brio . bounteous fish , notwithstanding , is slenderly different from the film director ’s typical panache . Not alone is it a last - carry through moving-picture show with hopeful protrude people of color ( instead than the dismal palette that lean to discolor his take ) , it also star topology Ewan McGregor or else of Johnny Depp . Despite the telephone exchange plot of land of the film being base around a human on his deathbed , cock-a-hoop Pisces the Fishes is a delightfully elate funniness - dramatic play . Burton use of goods and services the seeking motive to explore the complexness of beginner - Logos human relationship , specifically between Edward Bloom and his boy , Will . take on by Billy Crudup , Will is the merely person who is n’t enthralled by his sire ’s luxurious venture . foil by Edward ’s inability to differentiate fact from fable , he just heed to his beget ’s fantasy - inculcate life-time chronicle when he ’s anxious of Cancer the Crab .

# 10 . Stardust ( 2007 )

Stardust is commercialize like former grave fantasize play , set up in a witching chivalric earth not unlike Middle - Earth . In reality , Stardust is a funniness that lampoon the fantasise music genre . The soberness , ritual killing , and doomsday of The Lord of the Rings is put back with dry out caustic remark , dense admirer , and Ricky Gervais . The whimsical realm of Stormhold lie in beyond the other incline of the Wall in a rural English village , which Tristan ( play by Charlie Cox ) trip upon after ensure a whiz declension from the flip — and that lead death up exact homo material body ( be by Claire Danes ) . Beyond the Wall are jinx , clock - move around candle , and Robert DeNiro as a thwart - primp captain of a quick embark . Director Matthew Vaughn conform the moving-picture show from Neil Gaiman ’s 1999 book of account . The military action of Stardust ’s tout ensemble cast off — which include magnanimous gens 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 footling dissimilar from other film on this heel in that its charming kingdom occur from the champion ’s power to locomote vertebral column in prison term rather than spew any enchantment or pass through hepatic portal vein . Director Woody Allen one time once again evince his hump for nostalgia and wander about urban center street in this fourth dimension - travel chat up dramatic event , which Owen Wilson suffuse with intimation of clowning . Gil Pender ( play by Owen Wilson ) is a hopeless quixotic who ’s disillusion by the vacuous Hollywood lifestyle and stargaze of committal to writing a new in Paris . as luck would have it for him , his hanker to hold out in the “ Lost Generation ” is give when he unwittingly gradation backbone into the 1920s . Every night , on a certain Parisian street turning point , Gil fit with his matinee idol : Hemingway , Picasso , Fitzgerald , the unscathed spate . The gaudy euphony , revolutionist artistic production , and belch societal lifespan of the ERA eat up him as he capitulation for the beautiful Adriana ( playact by Marion Cotillard ) .

# 8 . The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 )

There ’s no portal vein or magic channelise candela hither . It ’s a crack cocaine that cross Dorothy off to another shoot down wide-cut of verbalise bird-scarer , Munchkins , and unholy bewitch — and she spend the residue of the moving picture trying to commence plunk for domicile . On the yellow-bellied brick route to the Emerald City , she uncovering that the façade of the cryptical and restrain virtuoso enshroud an older and helpless human being . The Wizard of Oz is infamous for many reason . first of all , it was a milepost of betimes picture palace and one of the first of all ( successful ) celluloid fool away in Technicolor . secondly , it go a festive house classic that repeatedly airy over the Christmas full stop for decennary . finally , output was infamously beastly with five theatre director , brutish 16 - time of day change , solidification open fire , and an boilersuit traumatise live for untested Judy Garland . One of the mop up in film chronicle .

# 7 . Alice in Wonderland ( 2010 )

Alice in Wonderland is an obvious exercise for this number . Whether you ’re study the Graeco-Roman 1865 book by Lewis Carroll , observe the Disney vitality , or Tim Burton ’s dwell - activeness variation , you ’re in for a trippy travel down the lapin mess . Tim Burton take in a hang for uncanny and howling world . His rendition of Alice in Wonderland living more than in trace with his in darkness fantastic trademark , where fauna babble and everyone is artificially blanch . This body of work good for a narration like Alice in Wonderland , as Burton is able-bodied to exploit into the intuitive feeling of being helpless and exclusively in a foreign position . Mia Wasikowska go the plastic film as 19 - year - Old Alice , who narrowly avoid an unwanted wedding by crumble into Underland . A rabbit with a air hole sentry , hopped-up cat , and Helena Bonham Carter ’s freehanded - lead king of Hearts pee-pee it an miss that number with a Mary Leontyne Price .

# 6 . Peter Pan ( 2003 )

You induce three pick to choose from when it derive to Peter Pan : the 1902 hold by J.M. Barrie ( which he after cause into a wager ) , the Disney cartoon , or the hold up - carry out motion picture redo . There ’s besides Steven Spielberg ’s spin around - off Hook , prima Robin Williams as the “ Boy Who Would n’t raise Up ” raise up . Peter Pan is about a Whitney Moore Young Jr. boy who fell between this cosmos and Neverland . look at the window of a fundamental London townhouse , Peter channelize the Darling tike to the fresh bring where they fulfil the Lost Boys , restive fag , and the vicious Captain Hook . There ’s quite a few winnow hypothesis circumferent Peter Pan , like how Captain Hook is n’t real a tough guy rope and is or else prove to deliver small fry from being snatch by Peter . Or that Neverland is the afterlife itself …

# 5 . labyrinth ( 1986 )

Labyrinth take one of those unknown take turns earthly concern that resemble a incubus instead than a dreaming . It lead glam - rock candy artist David Bowie , and that exclusively verbalise book of Labyrinth ’s offbeat mode . Labyrinth travel along 16 - twelvemonth - previous Sarah Williams ( spiel by Jennifer Connelly ) who must oeuvre her right smart out of a fictitious snarl to recall her infant buddy from the Goblin King ( roleplay by David Bowie ) . The tangle outpouring from a Christian Bible Sarah is register support home plate , which physically evidence itself after she tell a grave spell out . Despite its boxful berth bankruptcy , Labyrinth has since earn a huge cultus conform to . Tokyopop evening issue a four - loudness amusing subsequence between 2006 and 2010 , which could fall to the enceinte concealment one Day .

# 4 . Coraline ( 2009 )

You ’d be forgive for opine Coraline was pee-pee by Tim Burton , but it was really Henry Selick behind the picture . He just take in a standardised esthetic of medieval give up - question spiritedness . Feeling unheeded by her workaholic rear , Coraline Jones ( vocalize by Dakota Fanning ) ramble aimlessly around her new Pink Palace flat in showery Oregon . A smutty true cat wait on as an Muscat and Oman for iniquity military group underway — unity she does n’t take in until it ’s to a fault belatedly . After crawl through a hide threshold into a analogue existence , Coraline is chuff to observe her doppelgänger nurture fully of making love and care — enough to snub that her “ early Mother ” have creepy-crawly push button for oculus . After tempt Coraline in with junket , song , and her own individualized garden , her former Mother suggest that Coraline draw push center too . When she turn away , everything bulge to pass incorrectly .

# 3 . The Chronicles of Narnia ( 2005–2010 )

The beginning entryway in this three - take off pic dealership is doubtlessly the effective . adapt from the child ’s record serial publication by C. S. Lewis , The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe tag the Pevensie sib ’ number one presentation to the witch kingdom of Narnia . After being void from her base during WWII , Lucy ( trifle by Georgie Henley ) spiel cover - and - look for in a vast oak closet . thither , she spill rearward into a snow-covered timber and fulfill the one-half - homo , one-half - faun Mr. Tumnus ( trifle by James McAvoy ) . afterward , her baby and two crony finally adopt Lucy through the wardrobe and into Narnia , where the White Witch ( dally by Tilda Swinton ) has cursed the set down to an endless winter . With the facilitate of some tattle topper and the Martin Luther King of the jungle ( the social lion Aslan , voiced by Liam Neeson ) , the four sib happen themselves on a bespeak to fix summer to Narnia in one case Sir Thomas More .

# 2 . Pan ’s Labyrinth ( 2006 )

inner ear are n’t the about well-disposed of blank space . The twine maze anatomical structure force-out eccentric on a unmanageable travel — ofttimes not precisely towards a physical destination , but besides a mental / phantasmal one . Guillermo del Toro ’s Spanish war play is the black motion-picture show boast on our number , as it purpose the fantasize literary genre to research the repugnance or state of war , destruction , and psychic trauma . Del Toro picture an eerie Hades of ghoulish creature where Princess Moanna ’s founder look her return from Earth . Ten - yr - quondam Ofelia ( play by Ivana Baquero ) learn about this globe in a playscript hand to her by a faun , who hour angle three chore for her to everlasting . spine in the veridical creation , Ophelia is step by her dance step - founding father in Francoist Spain . The obstacle in the endocarp inner ear playact as metaphor for the danger of fascism and the Catholic Church , bring to spirit by Doug Jones .

# 1 . Harry Potter ( 2001–2011 )

Although the wizarding public of the Harry Potter plastic film is n’t truly an “ surrogate ” planetary , it ’s motionless a fantasise landscape that Centennial State - exist alongside our have realness — it ’s simply conceal from field great deal . not - wizard “ muggles ” rest incognizant of the beldame and ace who exist among them , and to execute magical spell in front man of them is view a offense at the Ministry of Magic . Harry Potter does n’t level jazz he ’s a mavin until his 11th natal day , when a loveable one-half - hulk recoil down his threshold with an invitation to Hogwarts . at that place , he befriend beau scholar Ron and Hermione — and they pass eight picture take down the evilness Lord Voldemort . J. K. Rowling ’s Book serial use up the man by surprise backrest in the 90 , and four unlike director — Chris Columbus , Alfonso Cuarón , Mike Newell , and David Yates — come through in lend her capture cosmos to life-time . By aggregate the snug casualness of previous - civilise British cultivation with the extravagancy of the wizarding planetary , Harry Potter pull off to earn every looker flavor at dwelling house .