Ten Deep 12.17.08: Greatest Fantasy Films #30-#21!

Posted by Lucas Huddleston on 12.17.2008

The road goes ever, ever on as 411's Lucas Huddleston continues to count down his favorite Fantasy films!

Hello, and welcome to Week 13 of Ten Deep! Well, if last week's column and portion of the Fantasy film countdown proved anything, it's that a list based on films that make men cry would be a worthwhile undertaking at a future date. I just might do that when the list is over, but then again, I'm not quite sure.

This week I'd like to spotlight a few Honorable Mentions that, again, were included in the first part of this list, but had to be cut due to issues with the column's lengthiness. Originally, I had an HM list that ran nearly twenty films in length, but I've shaved it down to the ones that were on the list but got kicked off at the last moment for various reasons, which shall be divulged. I'll keep them brief.

Donnie Darko (2001): I had this film in the Top 20 of my list, and I even went so far as to write a little bit about the film. However, after struggling within my head as to whether or not the film is Fantasy (though I think it applies), I ultimately took it off the list entirely. Obviously, I love the film enough to be in my Top 20 (maybe even 10), but it seemed to be that since the film is so unique and original that listing it merely as being a Fantasy would've been doing the film a great disservice, and so I took it off, for better or for worse. By the way, if any of you have yet to see this film, I'd suggest you watch the original theatrical version of the film and NOT the Director's Cut, as the ambiguity in the original version is a beautiful thing that will have you talking for weeks afterward about what you just watched. Initially, I hated the film, and it wasn't until I noticed that I was thinking about it so much and talking about it so much that I realized how much I truly enjoyed it.

Heavenly Creatures (1994): This film, in my opinion, acts as being the exact opposite of films like Big Fish and Bridge to Terabithia, films that showcase the beauty and goodness that can come from having an overactive imagination. Heavenly Creatures, however, provides the negative aspects of the imagination, which leads to the two main girls in the film constructing an elaborate Fantasy world in their minds. However, the film is based on actual occurrences about two girls who killed one of their parents after said parents threatened to separate the girls after their friendship endured ever-growing bouts of intensity. As such, I felt that it would've been in severely bad taste to classify this film as being a Fantasy. It's a good movie though, and I'd suggest any and all who haven't seen it to check it out.

Fantasia (1940): Simply put, this film stands as being one of the most ambitious of its day, and was intended to be not just a movie, but an event. It would've been cool to watch the film when it was originally released, with a full orchestra in the house and such. Of course, it's really not a film in the sense that we know it, and whether or not it qualifies as a Fantasy is really up in the air. It's a beautiful work of art, though…that much is for certain.

Quest for Fire (1981): For anybody who has ever complained about ancient people speaking English in films (such as in 10,000 B.C.) or about a film in a different language using subtitles (such as The Passion of the Christ), I give you…Quest for Fire. Of course, the apparent timidity on my part of whether or not to put this movie on the list wasn't a question of whether or not the film was a good one; it's a great movie, in fact. No, the real question was quite simple: does it qualify as a Fantasy film? I feel that the answer is really kind of up in the air, and open to argument/interpretation. That's the problem with films that depict the primordial past of the Earth and the human race as a whole. What should they be categorized as? Historical Fiction? Some could even argue that such films could fall into the genre of Science Fiction, since most of the fictionalized mediums that cover ‘cavemen' subjects (whether it be in novels or film) attempt to utilize scientific discoveries or theories in some fashion, in order to present that long-forgotten world and its peoples in at least some form of accuracy. I feel, however, that no matter how much we can presume that we do, there's not one living being on this planet that could even attempt to fully realize just what the world was like hundreds of thousands of years ago, and so a good deal of our fiction about such a time is mostly derived from the imaginations of those who create their worlds in the work, whether it be film or book…and that firmly places cavemen novels and film within the realms of Fantasy, or at least so I think. However, the film lacked anything magical or mystical or supernatural about it, so I ultimately (and rather reluctantly) took it off the list. One question though: how would this film be marketed in today's world, and would it succeed?

30. Big (1988)



Before Tom Hanks had attained the enviable title of being arguably the greatest actor of his generation, he was a comedic genius…well, I don't know if I'd actually go so far as to say a comical ‘genius', but needless to say that he was very adept and more than capable when it came to comedy (and he still is). In fact, pretty much up until the release of Forrest Gump, Hanks was always ‘that guy in Big' to me…and I don't intend that to be a slight in the least, as not only do I love Big, but it's also one of the finest movies of Hanks' career, in my opinion. Of course, probably like a lot of kids who were, well, KIDS when they first watched this movie, I immediately fell in love with the film. I mean, what kind of child doesn't really wish to be an adult, to essentially do whatever you want (or so kids think)? As a child, I was enamored with the thought of being able to merely stroll into a toy store and just buy whatever it was that I wanted (which I've done), or growing up and working in a place that looked even a fraction as fun as the place where Tom Hanks' character, Josh, works in the film (I'm still waiting on that one). Or to (gasp!) getting a ‘special lady-friend' like Josh does in the film. Indeed, as kid, this film really took hold of my fantasies of being ‘big', and held on to them until I actually was big.

Now that I'm big, I can appreciate the set-up for the film on whole different level; namely, from the opposite end of the spectrum. As an adult, there are times when I sometimes wish that I could return to a simpler time, or at the very least find myself wishing that I could approach things or go through life with the same kind of youthful exuberance and innocence as a child does. These days when I watch the film, I don't really see a child in a man's body; I see the eternal childlike spirit, the ability to approach everything with a particular kind of carefree optimism that only a child can, without having had the weight of the world and life wear them down. At a time in my life when the time I have to devote to things that are fun seems to be constantly dwindling, I can appreciate an approach to life that makes all things seem to have at least some kind of redemptive ‘fun' qualities. As we get older, such things happen to get lost, fallen beneath the cracks as we shuffle through life, where the concept of ‘work' becomes the thing that dominates our lives for nigh on to thirty, forty, fifty years or so. As for the film itself here, everything about it is truly good, as well as being perhaps on of the most charming films ever. Every now and again, when I pop the movie in, I find myself wishing for that same kind of innocence that exudes Tom Hanks in this film.

29. Ladyhawke (1985)



Much like the film Somewhere in Time, this film here was another one of my father's favorites lo those many years ago, and, again, was one of those films that I wouldn't have given the time of day to during my youth. Not that I felt that the movie was horrible or anything, it's just that when I was between the ages of five and ten, romance in anything BUT a Disney film was by-and-large unacceptable, and thusly had no hope of retaining my attention for very long. Unlike Somewhere in Time, however, we only owned Ladyhawke for a short period of time, as our old, OLD VCR (I can still envision it in my mind, as it looked to be about the size of a small car) ate the tape when it bit the dust. As such, the film evaded me for years afterward, and it never even happened to cross my mind. Then came the day that I bought my very first DVD player (and the one I still own); naturally, of course, it just wouldn't do to have had a DVD player and no DVD's, and so it was that as I perused the relatively lack luster DVD section (back then, I should say, as VHS still more-or-less ruled the day back then), I saw it. Excalibur on DVD! Naturally, I couldn't pass it up, but as I went to grab it, I noticed that the film that was sitting next to it WASN'T merely sitting next to it…it was attached to it, in a two-for-one deal. That film was Ladyhawke, and even though it wasn't necessarily a film that I felt the need to have, I just simply couldn't do without Excalibur, and so I bought them. I watched Excalibur no sooner than I had got home and hooked up the DVD player; Ladyhawke went unwatched for about a year (if not longer), as my DVD collection grew and grew, until that one proverbial rainy day, when, having nothing else to watch, I decided that since I bought the damn thing, I might as well break down and watch Ladyhawke.

At its heart, Ladyhawke is one of those classic tales of star-crossed lovers, much like Romeo and Juliet. While I kind of feel that Matthew Broderick was a bit miscast in his role as Philipe (not that I think he did a bad job or anything like that, as he does a fine acting job in the film, he just doesn't seem to fit the part, in my opinion), Rutger Hauer as Navarre and Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau are perfectly cast as the two lovers who've been blighted with a curse that turns Isabeau into a hawk during the day and Navarre into a wolf at night, thus never allowing the two to see one another in the flesh except in the twilight between day and night. While this film is place relatively early on in the careers of the two, their performances are both outstanding, as both are not only able to easily convey their hurt due to the curse, but both convey a feeling of strength and intimidation, while at the same time seeming to be tender and caring. The story told by the film is also wonderful, and a fitting breath of fresh air from the ‘typical' quest plots that dominated a majority of the Fantasy films that were released during this period of time. That being said, with all due respect to the great acting and the fantastic story, the truly great things to found here is the cinematography in the film, which is nothing short of absolutely stunning. Pfeiffer is already an exceptionally gorgeous lady, yet some of the shots in this film, with the radiance of the light shining upon her, make her look just that much better. As time moves on, I think that Ladyhawke dates itself more and more jarringly, mainly due to the fact that it's unmistakably from the 1980's…but that's not so bad, as nearly everything from the ‘80's dates itself. In the end, I think it's a shame on my part that I dismissed this film so much during the early parts of my life, but, at the very least, I've come to love it in the short period of time that I HAVE had it. And I got it for free, to boot.

28. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)



As should be apparent by now after spying all the animated films that have appeared on these lists, I'm quite decidedly a lover of animated films; so it is that perhaps one of my greatest failings in that regard is that I've only seen one of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki's highly acclaimed animated films: Howl's Moving Castle. Now I've stated numerous times over the course of my writing for this website that I've never really been all that particularly intrigued by Japanese anime…however, that's not the case here in regards to Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli. In my own defense, I honestly only just discovered anything about the man and the company he's known for until earlier this year (which is something that I'm sure has some people scratching their heads). As I said, earlier this year I was doing what most information junkies do and just Googling names of certain people in an effort to simply read up on their lives and accomplishments, and as such I looked up the name ‘Walt Disney'. Naturally, of course, I was treated to a plethora of sites on that legendary man; however, there was one link that came up that wasn't actually about ‘Walt Disney'…it was about Hayao Miyazaki, the ‘Japanese Walt Disney', as the header underneath the link so boldly proclaimed. Now I don't know how anybody else would feel about that, but I myself felt that such a claim was almost preposterous, not to mention more than a bit boastful to be comparing another animator to who is arguably the greatest in history, bar none. So, of course, I clicked on the link, which incidentally led me to a site which detailed Miyazaki's life and credentials, with even a couple of movies listed that I'd heard about, namely Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The more I read about the man, the more intrigued I became, and as such, I immediately went on the lookout for any and all Miyazaki films that I could find. Of course, as I've stated in the past, the pickings for more ‘exotic' films (such as foreign animation films) are absolutely DIRE in my part of the world, and so it was that my search proved fruitless…that is, until I happened to wander into a local music store, NOT known for their flexible options when it comes to DVDs, and there it was – Howl's Moving Castle. I must admit that out of all the films of Miyazaki's that I had read about, Howl's really wasn't the premiere Miyazaki film that I was looking for. But, knowing how long it had taken me to find even THAT one, I wasted little time in hesitating to pick it up and carry to the register in order to purchase it.

One of my biggest complaints when it comes to the realms of anime films is that, during the few that I've seen, the story at times because somewhat hard to follow, or at worst undecipherable. While there were indeed times when I was watching Howl's Moving Castle that I wasn't sure what exactly was going on or why something happened (due to the fact that the reasons weren't explicitly stated, such as Sophie reverting from appearing older then younger then older again), by and large the story was not only fairly easy to follow, but a great deal intriguing. During my initial researches that I did into Hayao Miyazaki those few months ago, I had read that Miyazaki shies away from having any sort of traditional hero and villain in his films, instead opting for heroes that have flaws and villains that have redemptive qualities to their personalities. That line of thinking seems to be the case in this film as well, as the hero-wizard Howl is at times given very non-heroic character mannerisms (or at least characteristics that aren't normally associated with heroes), as he seems to be quite spoiled and gives in to temper tantrums. As well, the actions of the villains within the film, while at times indeed quite villainous, all have at least some sympathetic or redemptive quality to them. The witch of the Waste, for example, curses the character of Sophie through jealousy over her love for Howl, though she later seems to somewhat regret the curse she cast on Sophie. Madame Suliman's actions are justified by her relentless search for the prince, whose disappearance has sparked a world-wide war. The voice-work for the American release has some fairly big name stars attached to it, and they're all very well done, in my opinion. The animation for the film is also exceedingly good, and at times can be almost awe-inspiring. I've read that a few big name reviewers/critics (such as Roger Ebert) have decried this film as being a lesser work of Miyazaki's, and if that's the case, then I desperately need to check out some of his ‘greater' work. Howl's Moving Castle is truly one of the few instances of anime that I've quite adored. In fact, it's the only anime I adore (so far).

27. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)



The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a classic in every sense of the word, and perhaps one of the most important films of all time, as not only was it the very first Disney-crafted feature film, but it was the very first American full-length animated film. Naturally it should go without my saying so, but Walt Disney was nothing short of a genius and a true legend in realms of film-making…and also one of the ballsiest fellas in film history. Before the 1937 release of Snow White, Disney and company had been primarily known for the success of their animated short films, a success that was spurred on by the nigh instant popularity achieved by Mickey Mouse (which was topped off with Disney receiving a special Academy Award for the very creation of the popular character). Given the man's incredible success in the realm of the animated short film, it shouldn't have came to anybody's surprise that Disney would eventually strive to find those same triumphs within the folds of a full-length animated feature…but it DID come to the surprise of many, as a feature ANIMATED film in those days was an absurd thought. In fact, the film industry dubbed the film ‘Disney's Folly' while the film was in production as they believed that the film would be the death of the Disney company, and even Disney's own wife and brother (Roy, his brother, being a co-founder of the Disney company) tried to talk him out of it, stating that an animated film would never sell. For over three years, Disney dedicated himself to seeing the film through, at one point even running out of money and having to borrow to see it through to completion. And when it was all through, over and done with…Snow White received a standing ovation at its first screening, was awarded with a special Academy Award, and went on to be one of the most beloved films of all time.

I've said this before, but allow me to say it again (and perhaps again at some future point): when it comes to animated films that feature the Walt Disney heading, the absolute fabulousness of the animation and the voice-work in this film should go without saying. However, for the animation and the voice-work to be so fantastic in this particular film is perhaps one of the most important aspects in the rather ample and accomplished history of The Walt Disney Company, as had the animation and/or the voice talents been sub-par or inferior in any way, it could've proved to be exceptionally disastrous and the (foreseeable) death of the Disney full-length animated feature. Anything less than excellence more than likely would've done little more than render the film to be the proverbial ‘cannon fodder' for all the nay-sayers that had already predicted the movie to be an inferior mistake on Disney's part. Of course, that's not what happened, and in the end the film was not only a great success, but it also proved to lay the groundwork that future Disney animated films would ultimately follow, almost to a tee. From the beloved characters and the lovable designs, to the ‘fairy-tale' story and the songs, the blueprints for Snow White would set the very precedent for what a Disney film should be, a precedent that's by-and-large followed to this very day. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is indeed a true classic and perhaps one of the most important films of all time, and whereas animation and design in later Disney films would surpass those things in this film, this film still stands as being one of the most charming of the Disney pictures.

26. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)



Throughout nearly all of my childhood, I grew up without even the slightest notion of Monty Python; hell, even up until I was in my late-teens, I don't think that I'd even heard the name mentioned. Naturally, however, that couldn't possibly last, as by the time I had reached my said late-teens, my uncle gave us a crap-load of old VHS tapes that had a bunch of films that he'd taped off, and on one such tape was a film called Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. At this point, it should go without saying that the film was my very first foray into the world of British humor, and by-and-large it was a successful trip, all things considering. Sure, I didn't ‘get' some of the humor (humour?), but I found most of the film to be quite hilarious, and my liking for the movie spurred a surge of interest on my part as it pertained to Monty Python. Once my parents had finally acquired satellite television (thus increasing the number of channels we got by about two hundred, a substantial increase over the four or five that we'd had for years), I wasted little time in stumbling across old reruns of Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBC America. Amazingly enough, perhaps the very last Python film that I actually learned of and watched was Holy Grail, and no sooner than I heard of it, I went on a hunt for the film (basically because I love Arthurian stuff moreso than Python…though the combination of the two intrigued me); the hunt wouldn't be all that hard, as by that time the film had been re-issued on DVD, I easily bought it without hesitation when I happened upon it in Wal-Mart a day or two later.

Of course, the film is completely absurd, which portraying the hilariousness of absurdity is a Python specialty. Take, for example, the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh! That should be all I need to say about that…though I will also state that the beast, shown during a Terry Gilliam animated sequence, is ‘defeated' by the Knights of the Round Table because the artist dies of a fatal heart attack during the animation process. The humor in the film is fairly witty, though I wouldn't necessarily claim that the same said humor is really all that intelligent or high-brow, but it is indeed hilarious. The film was made on a relatively low budget, a fact that no doubt played a large part in some of the films more memorable sequences, such as the confrontation with the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh, the whole coconuts making hoof sounds bit, or the aptly named Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film. As it stands, this film ranks as one of my absolute favorite comedy films of all time, with my favorite bit from the film being the part where Lancelot slaughters an entire town – he just runs in and starts killing everybody. Initially, I was honestly quite a bit reluctant to place this film on the list, as, while I do indeed think that it qualifies as a Fantasy film, I also think that it's predominantly a comedy film. But, then again, the Fantasy aspects are indeed there, and it really is one of my favorite Arthurian films (oddly enough?), and as such, I decided to go ahead and give it a spot. I think that the film is more than deserving of it.

25. Field of Dreams (1989)



Last week, I made mention of the fact that the movie Big Fish had been a film that had brought a tear to my eye during my adult life; however, unlike some others, Field of Dreams hasn't ever done that to me, though I can see how it could affect others in that fashion. Personally, I chalk it up to the fact that maybe because I've watched the movie ever since I was a little guy and have been familiar with it for much of my life, perhaps I've just grown to be somewhat immune to the themes of father and son over the years, thanks to repeated viewings during an era when I couldn't really grasp what was going on, and when the time came that I could appreciate it I had been somewhat desensitized by it since I knew what happened in the film. All I knew is that it was about baseball, and when I was a kid, there were few things in this life that I loved more than baseball. As such, when I was a kid, I loved all the parts that dealt with Ray plowing up his field in order to create a baseball field; I loved all the parts that dealt with the old-time disgraced players as they found the field and were playing around on it. As a kid and a lover of both Fantasy and baseball, this film was able to quite easily capture my young imagination in those days.

But then again, once I'd gotten a little bit older and a little bit wiser, I realized that it really wasn't about baseball at all – at least not altogether, as the baseball bits serve as little more than a backdrop for the plot. The film itself it more about loss and reconciliation, having dreams then having the courage to follow through with them, and, more obviously, the relationship between parents and their children. However, the part about the film being about dreams isn't just to say making your own dreams come true; it's about helping others realize their dreams, even (and perhaps most especially) when they themselves can't do it alone. In the film, Kevin Costner helps several others realize their own dreams, and he does so through no personal gaining of his own, which includes giving the 1919 Chicago White Sox a place to play after they'd been banned from playing ever again, which was Ray's (Costner) father's favorite team…which culminates in Ray and his deceased father playing a game of catch. While that scene, with grieved son and father becoming in touch again may tug at the heart strings of most, the part that I find to be the saddest nowadays is the scene with Archie, who gives up his dream in order to rescue Ray's little girl. The performances within the film are all excellent, including that of Costner, who, as I've said before, is far from being one of my favorite actors; my main complaint with Costner has always been that he comes off as being emotionally wooden in most of his films, but that's really not the case in regards to this movie. Ultimately, I feel the same way about this film as I do Somewhere in Time: it really is kind of a strange and quirky film, yet the spirit and the heart of the film shine through strongly, making it an easy movie to latch yourself onto if you seek out sincerity in your films. Even if you don't seek out sincere movies, I'm sure that you'd still find a reason and a purpose for falling in love with this movie.

24. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)



First, I think that I should note that this film is indeed adapted from a popular children's book, written by Roald Dahl, and is indeed a book that I've never read. In fact, I've never read ANY books by Dahl, surprisingly enough. As such, I've never really had even the slightest bit about what the book was about or the tone of it, and so all I've ever known of Dahl and his work are the films that are based on his work. In the case of this film, I really don't think that that's much of a problem, as I obviously view the picture as being a classic movie and one the films that I love; however, I don't think that the same can be said for Dahl's own feelings for the movie. Dahl had been quite vocal in his distaste for this particular adaptation for his film to the point where he refused to sell the rights to the sequel, and while I'm really all that sure how faithful the film is to his book, I really have to question as to why he was upset about it, as I think the film is great. Perhaps it had something to do with the original reception that the film had when it was first released, as the movie was pretty much a box-office flop, as even though the film had a strong critical praise from both critics and moviegoers, the film failed due to lack of promotion. In fact, Paramount saw little positive aspects in the financial gains of the film that they would go on to sell the rights to Warner Brothers…who, in turn, would eventually reap all the rewards there was to be gained from the later success that the film would eventually earn after having been revealed to many more people via television airings and home video releases.

Of course, two things stand out to me when I think of this movie: the sets, and Gene Wilder. The sets within the film are so lavish and imaginative that they're nothing short of incredible. The very first time that the audience walks into Wonka's factory with the kids who'd found the golden tickets, the scene that we see is almost breathtaking, with a chocolate river and giant candies sitting about. As such, the sets also basically serve as large elaborate traps for the children and their vices, as in that first room the chubby kid, Augustus Gloop, begins drinking from the chocolate river, before he falls in and is then sucked under and into a pipe, to be ushered off into some other part of the factory. That leads directly into Wilder's portrayal of Willy Wonka himself. While I don't think that Wonka ever really came across as being ‘creepy', he definitely did indeed come across as being somewhat mean-spirited and cruel-hearted (though that may have been an act on the character's part, in order to weed out his successor from the kids' ranks). Whenever something bad happens to one of the children (even though said bad things are direct effects from the children's bad behavior), Wonka kind of handles everything somewhat callously and uncaringly, as though he felt that since the child didn't serve his ultimate purpose of finding his heir, he had little concern for them from that point on. And, of course, you can't talk about Wonka being mean without bringing up the boat ride; while the sequence itself never really scared me when I first saw it as a kid, I could definitely see where it could scare others…though not from the ride itself or the trippy visuals that are shown in the shot, but in the poem that Wonka recites and the ever-growing maniacal manner in which Wilder delivers the line. Despite my liking for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, I've never really felt the need to check out the remake that was made a few years ago…and all because I feel that this film did everything so fantastically the first time around, that the need for a remake wasn't really necessary. It couldn't possibly expand or hope to achieve the greatness of this film.

23. Beauty and the Beast (1991)



As I stated last week, there was a time in the 1980's when Disney had fallen off track quite a bit, even to the point where the animated films of Don Bluth and his company (chief rivals to Disney at the time) had outgrossed Disney's animated films that saw release in the same years as those Bluth productions (An American Tail made more than The Great Mouse Detective in 1986, and The Land Before Time beat out Oliver and Company in 1988, respectively). However, after noting their own slow demise, the Disney Company was all the while putting the pieces in place and formulating a plan to return to their past prominence, and in 1989, that past glory was once again brought to fruition. That year witnessed the release of a film titled The Little Mermaid, a film that would prove to be somewhat pivotal in the history of Disney. The release of The Little Mermaid saw the Disney Company returning to the precedents that had guided Disney animated films during their Golden Age, as Mermaid featured a story that was an adaptation of a classic fairy tale and was, for all intents and purposes, a musical. The Little Mermaid would become a massive success for the studio, subsequently sparked a renewed interest in Disney and their films, as well as leading the company into the dubbed Disney Renaissance, which listed a string of films that adhered to the rules of the Golden Age much as Mermaid had done. Many great films were spawned after the successes of 1989, and perhaps the best of the lot was 1991's Beauty and the Beast, which would become the only animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picure (losing to Silence of the Lambs). In fact, I myself think that Beauty and the Beast was the last truly great film created by Disney, and one of their absolute best.

Truthfully, and let's get down to brass tacks here, this film is really more of a traditional romance movie than most other animated movies that Disney has produced over the years; of course, nearly all of them feature a love story in their plots in some way, shape, or form, but in Beauty and the Beast, the love story is the plot almost in its entirety (the only other ones I can think of are Cinderella and Lady and the Tramp). Of course, despite that pure romantic aspect of the film, the movie still needed some kind of antagonistic figure, and that comes by way of Gaston…who just so happens to be one of my absolute favorite Disney villains, by the way. What's so great about Gaston as a villain is that he's a guy that we all know, and most of us probably despise. He stands as that cocky, arrogant bastard that everybody else seems to love, the kind of guy from a small town that becomes a popular local figure for no real reason in particular other than the fact that he's good-looking, and the guy who can get all the girls at will. Of course, once you cross him, he'll make your life a living hell, as well. Gaston is just a real fun villain for the film, and while you do indeed despise him, you also can't help but be entertained by him at the same time…which is exactly why guys like me hate guys like him in the real world. Everything about this film is exceedingly top-notch, and, in all honesty, this film probably should rank as being (technically) the greatest film ever to have been crafted at Disney. In fact, I would've preferred for this film to have won the Best Picture award, if only to finally have an animated film to have won. Oh well, even though it may not have won the thing, its lack of a Best Picture title doesn't even begin to dampen the greatest that it this movie.

22. The NeverEnding Story (1984)



Once again, here's a film that's based on a Fantasy book that I've never read. In fact, for most of my life, I'd always just assumed that there was no book, save for the book that Bastian steals from the old book dealer. However, it actually wasn't until a few years ago that I first learned of the book by Michael Ende. So again, I'm not real sure of how closely adapted the film may or may not be from the book, but even if I was to find out that the film had nothing to do with the book (which I doubt is the case), this film has been burned into my brain for far too long that the knowledge of whether or not it's true to the source material would matter little at this point in my life. As with quite a few other films on this list, I couldn't even begin to guess the first time that I happened upon this movie; things like Fantasia and the Luck-Dragon have just always been present in my memory…though I can indeed remember watching this movie many, many times over the years, mostly with my various cousins, sitting around watching at my grandmother's house during those early years before I was forced into going to school, when my long-term memory first began to take hold. Perhaps it's most fitting that a film that helped to inspire my own imagination dealt with the importance of imagination in children.

Within the film, there are two heroes: the ‘real world' character of Bastian, and the ‘fantasy world' character of Atreyu. During the movie, the actions and heroics of Atreyu are related to the audience (and Bastian) via the book, as Bastian hides in the upper recesses of the attic in his school while reading the book. While the two characters are presented as being two different things, in actuality the two are different parts of the same thing, as proven by when Atreyu looks into the Mirror Gate in order to see his true self and sees Bastian reading a book. In theory, I'd suppose that this would speak of the relationship between a reader and the lead character of a book, and how the reader can easily find a bit of himself reflected in the character. That's only in theory, as the aspects of the Fantastical in the film are related to the audience as being literal, as opposed to happening in Bastian's mind; Fantasia is an actual place, filled with people and creatures as real as Bastian is, as verified by the ending when Falkor aids Bastian in reaping a bit of vengeance on the kids that had been tormenting him at school. The sets and landscapes presented in the film for the fantasy world are fairly eye-popping, whether they be the Swamps of Sadness or the Childlike Empress' castle. As well, the creatures and peoples of Fantasia all feature a suitably unique look themselves, the giant turtle Morla being the standout in my mind, followed closely by the dragon (and no, it doesn't bother me that he looks like a dog). Also, I should state that the confrontation between Atreyu and the G'Mork (the wolf that serves the Nothing, the apathy of humans that's destroying the imagination, and had been hunting Atreyu throughout much of the movie) has always been one of my favorite climactic battles in all of film, no matter how brief it may be. All in all, this film has been, and will forever be, one of my favorites, and a film that I'm sure that I'll eventually show to my own kids one day.

21. Labyrinth (1986)



One of my favorite things to go about preaching at people is the fact that I believe (or at least hope) that had Jim Henson lived a full life, perhaps the craft of great puppet-work would still have a fairly healthy standing in the film industry, rather than having nearly every fantastical creature be created from CGI. Puppet-work, in my opinion, stands the test of time if it's well done, and gives a (obvious) sense of physicality and presence that computer-created characters really can't seem to give, at times. Whereas at some point in the future, Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, which looks good now, might not look so good ten years from now, puppets, when done at their best, will always look good. Of course, Jim Henson and the company he created were masters at puppetry, as well as being the direct reason why I've loved good puppet-work over the years. Whether it be from his work on Sesame Street, via the Muppet films or television shows, or through Fraggle Rock, Henson and his imaginative creations played a fairly crucial part in unfurling my own imagination when I was a child, and as such, Henson will always be one of my heroes in the realms of Fantasy. Much like quite a few other films that have been on my lists so far, I couldn't even begin to tell you where or when I first came across and viewed Labyrinth for the very first time; much like those others that I've noted as being such, Henson's classic film has always just been there, and I've so loved it over the years. That being said, it came as somewhat of a shock to me later on my teenage years when, after looking up information on the film, I learned that the film had been a fairly disastrous box-office failure, earning under half of what the movie's budget had been. That just makes it all the more sad that Henson (who had reportedly fell into a bit of depression after the ‘failure' of Labyrinth) passed away before the film fell into being the cult classic that it is today.

As with any Jim Henson film that Jim Henson the man actually had a hand in creating, the real stars of this movie are the puppets (or Muppets). Much like Disney with animation, Henson when paired with puppets results in the highest of calibers, and all of the puppets here look absolutely fantastic, whether it be the smaller ones like the two doorknobs, or the much larger ones like Ludo. I should also note that this film retains the one and only scene featuring puppets that scared the hell out of me as a child: the scenes featuring the Fire Gang, a group of strange, red-haired goblins that have the disgusting ability to pull their limbs off of their bodies, whether it be an arm or leg, head or eyes…and they sufficiently creeped me out as a kid (can you blame me?). Perhaps the greatest compliment that I can give puppet-work done in this film (and in nearly all of Henson's work) is that the puppets and the live-actors blend seamlessly together and occupy the same world unquestionably and believably. Speaking of the live actors, there's really only two of note: Jennifer Connelly as the protagonist Sarah, a young, teenaged girl who in a state of anger, unwittingly puts in motion the events of the movie; and David Bowie as the Goblin King Jareth. Connelly did a good job, of course, but the best acting job in the film goes to Bowie, who's just simply delightful as the evil king. Bowie, one of my all-time favorite musicians, has since gone on to earn a reputable standing in the ranks of film actors, and while Labyrinth may not have been his very first role, it is (to me, at any rate) his most iconic turn that he's ever done. And, of course, what would the casting of Bowie be in a film if said film didn't have any songs for him to sing? Labyrinth is chock-full of original songs, and even though I will admit that perhaps they may come across as being corny to some nowadays, I personally have always loved the soundtrack to this film, with my favorite song being "Magic Dance", of course. Labyrinth is an undisputed classic in my opinion, and a film that retains the same amount of appeal to me now just as much as it did when I was young.

That's it for this week! Just two more weeks left, then we're through! Come back in seven days!