Fantasy movies are a great way to ponder the magical and mystical nature of fictional universes and concepts.
It helps you escape the ordinary routine of mundane life and explore fun and exciting concepts that do not exist in the real world.
The strangeness of characters and settings brings the magical nature of fantasy literature to life.
What better way to enjoy a fantastic adventure than watching a well-crafted fantasy film?
Disney is known for their innovation and creativity in animation, and with the availability of the Disney Plus subscription service, you can watch a plethora of notable supernatural fantasy films.
Let’s check out some of the best fantasy movies that you can watch on disney+
A Christmas Carol (2009)
None other than Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable old fellow who is extremely cautious and greedy.
He is always picking on his faithful nephew and clerk.
They were to reconcile their grudges with Scrooge, but he thinks everyone is just after his money and cannot trust anyone.
Due to the tragic experiences in his life, Ebenezer Scrooge has become some sort of a social recluse and is very materialistic.
He treats his workers with scrutiny and is against charity.
One cold night scrooge is met by the ghost of his old business partner(Jacob Marley), who tells him that he needs to change how he treats others and that three spirits will come to haunt him. And if he doesn’t change, then he is doomed for eternity.
Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future came to change Scrooge’s destiny by taking him on a journey through the very end of his life.
Will he change?
Or is he designed to be doomed for eternity?
A Christmas Carol is a well-portrayed version of A Christmas Carol Novel by Charles Dickens.
The story is filled with wisdom.
The main message of a Christmas carol is that we should love, rejoice and appreciate others rather than hating on them.
This movie teaches us the age-old lesson of treating your neighbor as you would like to be treated yourself.
Aladdin (2019)
With the fantastic actor Will Smith playing the genie in the 2019 live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin, It is a fun-filled retelling of the classic tale.
The movie revolves around Aladdin ( A Thief), who falls in love with the princess.
Accompanying Aladdin in his crimes is his little pet monkey Abu.
The couple makes a lot of mess around the streets of Agrabah with their aerobics.
This movie is also very colorful and musical.
Aladdin is a fun adventure to watch with your family, filled with musical numbers and huge dance set pieces.
In a quest to win Jasmine’s heart, he uses the genie’s magic, and the story catches its pace.
The antagonist, Jaffar, wants the throne for himself, so he creates elaborate plans.
Now on a quest to stop Jaffar from becoming the king of Agrabah, Aladdin, Abu, and Jasmine are ready to face the biggest evil.
It’s pretty charming to see our beloved characters in the live version action of Aladdin.
Mena Massoud manages to fill in the shoes of Aladdin perfectly and is quite charming to watch.
Will smith also brings much-needed comic relief and humor to the movie.
Unlike the animated version of Aladdin, the live-action version gives genie a lot more to do,
Genie has his ark this time, and his story gives this movie another layer of depth.
Alice in Wonderland 2010
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 adventure fantasy movie.
It is directed beautifully by Tim Burton and has lots of symbolic themes.
Nineteen years old Alice went after a rabbit wearing a blue coat, and the rest is history.
It is a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 English novel- Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland(Aka Alice in Wonderland).
It is a graphic retelling of a psychedelic adventure,
Alice falls into the rabbit hole in the magical world filled with anthropomorphic creatures.
It tells a tale about a child struggling to find meaning and reality in the adult world.
Adults abide by rules and regulations, but a child’s mind is much more expansive and imaginative.
There are no limits to imagination, and this story is a testament to it.
This Cult Classic Film covers many different and thought-provoking topics like perception and reality morphing.
It proves this one thing-courageous people explore more of life and have more adventures.
This movie is a beautiful trip back to childhood.
Enter Wonderland, a world where the standard rules of life here on planet earth do not abide.
It’s a mind-altering movie filled with suggestive imagery.
Mad Hatter is played by none other than Johnny Depp.
The character and creature designs are awe-inspiring to watch, giving this movie a strange yet magical charm.
The Jungle Book (2016)
Based on a timeless story by Rudyard Kipling and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, everyone knows that The Jungle book is a masterpiece.
The old jungle book animated film is still considered one of the most exciting and influential animated films by Disney, and the latest version of the jungle book lives up to the hype.
This film is wonderfully crafted, and the visuals bring alive all the classic characters we have grown to love.
Directed by Jon Favreau(the director of Iron man), it is a CGI-adapted source material with minor updates.
The movie follows our protagonist-Mowgli ( a young boy raised by the wolves of the jungle), on a journey to escape from the hands of a tiger (Shere Khan) who threatens to kill him.
Being a Disney movie, it has many relatable characters.
This movie is brimmed packed with action set pieces that makes it a perfect film not just for kids but adults alike.
It’s an enjoyable movie that you can pop in on the weekend and enjoy with your family.
The primary lesson that the jungle book wishes to tell is that we should never be afraid of anything.
Don’t be a coward is the motto of this Disney flick.
The Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the witch, and the Wardrobe is the first installment in the series of films adapted from the novel of the same name.
It follows four children of a family that is destined to be part of a prophecy in the magical land of Narnia.
Lucy, together with her brothers and elder sister, enters the Wardrobe to reach the land of Narnia.
There they learn about their fate to stop the evil witch and free Narnia with the help of a supernatural lion-Arslan.
Considered by fans as the best in the series, it follows up with two sequels, namely The Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian and The Chronicles of Narnia- The voyage of the dawn Treader.
Both the sequel received a lukewarm welcome mainly due to the way it was presented and partly due to the lack of full sibling dynamics.
On the other hand, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe have no such issues.
It plays off the dynamics of the siblings to its advantage and brings us a fantastic fantasy adventure film.
It teaches us the age-old lesson- “looks can be deceiving” and that we should always try to do the right thing.
Honesty, self-sacrifice, and integrity are the moral principles the movie wants to teach us through its characters.
The characters are also a lot of fun to follow, and there is a talking Beiber, a half-human minotaur, and many other magical characters that make the magical world of Narnia feel alive and exciting.
Pirate Of The Caribbean- The Curse Of The Black Pearl
Starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean- The curse of the black pearl is simply an adventure masterpiece.
It is beloved by both fans and critics alike, and the character of jack sparrow has become a household name. Mainly due to the phenomenal performance of Johnny Depp, who brings to life the mystical nature of pop’s protagonist.
Will Turner(son of bootstrap turner) is a blacksmith on a quest with jack sparrow to free the love of his life from the hands of a ghostly antagonist-Captain Barbossa.
The worldwide success of this film made Disney build a franchise around this movie, and much appreciated by the fans was followed by three sequels- Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead man’s chest, At Worlds End, On Strange Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales.
All the sequels were also very magical, but most of them missed the mark that this classic Disney film had set.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Release in 2021, Jungle cruise is Disney’s more recent outing.
Based on a Disney theme park ride where visitors are taken on a riverboat ride filled with dangerous animals.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Jungle Cruise is an exciting fantasy adventure movie.
Dr. Lily Houghton (played by Emily Blunt) is a researcher who wants to discover a mystical tree in the amazon forest.
Together with her brother and a skipper named Frank, they are on a quest to find the secrets of the Amazon’s infamous Mystical tree.
This film also feels like a romantic comedy with a pinch of Indiana jones thrown in there.
The movie revolves around the concept of love and self-sacrifice, and the actors portray all the emotions quite well.
The film didn’t perform that well at the box office, but it is quite a fun time to watch with fans and family.
Disney tried to create another Big hit wonder like pirates of the Caribbean but didn’t quite live up to that mark.
Mainly due to a simple story and outdated concepts.
Still, it manages to feel fresh.
Dwayne Johnson also does his part quite well.
The magical tree holds the power of healing, and the film manages to build an exciting plot around it.
The future of medicine depends on Emily blunts character, and as always, she nailed it.
Shang Chi
Another superhero origin movie from marvel that manages to feel incredibly fresh and unique.
Shang chi follows a martial artist that lives a simple life.
He has managed to leave the ten rings and their leader and his father- wang wu, behind.
But the past catches up to him, and he is forced to face his destiny that revolves around an ancient relic called the “ten rings”.
The movie also manages to retcon the origin of mandarin.
Iron man 3, with the twist of Trevor, made a lot of MCU fans very angry, but marvel was able to give the mandarin a proper backstory with their Shang chi film.
The action sets are exceptionally well choreographed, and you will find yourself grasping for air due to the high-octane sequences.
Shang Chi explores the rich history of ancient China.
It has a deeply emotional story.
Shang chi might just be the best film from Marvel in phase 4.
The final act of this movie with Shang chi and his father is gratifying, and it pays off exceptionally well.
The lesson this film wants to teach us is to always love and embrace our memories and past.
Simu Lui portrayed Shang Chi perfectly on the big screen.
This might just be the best film after Avengers Endgame.
Shang Chi is an amalgamation of hong kong style filmmaking with Hollywood, and it indeed shows the competency of Asian American cinema.
Eternals
The Eternals is an action fantasy movie released by Marvel in 2021.
With a runtime of 2 hours and 37 minutes, The Eternals tells the story of a group of immortal beings created by celestials to go toe to toe against Deviants(another race of malevolent ancient creatures)
The Eternals has a lot of elements that are simply amazing, and this MCU phase 4 movie is a quintessential watch for any marvel fan.
It tries to cover a lot of ground with the origin story of the Eternals and an explanation of the celestial’s role in the MCU.
This movie feels much better the second time you watch it because a lot is going on that is being explored in this movie.
The Eternals manages to push the boundaries of the MCU and explores the story of promising new characters.
There are action-packed sequences that are very exciting to watch, and every character gets their time to shine.
It is also visually very stunning, and the CGI is mainly gorgeous to watch.
If you have missed this gem upon its initial release, you can watch it with a Disney plus subscription in the comfort of your home.
Pirate Of The Caribbean- Dead Man’s Chest
Three years after the success of a film that was adopted by a Disney ride, Walt Disney productions released their first sequel of their now-famous pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Dead Man’s Chest follows our lead- Captain Jack sparrow, on an epic journey to find the heart of a mystical pirate- Davy Jones.
Once again, johnny Depp brings his A-game to the big screen and manages to fascinate fans and critics alike.
This time his friends, Will and Elizabeth, have their agenda, and this brings a lot more punch to the franchise’s humor and comic sequences.
The character and monster designs are all perfect, and the musical score by Hans Zimmer is to die for.
Filled with mystery and a sense of adventure, it’s a perfect sequel that captures the original vibe of the first film and manages to bring its elements to the franchise.
It is a must-watch if you are a fan of fantasy adventure-style movies.