20 finest fantasy motion pictures on Netflix for a whimsical escape

In search of some thrilling escapism? What could possibly be extra satisfying than fabulous fantasy movies? This wonderous style leads viewers down a path into magical realms, the place myths and monsters roam, surprises lurk round each nook, and heroes set forth on adventures epic and enthralling.

Whether or not you’re trying to find a film that is horrifying, family-friendly, mind-bending, heartbreaking, or pulse-pounding, we’ve received you coated with a curated number of fantasy movies from world wide…and past.

Listed below are the 20 finest fantasy movies on Netflix now obtainable.

1. Damsel

Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) accepts her impending organized marriage with a way of responsibility. In spite of everything, her ravenous individuals want the riches her new household will present. However she begins to get her hopes up when she meets the good-looking prince (Nick Robinson). Sadly, the prince’s household has a darkish secret, one for which they intend to sacrifice Elodie’s life. Damsel is not your common fairy story. It is an action-packed journey about survival… and vengeance. Ray Winstone, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright additionally star on this entertaining twist on the damsel-in-distress narrative. — Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor

Learn how to watch: Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan

For those who love Pan’s Labyrinth, then you definitely’ll get pleasure from this fantasy interval piece, which pitches a plucky younger heroine right into a world of war-ravaged males and manipulative monsters.

Co-written and directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo, Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan begins in 1835, when the First Carlist Warfare plagued Basque Nation, Spain. There, a blacksmith makes a take care of a satan, which could have a depraved influence on his village and the life of 1 courageous little lady (Uma Bracaglia) on a quest for solutions about her dearly departed mom. Folding folklore and spiritual horror in with a cheeky humorousness and darkish thread of journey, this fascinating movie takes audiences to hell and again. Actually! — Kristy Puchko, Movie Editor

Learn how to watch: Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Okja

For those who ever dreamed of being besties with a fantastical beast, then you definitely’ll relish each step of this buddy journey from Bong Joon Ho. With Okja, the internationally acclaimed South Korean author/director spun a narrative a couple of massive and lovable “tremendous pig” named Okja and the farm lady who’d do something to put it aside from slaughter. Alongside the best way, this lovable duo will meet zealous animal-rights activists, an unnervingly energetic TV persona (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a sublime entrepreneur (Tilda Swinton) whose good intentions are as false as her smiles. Racing by means of fertile jungles, crowded purchasing malls, and the bustling metropolis of New York Metropolis, Okja is a wild trip that brings fantasy into actuality. — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: Okja is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Nightbooks 

From David Yarovesky, the director of Brightburn, comes a spooky story that’ll thrill on household evening.

Based mostly on the horror-fantasy novel of the identical title by J. A. White, Nightbooks facilities on a Brooklyn bookworm (Winslow Fegley) who’s kidnapped by a depraved witch (Krysten Ritter). Held captive in her magical residence, he is pressured to inform her a brand new scary story every evening in trade for his survival. Fortunately, he isn’t alone. A tough-nosed fellow prisoner (Lidya Jewett) not solely helps him keep away from the pitfalls of this precarious jail, but in addition helps him unlock the secrets and techniques that might get them each out!

Peppered with PG-level scares and loads of model (we would die for Ritter’s witch wardrobe), Nightbooks is a rollicking good time for kiddos (and grown-ups) who respect bump within the evening. — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: Nightbooks is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Over the Moon

Pining for a fantasy journey threaded with incredible songs? Then, you may revel within the animated musical Over The Moon.

After many years of working in Disney animation, Glen Keane takes the helm in his directorial debut, which is impressed by the Chinese language legend of Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. When a 13-year-old lady (Cathy Ang) decides a DIY rocket will jettison her not solely to their celestial deity but in addition to a greater life, she discovers happiness is far nearer than she might have dreamed. Along with pop jams and  loads of charismatic characters — amongst them a star-bright pangolin — this Netflix Authentic boasts a star-studded voice forged, together with Sandra Oh, Kimiko Glenn, Phillipa Soo, John Cho, Margaret Cho, and Ken Jeong. — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: Over the Moon is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Vampires vs. the Bronx

Need a film that is received pleasure, comedy, a scorching message concerning the evils of gentrification, and is a kid-friendly fantasy romp? Then take a chunk out of Vampires vs. the Bronx.

Oz Perkins’ PG-13 horror-comedy facilities on Afro-Latino teenagers, who acknowledge {that a} flurry of lacking particular person posters and inflow of wealthy white of us with tote luggage means dangerous information for the neighborhood. Collectively, they crew up Monster Squad-model to take down the bloodsuckers and save their group. With a pointy wit, a heat coronary heart, a wealthy sense of environment, and an equal appreciation for the Blade motion pictures and ’80s Amblin, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a straightforward watch (simply 85 minutes!) filled with rewards.* — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: Vampires vs. the Bronx is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Suzume

Suzume is difficult to explain. Throughout the first quarter-hour of the film, teenage Suzume meets a good-looking stranger, discovers a mysterious free-standing door to an ethereal aircraft she will’t entry, picks up a rock that turns right into a speaking cat, and unknowingly units off a sequence of occasions that threaten to devastate Japan below a cataclysmic earthquake. And that is simply how the film begins!

Makoto Shinkai’s emotional and optimistic journey is a fantastic story that offers bodily stakes to private introspection. The animation, like his different movies (Your Title, 5 Centimeters per Second, and The Backyard of Phrases), is characteristically beautiful, and the story is in contrast to any you have ever seen. Suzume may be the one film in existence the place a three-legged stool will make you cry. — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: Suzume is now streaming on Netflix.

8. The Outdated Guard

For fantasy with a superhero flare, take a look at this action-packed thriller from critically cheered director Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Mashable Prime Tales

Charlize Theron stars as Andy, the chief of a covert band of almost-immortal mercenaries. For hundreds of years, they’ve fought collectively to save lots of humanity from spoil. Nonetheless, as a brand new member is added to the crew (a mesmerizing Kiki Layne), this previous guard tangles with a risk that might tear them to shreds for good. Tailored from Greg Rucka’s graphic novel of the identical title.

The Outdated Guard brings a pointy edge and an R-rating to the shiny and cold superhero commonplace. The sprawling and graphic struggle scenes hit laborious, however the unimaginable ensemble, which incorporates Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, hits more durable. Collectively they bring about a classy pathos that doesn’t have a tendency to suit with the flashy capes crowd. — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: The Outdated Guard is now streaming on Netflix.

9. Bleach

Few issues are as fantastical and enjoyable as a Manga made live-action. Based mostly on the favored Japanese comedian by Tite Kubo, Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a moody teen who turns right into a Soul Reaper by means of a twist of face and courageous sacrifice. By day, he should endure all of the drama inherent in highschool. By evening, he—with the assistance of his pestering mentor Rukia Kuchiki—should information good ghosts to their peaceable afterlife and battle again sinister spirits. Director Shinsuke Sato brings an anime-like verve to the movie, using zipping graphics, a vigorous soundtrack, a bouncy tone, a barrage of frightful foes, and kick-ass martial arts motion. Stars Sôta Fukushi and Hana Sugisaki are completely in tune, delivering performances that pop with persona. — Okay.P.

Learn how to watch: Bleach is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Orion and the Darkish

Eleven-year-old Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is afraid of the whole lot: bees, bullies, bears, you title it. However what retains him up at evening is his deepest worry, the largest and baddest of all of them: the darkish. All that’s about to alter when The Darkish (Paul Walter Hauser) decides to pay Orion a go to and show that he isn’t so scary in any case. 

Orion and the Darkish is a beautiful, shifting, and enjoyable household journey that is smarter and extra introspective than a complete heck of a variety of grown-up motion pictures. That is as a result of this charmer was written by Charlie Kaufman, the Hollywood veteran behind existential favorites like Being John Malkovich, Everlasting Sunshine of the Spotless Thoughts, and I am Considering of Ending Issues. Whereas Orion and the Darkish is a a lot lighter and kid-friendly movie than Kaufman’s most iconic work, its subject material isn’t any much less weighty and its message no much less affecting. A winner for all ages! — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: Orion and the Darkish is now streaming on Netflix.

11. Matilda the Musical

You realize this story: Matilda, a sort, remoted child with newly found powers of telekinesis, finds herself enrolled at a horrible college run by the detestable Miss Trunchbull. Trunchbull abuses and humiliates her college students, and Matilda makes use of her powers to attempt to change issues for her and her friends. 

It is a beloved Roald Dahl youngsters’s ebook that was tailored into the hit 1996 movie, then a profitable stage musical, and at last, a 2022 film based mostly on the musical. And sure, it’s simply as vigorous and lovable as its predecessors! Matilda has excessive power choreography, incredible performances (Emma Thompson as a really repulsive Trunchbull is a stand-out), and a rating you will not be capable of cease singing. — Okay.G. 

Learn how to watch: Matilda the Musical is now streaming on Netflix.

12. Nimona

Nimona transports us to a futuristic medieval world the place knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is on the run for against the law he didn’t commit. Nonetheless, it is his label as a “villain” that brings shapeshifter Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) into his life. Extra comfy as a shark than a human lady, Nimona is a delightfully deviant fiend who needs nothing greater than to stay it to the omnipotent Institute. She and Ballister make fairly the odd pair — she needs to wreak havoc, he simply needs to clear his title — however collectively, they could simply defeat an evil lurking of their kingdom.

Between some electrifying struggle scenes and its graphic animation model, Nimona is a blast of a viewing expertise. However its message and LGBTQ visibility is what actually units it aside. Not solely is Ballister’s relationship with knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang) a key component of the movie, however Nimona’s personal fluidity and negotiation of her id calls to thoughts transness in a significant, necessary means.* — Belen Edwards, Leisure Reporter

Learn how to watch: Nimona is now streaming on Netflix.

13. The Imaginary

The Imaginary was written by Yoshiaki Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, each previously of Studio Ghibli, so you recognize it may be visually beautiful, fantastical, and filled with emotions. 

When Rudger, an imaginary buddy, is separated from his creator Amanda, he should enlist assist from different imaginaries to search out his means again dwelling. However the journey is nothing however easy — lurking within the shadows is the inescapable, existential dread of being forgotten, in addition to the very current risk of Mr. Bunting, a despicable man who consumes imagined beings. The Imaginary is each whimsical and darkish in equal measure, elegantly tackling massive topics like demise and loss alongside lighter themes, just like the significance of play. — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: The Imaginary is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Troll

Impressed by Norwegian folklore, 2022’s Troll is a monster film that feels each recent and acquainted. We have an unlimited creature wreaking havoc, a singular mythology, and satisfying spectacles — there’s one thing for everybody!  

When a drilling operation leads to the deaths of a number of staff, Norwegian scientists blame a pocket of methane. Younger Nora (Ine Marie Wilmann), nevertheless, suspects one thing larger and extra sinister: a troll.  Fortuitously for Nora, when a 300-foot behemoth emerges from the mountains, she’s proved right! Sadly for Norway, the troll is pissed, and it is headed straight for Oslo. — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: Troll is now streaming on Netflix.

15. The Sea Beast

In a world the place oceans are terrorized by large and ferocious beasts, no sailors are extra famed for his or her monster-killing exploits than the crew of the Inevitable. And nobody is a much bigger fan of the beast hunters than younger orphan Maisie Brumble, who stows away on the Inevitable to grow to be a hunter herself. However when she and crewmember Jacob Holland are thrown overboard and swallowed by the mightiest monster of all of them, the Pink Bluster, they’re pressured to think about a much less violent method, maybe even working with the beasts, to get themselves to security. An exciting, kid-friendly journey with a top-notch voice forged (Karl City, Jared Harris, and extra), The Sea Beast is a swashbuckling — and heartwarming — journey throughout the excessive seas. — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: The Sea Beast is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Wendell and Wild

Written by Jordan Peele and directed by Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas), Wendell and Wild has all of the makings of a brand new basic. That includes the gorgeous and macabre stop-motion animation harking back to Selick’s previous masterpieces, this newest installment provides a contact of minor angst to his ghoulish canon. Kat (Lyric Ross) is a hardened foster child who blames herself for her dad and mom’ demise. So when two bombastic demons (performed with glee by Key and Peele themselves) promise they know find out how to convey her dad and mom again, she places her fears apart and makes a deal. 

Learn how to watch: Wendell and Wild is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary is an keen younger lady with shiny crimson hair who can not seem to get something proper. When a pleasant cat leads her to a mysterious flower that grants her non permanent magical powers, Mary discovers a hidden world of journey the place all will not be because it appears. Mary and the Witch’s Flower is an exuberant, lovable story from Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a former Studio Ghibli animator. Brimming with coronary heart and pleasure, this superbly animated movie whose English dub options the voice abilities of Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent, will quickly grow to be a household favourite.* — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: Mary and the Witch’s Flower is streaming on Netflix.

18. The Great Story of Henry Sugar

Arch, quirky, and extremely choreographed, The Great Story of Henry Sugar is a narrative inside a narrative inside a narrative, and so forth. Based mostly on the quick by Roald Dahl, the film opens with Dahl himself (Ralph Fiennes) introducing after which narrating the story of a person, Henry Sugar, who does nothing along with his cash however gamble. Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) takes over the narration to inform of the second he first realized of a health care provider who met a person who might see with out utilizing his eyes. Inside that story is the story of how this man met a guru who taught him the whole lot he is aware of. This story-Russian-nesting-doll impacts Sugar profoundly; he abruptly adjustments the course of his life. For those who like Wes Anderson, then you definitely’ll love this candy and stylized quick movie.* — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: The Great Story of Henry Sugar is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Hilda and the Mountain King

Within the wonderful Netflix sequence Hilda, a younger blue-haired lady (voiced by Bella Ramsey) strikes along with her mom to town of Trolberg, a hamlet suffering from indignant trolls who assault any who enterprise outdoors of town partitions at evening. At first of the 2021 movie Hilda and the Mountain King, Hilda has been remodeled right into a troll herself, misplaced in a large cave and unable to tolerate daylight — however fortunately, she will additionally perceive the whole lot the opposite trolls are saying. Maybe she would possibly be capable of study one thing about why they preserve attacking town whereas she’s making an attempt to flee. 

With the trademark animation and emotional grounding of the sequence, Hilda and the Mountain King is a darkish, thrilling, and philosophical youngsters’ flick that can simply enthrall any adults within the room. — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: Hilda and the Mountain King is now streaming on Netflix.

20. The Lego Film

Emmet (Chris Pratt) is an extraordinary Lego citizen of Bricksburg. He is pleasant, follows the foundations, and all the time adheres to the Lego constructing directions. However an opportunity encounter with a mysterious Lego (Elizabeth Banks) and a legendary merchandise known as the Piece of Resistance, sends him on an journey that can break by means of each the boundaries of his metropolis and his whole understanding of what Legos are able to. 

The Lego Film is a great, fast-paced, and hilarious trip that packs a surprisingly potent emotional punch for a film about plastic collectible figurines. The forged (Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman) is on the prime of their sport, and the visuals are a unending deal with. It is a smash-hit for a cause!* — Okay.G.

Learn how to watch: The Lego Film is now streaming on Netflix.

UPDATE: Aug. 21, 2024, 4:13 p.m. EDT This text was first revealed on Sept. 30, 2021. It has since been updating to mirror present streaming choices.