50 Fun Facts About Fantasy Movie

How many Academy Awards did The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King win in 2004?

It went 11 for 11, the first fantasy film to win Best Picture and tying Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscars ever won by one film.

In which country were the three Lord of the Rings films shot back-to-back?

Director Peter Jackson filmed there from October 1999 to December 2000. Andy Serkis's Gollum was a landmark in performance-capture animation.

Which director made the 1987 film The Princess Bride?

It preserves the novel's frame story of a grandfather, played by Peter Falk, reading to his sick grandson.

Which wrestler played the gentle strongman Fezzik in The Princess Bride?

Author William Goldman wanted him for the role from the start, but his wrestling schedule delayed filming until he was free.

Which musician played Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 film Labyrinth?

Jim Henson directed the film, Terry Jones wrote it and George Lucas executive produced. Jennifer Connelly starred as the teenager Sarah.

What is the name of the luckdragon in The NeverEnding Story?

Wolfgang Petersen directed the 1984 film, based on Michael Ende's novel. The theme song was performed by former Kajagoogoo singer Limahl.

Which actor played the title dwarf farmer in the 1988 fantasy film Willow?

Ron Howard directed the George Lucas story, with Val Kilmer as the swordsman Madmartigan.

Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is set during the aftermath of a civil war in which country?

The dark fantasy takes place in 1944 under Francisco Franco and won three Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, plus a Hugo Award.

In the 1939 Wizard of Oz film, what colour are Dorothy's slippers, which were silver in the book?

They were made red to show off the new three-strip Technicolor. In L. Frank Baum's novel they are silver.

Which visual-effects pioneer created the famous seven-skeleton battle in Jason and the Argonauts (1963)?

His stop-motion animation, later branded 'Dynamation,' also brought the Kraken and Medusa to life in the 1981 Clash of the Titans.

Who played the barbarian hero in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian?

John Milius directed and co-wrote it with Oliver Stone. James Earl Jones played the snake-cult leader Thulsa Doom.

Which actor played the devil-like Darkness in Ridley Scott's 1985 film Legend?

Cruise played the hero Jack and Mia Sara the princess Lili. The elaborate makeup took hours each day.

Jim Henson's 1982 film The Dark Crystal is populated entirely by what?

He co-directed it with Frank Oz. The Gelflings Jen and Kira must restore the crystal and overthrow the vulture-like Skeksis.

The 2007 film Stardust is based on a novel by which author?

Matthew Vaughn directed it, with Robert De Niro as a cross-dressing sky pirate and Michelle Pfeiffer as a witch.

Which actor plays the title character in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands?

Vincent Price plays the inventor who dies before finishing Edward's hands. It was the first of many Burton-Depp collaborations.

Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water was inspired by which classic monster film?

Set in 1962 Baltimore, it follows a mute cleaner who falls in love with a captured amphibian man. It was the second fantasy film to win Best Picture, after Return of the King.

Which Studio Ghibli film was the first hand-drawn, non-English Best Animated Feature winner?

Hayao Miyazaki directed the 2001 film about a girl named Chihiro trapped in a spirit world. It also won the Golden Bear at Berlin.

John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur retells the legend of which British monarch?

It is loosely based on Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and famously scores its battles with Wagner and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

Which Monty Python member directed the 1981 fantasy Time Bandits?

Sean Connery, John Cleese and Ian Holm all appear. It was the first of Gilliam's 'Trilogy of Imagination.'

In the 1981 film Clash of the Titans, what does Perseus ride to save Andromeda?

It was Ray Harryhausen's final film, and featured a mechanical owl named Bubo. Harry Hamlin played Perseus.

In the 1985 film Ladyhawke, the two cursed lovers are transformed by day and night into what animals?

Isabeau becomes a hawk by day, Navarre a wolf by night, so they can never be human together. Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer starred.

Who plays the White Witch in 2005's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

Liam Neeson voiced the lion Aslan, and the four Pevensie children are evacuees from the Blitz.

Which band recorded the soundtrack songs, including 'A Kind of Magic,' for the 1986 film Highlander?

The film's tagline, 'There can be only one,' entered pop culture. Christopher Lambert played the immortal Connor MacLeod.

How many films make up the main Harry Potter series?

The last book, Deathly Hallows, was split into two films. Four directors worked on the series, starting with Chris Columbus.

What was the U.S. title of the first Harry Potter film, changed from its British name?

The British title was Philosopher's Stone. Chris Columbus directed the 2001 film from Steve Kloves's script.

Which three actors played the leading trio across all eight films in the boy-wizard series?

They played Harry, Ron and Hermione from ages 11 to 21. David Heyman produced the whole series.

How many films make up Peter Jackson's Hobbit series?

Martin Freeman played Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the dragon Smaug. The films are set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.

Which actor plays Sir Gawain in David Lowery's 2021 film The Green Knight?

It adapts the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, following his journey to keep a deadly bargain.

Which director of gothic fantasies made the 2003 film Big Fish?

Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney play the younger and older versions of a father whose life was a series of tall tales.

Which actress plays the fairytale princess Giselle in Disney's 2007 film Enchanted?

She is banished from the animated kingdom of Andalasia into live-action New York City. Julie Andrews narrates.

What inspired the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl?

The writers added the undead-pirate curse to match the ride. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow earned an Oscar nomination.

The 2007 film The Golden Compass is based on the first novel of which Philip Pullman trilogy?

The book was titled Northern Lights in Britain. The film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects but never got a sequel.

Which actor leads the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves as the bard Edgin?

Michelle Rodriguez plays the barbarian Holga and Hugh Grant a con-man villain.

Which actress plays the title role in Disney's 2014 live-action film Maleficent?

It retells Sleeping Beauty from the villain's point of view, adapting the 1959 animated film and the 1697 fairy tale.

Which actor plays the 'magizoologist' Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films?

The first film, set in 1926 New York, is a Harry Potter spin-off written by J. K. Rowling.

In the 1983 film Krull, what is the name of the hero's five-pointed throwing weapon?

It resembles a magical throwing star with retractable blades and is the only weapon that can defeat the Beast.

Which director made the 1991 Peter Pan film Hook?

Robin Williams played a grown-up Peter Banning, Dustin Hoffman was Captain Hook and Julia Roberts played Tinker Bell.

Which actor plays the title ghost in the 1988 film Beetlejuice?

The film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. Winona Ryder played the goth teenager Lydia.

Which 1940 fantasy film set in Baghdad won three Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography?

Georges Périnal won for its groundbreaking Technicolor cinematography and Vincent Korda for art direction.

Ray Harryhausen first used his trademarked 'Dynamation' on which 1958 film?

Dynamation combined live actors with stop-motion creatures in the same shot, a leap forward for effects cinema.

The animated 1982 film The Last Unicorn was adapted from a novel by which author?

He wrote the screenplay himself for the Rankin/Bass production. The band America performed its songs.

The NeverEnding Story was based on a novel by which German author?

The film adapts only the first half of his 1979 book, which the author reportedly disliked.

Who plays the title farm boy turned dragon rider in the 2006 film Eragon?

The film was shot at Mafilm Fót Studios in Hungary and was director Stefen Fangmeier's debut.

Roughly how much did Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland gross worldwide?

Mia Wasikowska's Alice is destined to slay the Jabberwocky and end the tyranny of the Red Queen in Underland.

Who directed the 2009 stop-motion film Coraline, based on Neil Gaiman's novella?

Selick thought a direct adaptation would run only about 47 minutes, so the story was expanded.

The 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia is based on a 1977 novel by which author?

Her son David L. Paterson co-wrote the screenplay; Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb star as Jess and Leslie.

How many Academy Awards did The Fellowship of the Ring win from its thirteen nominations?

It premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in December 2001 and also took five BAFTAs including Best Film.

Which was the only Harry Potter film released in 3D?

Splitting the final book into two films was suggested by executive producer Lionel Wigram; the finale premiered in Trafalgar Square.

Which puppeteer's final film project was the 1990 Roald Dahl adaptation The Witches?

His Creature Shop built the witch prosthetics and the animatronic mice used alongside real ones; Anjelica Huston played the Grand High Witch.

Which director of the first two Harry Potter films made Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief (2010)?

Sean Bean plays Zeus, who accuses Poseidon's demigod son Percy of stealing his master lightning bolt.