Fantasy: 264

Come Away (2020), a fantasy drama directed by Brenda Chapman in her live-action debut, pays homage to Peter Pan and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The film follows the adventures of three siblings – David, Peter, and Alice – who are coping with the loss of their eldest brother while trying to help their grieving parents. As the mother reads The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats to her two boys and one girl, she shares the story of three similar siblings: David, Peter, and Alice. Living with their parents Jack and Rose ...

The One and Only Ivan (2020) is an American fantasy drama film based on the 2012 children’s novel of the same name by Katherine Applegate. Directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Mike White, the film follows Ivan, a gorilla who has spent 20 years as the main attraction at a circus located inside a shopping mall in Central Florida. Alongside his fellow animal performers – wise elephant Stella, spoiled poodle Snickers, spunky chicken Henrietta, toy fire truck-riding rabbit Murphy, anxious sea lion Frankie, and ...

The Stand (2020) is a nine-episode American post-apocalyptic fantasy television miniseries, based on Stephen King’s 1978 novel and a remake of the 1994 adaptation. It follows the aftermath of a pandemic caused by an accident at a military biological research station. This results in the release of a deadly influenza strain that wipes out most of the world’s population. As the few remaining survivors navigate this new reality, they are drawn to two opposing leaders – Randall Flagg and Mother Abagail – leading to an ultimate battle between good and evil. In the novel’s dedication to his wife, ...

Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020) is an American animated comedy horror film and the thirty-fourth installment in the Scooby-Doo series. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released this direct-to-video movie on October 6, 2020. In the film, the Mystery Inc. team is undercover at Elvira’s Halloween of Horrors Parade in Crystal Cove to apprehend the Haunted Scarecrow. The culprit is eventually revealed to be Dr. Jonathan Crane (a.k.a. the Scarecrow), a former escapee from Arkham Asylum. Velma cracks the case by tracing a fan letter sent to Elvira and detecting gas leakage in the air, but their victory is short-lived when drones carrying fear gas are ...

An animated fantasy adventure film, Wolfwalkers (2020), was co-directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. Set in Ireland during 1650, the townspeople of Kilkenny are ordered by the authoritarian Lord Protector to clear the woods near their town, resulting in tension with a wolf pack. Bill Goodfellowe, an English hunter, has been summoned to Kilkenny with his daughter Robyn to eliminate the wolves. In a bid to help her father, Robyn secretly follows him out of town with her pet falcon, Merlyn. Accidently shooting Merlyn while trying to kill a wolf causes Robyn to track down ...

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) is a hilarious adventure film based on the popular animated TV series, SpongeBob SquarePants. In Bikini Bottom, Plankton devises a new scheme to steal the coveted Krabby Patty formula. Meanwhile, Karen argues that SpongeBob is to blame for his past failures, not Mr. Krabs. Across the sea in Atlantic City, King Poseidon’s selfish nature leads him to use all of his snail’s slime in order to maintain his appearance. His solution? To decree the acquisition of a new snail. Seizing this opportunity, Plankton kidnaps SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail Gary to prevent any interference with his plans. When ...

Stephen Gaghan directed the American fantasy adventure film, Dolittle (2020). The screenplay was co-written by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, based on a story by Thomas Shepherd. Set in Victorian era Britain, the film follows Dr. John Dolittle, a Welsh veterinarian with the unique ability to communicate with animals. After his wife Lily’s death at sea, Dolittle isolates himself from human society and focuses solely on ...

Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020–2021) is an animated television limited series based on the popular show created by Pendleton Ward. It tells the stories of Finn, a young boy, and his shape-shifting canine sidekick, Jake, as they navigate through the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along their journey, they encounter familiar faces like Princess Bubblegum, Marceline the Vampire Queen, and BMO. The show frequently features Finn and Jake embarking on epic adventures, encountering peculiar creatures, and protecting others from menacing monsters. Similar to the original series, The Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials were a ...

The Owl House (2020–2023), created by Dana Terrace for Disney Channel, has garnered widespread acclaim from both critics and viewers. Its stunning animation, clever humor, well-developed characters, and poignant themes have all been praised, along with its groundbreaking LGBTQ+ representation. In fact, the show has made history as the first Disney property to feature a same-sex couple in leading roles and to depict a same-sex kiss with its main characters. It also received recognition at the 2021 Peabody Awards for its impact on children’s and youth programming.

Soul (2020), an American animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, follows the story of Joe Gardner, a New York City pianist. While he dreams of pursuing jazz professionally, he currently teaches part-time at a middle school. When offered a full-time teaching position, Joe’s mother Libba encourages him to accept despite his reluctance. However, Joe’s plans take an unexpected turn when he auditions for famous jazz musician Dorothea Williams and impresses her with his piano skills. As he excitedly heads to the night’s show, Joe falls down an open manhole into the sewer drain and finds himself in ...

Onward (2020), a urban fantasy adventure facilitated by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, takes place in a world filled with mythical beings. Millennia ago, magic was a common occurrence but mastering it proved to be a challenge. However, as time passed and technology advanced, magic lost its significance and was mostly abandoned. In the present day, self-doubting elf Ian Lightfoot and his impulsive brother Barley are navigating their teenage years. On Ian’s sixteenth birthday, their mother Laurel presents them with a gift from their late father Wilden: a magical staff, a rare Phoenix gem, and instructions for a ...

The American fantasy adventure comedy film, Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), was directed by Jake Kasdan. Along with co-writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, Kasdan masterfully crafted a story that follows Spencer Gilpin, Anthony ‘Fridge’ Johnson, Martha Kaply, and Bethany Walker. The group reunites over Christmas break after being away from each other during their first semester of college. However, not everything is as it seems for Spencer, who feels ...

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), a Netflix and The Jim Henson Company collaboration, serves as a prequel to the 1982 fantasy film. This series delves into the world of Thra from the original movie and follows three Gelflings – Rian, Deet, and Brea – on their journey to unite their clans and overthrow the oppressive Skeksis. Their mission is to save Thra from destruction caused by the Darkening. Despite receiving positive reviews upon its debut on August 30, 2019, it was announced in September 2020 that the series would not continue for a second season. In a different world, at a different time and in a ...

Based on Philip Pullman’s trilogy of novels, His Dark Materials (2019–2022) is a fantasy drama TV series that is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions. BBC One and HBO co-produce the show, with HBO also handling worldwide distribution. The story follows orphan Lyra as she embarks on a quest to find her missing friend and uncovers a kidnapping plot involving a mysterious substance called Dust. The first eight-episode season debuted on 3 November 2019 in the UK on BBC One, and on 4 November in the US and other countries via HBO. The second season, consisting of seven episodes, premiered on 8 November 2020 in ...

Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) is an American animated direct-to-video comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and the thirty-second entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. Prior to The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, audiences are shown a prologue featuring a young Vincent Van Ghoul and his partner Mortifer sealing the final ghost into the Chest of Demons. Unfortunately, Mortifer is attacked and assumed to be killed by minion ghosts while Vincent manages to escape with a heavy heart. During the opening credits, Vincent recounts the series events where ...

Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island (2019) is an animated mystery film from Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Serving as the thirty-third installment in the direct-to-video series, it is a sequel to the first Scooby-Doo direct-to-video movie, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, released in 1998. In this adventure, the gang works together to catch various monsters, including Young Man Withers, who turns out to be a member of the Withers family. After a wild dream sequence involving the Mystery Machine going backwards, Fred discovers that he has sold their van and retired from mystery solving. However, after seeing a news report and ...

Klaus (2019) is an animated holiday adventure comedy from director and writer Sergio Pablos, also known for creating Despicable Me. This production was brought to life through the efforts of Pablos’ company, The SPA Studios, and released by Netflix. The film begins in 19th-century Norway, where the Royal Postmaster General has a plan to change his son Jesper Johansen’s ways. Considered lazy, spoiled, and selfish by his father, Jesper is sent to postman training in hopes that it will improve his character. After seeing Jesper’s lackluster performance, his father assigns him a seemingly ...

An animated supernatural black comedy film, The Addams Family (2019), is based on characters from the cartoon created by Charles Addams. As a result of rejecting anything macabre in nature, an angry mob of villagers interrupts the midnight wedding ceremony of Gomez Addams and Morticia Frump. In the midst of chaos, Grandmama buys Uncle Fester time to evacuate them, along with Gomez and Morticia’s loyal hand servant, Thing. Deciding they’ve had enough of the outside world, Gomez and Morticia relocate to New Jersey – a place they deem undesired by most. There, they stumble upon an abandoned asylum on a ...

aIn the Victorian fantasy world of Carnival Row (2019–2023), Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne take on the roles of two star-crossed lovers. The city is filled with mythical creatures who have been displaced from their homelands by invading human empires. These immigrants struggle to coexist with their human counterparts in the city’s grimiest district, where they are forbidden to fully live, love, or even fly freely. Despite the darkness and intolerance surrounding them, there is still glimmers of hope as a forbidden romance blossoms between Rycroft Philostrate, a ...

Yesterday (2019) is a romantic comedy musical directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, based on a story by Jack Barth and Curtis. The film follows the journey of Jack Malik, a struggling singer-songwriter from Lowestoft who plays small shows. His childhood friend and manager, Ellie Appleton, encourages him to keep pursuing his dreams. During a rare power outage that lasted only twelve seconds, Jack is struck by a bus. After his recovery, he surprises his friends ...