There’s a good reason—plenty of them, in fact—why fantasy has remained one of the most prolific and popular movie genres as the decades have passed. These tales of magic, mythical creatures, and wonderful fictional worlds lend themselves perfectly to enduring the passage of time, remaining beloved classics even over a century after their release. Over the course of the last six years, the world has received several fantasy movies that are bound to be remembered as timeless masterpieces by the time 2126 comes around.
But of course, though every year since 2021 has seen the release of at least a few exceptional fantasy films, every year has had a standout, one particular fantasy masterpiece that stands tall above all the rest. Whether it’s a family movie like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish or a heavy adult drama like All of Us Strangers, these are all films that have helped to define what the fantasy genre is capable of achieving in the modern day. Hailing from all across the world and made by filmmakers with various different kinds of thematic concerns, these films came out in tremendously stacked years for the fantasy genre and yet still managed to come out on top.
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2021: ‘The Green Knight’
It goes without saying that 2020 was an unprecedented low for the film industry as a whole, and by proxy, for cinephiles around the world. Going into 2021, the world was still right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hollywood began its slow process of recovery, and from that process rose many excellent fantasy films. Case in point: A24’s The Green Knight, one of the greatest cinematic adaptations of Arthurian legend in history. It’s one of the fantasy movies with the best world-building, and though it underperformed at the box office and doesn’t seem to receive nearly as much praise as it deserves nowadays, it’s nevertheless a 2020s fantasy icon.
From blockbusters like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to indie darlings like Petite Maman, 2021 had some exceptional fantasy movies, but nothing was ever quite able to top the gold bar set by David Lowery in what may just be his best film to date. Wonderfully creative and imaginative, poetically paced, visually gorgeous, and bolstered by one of the best performances of Dev Patel‘s career, it’s proof of just how exceptional indie fantasy has been throughout the entirety of the 2020s. Arthurian movies are aplenty, but few are as powerful and thought-provoking as The Green Knight.
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2022: ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’
By the time the 2020s rolled in, the Shrek franchise had been lying dormant for years. When it was announced that the film that would bring it back to life would be a sequel to Puss in Boots, fans didn’t exactly have high expectations. Plot twist: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ended up being not only one of the greatest animated films of the last six years, but even some of the best work that DreamWorks Animation has ever produced. It’s like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Andrei Tarkovsky‘s Stalker had a love child, which is the biggest (and weirdest) compliment one could throw at a film like this.
Indeed, The Last Wish is one of the best fantasy movies of the last 10 years, equally engrossing for kids and for adult animation fans alike. The little ones of the family will be delighted by the eye-popping animation, the surprisingly effective sense of humor, and the many adrenaline-pumping action sequences, while grown-ups will be treated to a character study with shocking amounts of thematic and existentialist depth. Animated fantasy has been on a roll since 2021, and though 2022 also produced gems like The Northman and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, it doesn’t get better than this.
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2023: ‘All of Us Strangers’
Many fantasy fans love the genre for how whimsical and… well, magical it can get. However, emotionally draining fantasy dramas also exist, and they’re every bit as important to the genre’s history and complexity. For instance, 2023’s All of Us Strangers by Andrew Haigh is one of the heaviest fantasy movies ever made, yet it’s also one of the greatest of modern times. Its fantasy elements are rather understated in every way that matters, allowing it to work equally well on three different levels: as a powerful ghost story, an engrossing romance drama, and a poignant parents-son tale.
It’s one of the greatest British movies of the last six years, and though it’s certainly not ideal for those looking for a fantasy movie that they’ll be able to leave with dry eyes by the time the credits roll, it’s a must-see nonetheless. Anchored by Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy all delivering some of the best work of their respective careers, it’s an emotionally stirring and beautifully-constructed fantasy story that shows just how well low fantasy can work when done right. As fantastic as 2023 fantasy blockbusters like Barbie were, this indie gem was the year’s best.
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2024: ‘Wicked’
Back in 1939, The Wizard of Oz revolutionized cinematic fantasy in way that virtually no other Hollywood production ever had before. Almost 90 years later, Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked, based on the cult classic Broadway stage musical of the same name, has done pretty much the same thing for Broadway musical adaptations for the big screen. Much like the ’30s classic, Wicked is one of the best crowd-pleasing fantasy movies of all time, full of catchy tunes and memorable characters. Underwhelming sequel notwithstanding, this first part of a duology is every bit as wonderful and magical as its source material.
From Flow to Nosferatu, 2024 had plenty of excellent fantasy films that showed just how healthy of a state the genre is in the modern day, but there’s a reason why Wicked was the highest-grossing live-action fantasy blockbuster of the year. Wonderful in tone, endlessly charming, packed with delightful humor, and with plenty of irresistibly entertaining characters, it’s a film that truly does defy gravity every chance it gets. With Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at their very best at the forefront, Wicked is bound to go down in history as one of the best musical films of the 2020s.
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2025: ‘Ne Zha 2’
The Chinese animated film Ne Zha from 2019 was a surprising box office success, but no one would have expected its sequel, Ne Zha 2, to become the financial juggernaut that it became. One of only seven films ever to make more than $2 billion dollars at the box office, it’s one of the most admirable success stories of 2020s international cinema. Though over 97% of its box office gross came from its domestic market, this animated masterpiece is still proof that the world is ready for more international family movies. It was acquired and released in English in American markets by A24, which should be proof enough of just how much of a pop-cultural phenomenon it became.
Though it still deserves even more praise outside of its native China, Ne Zha 2 is nevertheless one of the highest-rated animated films of all time on Letterboxd. Visually wonderful, endlessly fun and action-packed, and with a delightful sense of humor bound to charm teens and adults alike, and with a delectably dense and complex narrative that heavily borrows elements from traditional Chinese mythology and folklore, it’s perfect for those who love fantasy at its most epic. Some may find its nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime somewhat daunting, but every minute of that runtime is inevitably spent with a huge grin on any fantasy fan’s face. Furthermore, with others of 2025’s best fantasy films (like Thunderbolts* and Frankenstein) heavily involving sci-fi elements, it also happens to be the year’s purest fantasy masterpiece.
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2026: ‘Swapped’
The year is almost halfway through, and so far, 2026 hasn’t been a particularly prolific year for fantasy, with fantasy releases like The Odyssey still lying in the future. Even still, Swapped nevertheless has the potential to remain one of the best fantasy films of the year come December. Directed by Nathan Greno and produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter, it’s further proof that Netflix has been doing some marvelous work in the animation field throughout the 2020s. Body swap comedies are perhaps a bit too abundant for their own good, but this one’s among the best that Hollywood has delivered in recent years.
Though the plot is rather unremarkable and pretty predictable, Swapped‘s strength comes from its excellent voice cast (featuring stars like Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple) and its beautiful animation. Vibrant, colorful, fun, and as charming as anyone could possibly expect a family fantasy film to be, it’s a delectably simple adventure that checks all the right boxes for a movie of its kind. Will it still be the best fantasy movie of 2026 by the time the year ends? It seems very unlikely. But does it deserve to still be remembered as one of the year’s most endearing family fantasy releases? Absolutely.
Swapped
- Release Date
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May 1, 2026
- Runtime
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98 Minutes
- Director
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Nathan Greno
- Writers
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Christian Magalhaes, Robert Snow, John Whittington, Adam Karp, Nathan Greno
