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 matched the 11-Oscar hauls of Ben-Hur and Titanic.

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

Peter Jackson shot all three films in his native New Zealand from October 1999 to December 2000, using locations such as Matamata for Hobbiton and Mount Ruapehu for Mordor.

Which director made the 1987 film The Princess Bride?

Rob Reiner directed it from William Goldman's own script, preserving 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?

André the Giant, an active WWF wrestler at the time, was the author's first choice for Fezzik; on screen he carries Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin and Robin Wright up the Cliffs of Insanity.

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

David Bowie played Jareth and wrote and sang the film's songs, including 'Magic Dance' and 'As the World Falls Down'; Jennifer Connelly starred as the teenager Sarah.

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

Falkor, the friendly luckdragon, carries Atreyu across Fantasia; Wolfgang Petersen directed the 1984 film, whose theme song was sung by former Kajagoogoo singer Limahl.

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

Warwick Davis, then 17, played the Nelwyn farmer Willow Ufgood; Ron Howard directed from a 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 is set in Spain in 1944, under Francisco Franco, as guerrillas fight on after the civil war; it 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?

The Ruby slippers were made red to show off the new three-strip Technicolor; several pairs were made, and one stolen from a Minnesota museum in 2005 was recovered in 2018.

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

Ray Harryhausen animated the skeleton fight frame by frame over several months, and his stop-motion also brought Medusa and the Kraken to life in the 1981 Clash of the Titans.

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

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan made him a star; John Milius directed and co-wrote it with Oliver Stone, and James Earl Jones played the snake-cult leader Thulsa Doom.

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

Tim Curry spent about five hours a day in Rob Bottin's horned red makeup as Darkness; Tom Cruise played the hero Jack and Mia Sara the princess Lili.

The 1982 film The Dark Crystal is populated entirely by what?

Puppets fill every frame and no human actor appears on screen as the Gelflings Jen and Kira set out to restore the crystal and overthrow the vulture-like Skeksis; Frank Oz co-directed.

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

Neil Gaiman's 1999 novel, illustrated by Charles Vess, was adapted by Matthew Vaughn, with Robert De Niro as a cross-dressing sky pirate and Michelle Pfeiffer as the witch Lamia.

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

Johnny Depp's near-silent turn as Edward, in black leather with scissor hands, was his first lead for the director; Vincent Price plays the inventor who dies before finishing Edward's hands.

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

Del Toro conceived it as a romance in which the Gill-man of Creature from the Black Lagoon gets the girl; set in 1962 Baltimore, it follows a mute cleaner who falls for a captured amphibian man and won Best Picture.

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

Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 film about a girl named Chihiro trapped in a spirit world, took the Oscar in 2003 and had already shared the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2002.

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

King Arthur's rise and fall, from the sword in the stone to his final battle with Mordred, follows Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur loosely; the battles are famously scored with Wagner and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

Which Monty Python member directed the 1981 fantasy Time Bandits?

Terry Gilliam directed and co-wrote it with Michael Palin; Sean Connery, John Cleese and Ian Holm all appear, and it became the first of his 'Trilogy of Imagination', followed by Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

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

'The winged horse Pegasus' carries Harry Hamlin's Perseus to the rescue as Andromeda is chained for the Kraken; the film also features the mechanical owl Bubo and was its effects master's final feature.

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

'A hawk and a wolf' is the bishop's curse: Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer) becomes a hawk by day and Navarre (Rutger Hauer) a wolf by night, so they can never be human together.

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

Tilda Swinton's Jadis, the White Witch, keeps Narnia in endless winter; 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?

Queen wrote the songs for Highlander, with 'A Kind of Magic' and 'Who Wants to Live Forever' becoming hits; the tagline 'There can be only one' entered pop culture, and Christopher Lambert played the immortal Connor MacLeod.

How many films make up the main Harry Potter series?

Eight films were made between 2001 and 2011 because the seventh and final book was split into two parts, the last of them released in July 2011.

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

Sorcerer's Stone replaced Philosopher's Stone for American audiences, with the young cast reshooting lines to say both titles; Steve Kloves wrote the 2001 film's script.

Which three actors played the leading trio throughout the Harry Potter film series?

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson played Harry, Ron and Hermione from the 2001 first film to the 2011 finale, growing up on screen; David Heyman produced the whole series.

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

Three films, An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), stretched the single novel; Martin Freeman played Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the dragon Smaug.

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

Dev Patel plays the young knight in David Lowery's adaptation of the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, following his journey to keep a deadly bargain; Alicia Vikander co-stars.

Which director made the 2003 film Big Fish?

Tim Burton adapted Daniel Wallace's novel, with Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney playing 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?

Amy Adams's Giselle is banished from the animated kingdom of Andalasia into live-action New York City, where she meets Patrick Dempsey's divorce lawyer; Julie Andrews narrates.

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

'A Disney theme-park attraction', the Pirates of the Caribbean ride that opened at Disneyland in 1967, inspired the film; the writers added the undead-pirate curse, and the film launched a five-film franchise.

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

His Dark Materials opens with Northern Lights, retitled The Golden Compass in the US; the film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects but never got a sequel, and the trilogy was later adapted as a BBC/HBO series.

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

Chris Pine plays Edgin Darvis, the bard who plans the heist; Michelle Rodriguez plays the barbarian Holga and Hugh Grant the con-man Forge Fitzwilliam.

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

Angelina Jolie plays Maleficent, retelling Sleeping Beauty from the villain's point of view; the film adapts the 1959 animated feature and Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, with Elle Fanning as Aurora.

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

Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, the shy British magizoologist; the first film, set in 1926 New York, is a Harry Potter spin-off scripted by J. K. Rowling herself.

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

The Glaive, a five-bladed throwing star with retractable blades, is the only weapon that can defeat the Beast; Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) retrieves it from a mountain lava pit.

Which director made the 1991 Peter Pan film Hook?

Steven Spielberg directed Hook, with Robin Williams as a grown-up Peter Banning, Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook and Julia Roberts as Tinker Bell.

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

Michael Keaton's Betelgeuse, the 'bio-exorcist', is on screen for only about 17 minutes; the film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and Winona Ryder played the goth teenager Lydia.

Which 1940 Alexander Korda fantasy, starring Sabu, won three Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography?

The Thief of Bagdad took Oscars for Georges Périnal's Technicolor cinematography, Vincent Korda's art direction and its special effects, with Sabu as the thief Abu.

Which 1958 film was the first to carry the trademarked 'Dynamation' stop-motion label?

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad introduced Dynamation, which combined live actors with stop-motion creatures such as the Cyclops 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?

Peter S. Beagle adapted his own 1968 novel for the Rankin/Bass production, whose songs were performed by the band America; Mia Farrow voiced the unicorn.

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

Michael Ende's 1979 novel Die unendliche Geschichte supplied only the first half of the film's plot; the author disliked the result and tried to have his name taken off it.

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

Ed Speleers, a newcomer in his first film role, plays Eragon; the film was shot largely in Hungary at Mafilm's Fót studios and was the directing debut of effects veteran Stefen Fangmeier.

Roughly how much did the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland gross worldwide?

Over $1 billion worldwide ($1.025 billion) made it one of the biggest hits of 2010; Mia Wasikowska's Alice is destined to slay the Jabberwocky and free Underland from a tyrant.

Who directed the 2009 stop-motion film Coraline?

Henry Selick, who had directed The Nightmare Before Christmas, made Coraline the first feature from the studio Laika, shooting its stop-motion figures in stereoscopic 3D.

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

Katherine Paterson wrote the Newbery-winning novel after her son's friend was killed by lightning; that son, David L. Paterson, co-wrote the screenplay, and 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?

Four Oscars, for cinematography, makeup, Howard Shore's score and visual effects, came from its 13 nominations; it premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in December 2001 and won the BAFTA for Best Film.

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

Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was the only one converted to 3D, after the plan to release Part 1 in 3D was dropped when the conversion ran out of time; the finale premiered in Trafalgar Square in July 2011.

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

Jim Henson's Creature Shop built the witch prosthetics and the animatronic mice used alongside real ones; he died in May 1990, shortly before the film's release, and Anjelica Huston played the Grand High Witch.

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

Chris Columbus, who had launched the Potter series with its first two films, directed; Sean Bean plays Zeus, who accuses Poseidon's demigod son Percy (Logan Lerman) of stealing his master lightning bolt.