Fairy tales are often among the earliest forms of storytelling we are exposed to. They are simple stories used to impart essential life lessons to children, such as the importance of being truthful, not to blindly follow strangers, and the importance of kindness. Though they come in all shapes and sizes, they are near-universally fantasy stories, though the level of fantastical elements can range from fairies and talking animals to more subtle influences like a voice in the wind.
The 21st century has seen a fair few fairy tale movies grace the big screen, many of which have gone on to become instant classics. This success is due to a combination of great writing, strong morals for adults and children, and creative visuals that take full advantage of the magic of cinema.
10
‘Stardust’ (2007)
Before his death, the King of the magical kingdom of Stormhold (Peter O’Toole) throws his ruby into the sky, declaring that whichever of his surviving sons recovers it will be the next king. It strikes a star that falls to Earth and takes the form of a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). She is soon found by a young man named Tristan Throne (Charlie Cox), who seeks to recover the star for the girl he wants to marry, but the two soon find themselves chased not just by the Princes of Stormhold, but by the ancient witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who wants Yvaine’s heart to be young again.
Stardust feels similar to The Princess Bride in terms of tone, presenting a fun, easy-going fantasy film that invites you to come along for the ride and get invested in its simple but lovable characters. This approach is especially true when you compare it to the book, which has many of the darker aspects found in classic fairy tales. Though the film version is more light-hearted in comparison, it still has its dark moments to balance out the light and touches on themes of love and freedom.
9
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is a young girl who has moved into the Pink Palace Apartment and is frustrated that her parents are too busy to spend time with her. One night, she finds a door in the wall that leads to another world created for Coraline by her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher), where everything has black buttons for eyes. The other world is more fantastical and fun than back home, and all of Coraline’s needs are met, but a talking black cat (Keith David) who can travel between both worlds warns her that all is not as it seems.
Another book adaptation, Coraline, keeps a lot more of the dark aspects of the source material, which are emphasized further by the beautifully creepy stop-motion animation from Laika. The message is about appreciating what you have and the dangers of blindly accepting that which seems too good to be true, as more often than not, it’s a trap. It’s also an effective coming-of-age tale, as Coraline is forced to think on her feet in order to escape this predicament.
8
‘A Monster Calls’ (2016)
Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a 12-year-old boy going through a hard time: his mother (Felicity Jones) is sick and dying of cancer, meaning he will have to live with his strict grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), since his father (Toby Kebbell) lives in the USA with his new family. One night, Conor sees an old yew tree transform into a monster (Liam Neeson), who tells Conor that he will visit him again and tell him 3 stories. Once the third story is told, Conor will tell the Monster a 4th based on a recurring nightmare featuring his mother.
A Monster Calls is based on the book of the same name by Patrick Ness, and uses minimalistic fantasy elements to emphasize a story about processing grief. MacDougall’s performance really taps into the raw pain of grieving for a loved one that is slowly dying, and the story makes sure to emphasize that there are no villains, since everyone processes grief differently. The three stories are also great: they are brought to life with stylistic animation that feels like a moving storybook, and their morals serve to highlight all the complexities of morality and human life.
7
‘Tangled’ (2010)
When the Queen of Corona drinks medicine made from a magical flower to save her life, its healing power is passed on to her daughter, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), who is born with bright golden hair. A witch named Gothel (Donna Murphy) abducts the baby to use the magic to keep herself young, and grows Rapunzel’s hair because, if it is cut, it turns brown and loses the magic. Eighteen years later, Rapunzel wants to leave their secluded tower home and witness the annual lantern festival, but when Gothel says no, she enlists the help of a thief named Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi).
Tangled stands as one of the best examples of how to take a classic fairy tale and give it the right amount of expansion and modernization without losing sight of its core. The writing does a great job of giving good explanations for certain details from the original fairy tale, like the long hair, while the story focuses on themes of freedom, trust, and abusive relationships. It’s also full of wonderful characters: Rapunzel and Flynn are an effective duo who represent selfless optimism and selfish cynicism while learning from one another, Gothel works as the abusive manipulator trying to keep Rapunzel for herself, and there’s even a horse named Maximus with a single-minded obsession with apprehending Flynn.
6
‘Shrek’ (2001)
When Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) banishes all fairy-tale creatures from his land, they are forced to relocate to a swamp inhabited by an ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers), who just wants to be left alone. Aided by a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek seeks out Farquaad and makes a deal: in exchange for his land being returned to him, Shrek will recover Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), whom Farquaad seeks to marry to become king. Fiona isn’t thrilled at first at this unorthodox fairy tale rescue, but over time, she and Shrek come to learn more about each other than they first imagined.
Shrek is one of the most important animated films of all time, ushering in 3D animation as the new staple and defining a generation with its deconstructive humor. Yet what keeps people coming back is the story: Shrek’s tale is so earnest and relatable, as he struggles with people judging him for being an ogre despite his good heart, making him feel that he is better off alone. This focus on inner beauty over outer builds to a fantastic twist during the climax that plays with the usual fairy tale clichés, while also delivering a poignant moral about self-acceptance.
5
‘Shrek 2’ (2004)
Upon coming home from their honeymoon, Shrek and Fiona are immediately summoned to Far Far Away so that Fiona’s parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Dame Julie Andrews), can give her husband their blessing. Neither of them is prepared to see Fiona permanently transformed into an ogre, let alone married to one, leading to Harold and Shrek clashing, to Fiona’s frustration. Worse yet, Fiona’s Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) wants her to marry her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), and blackmails Harold into hiring an ogre-slaying feline named Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas).
Shrek 2 is one of those rare sequels that manages to equal, if not eclipse, the original. It ups the comedy, brings in even more memorable characters, features a fantastic soundtrack, and keeps the mature themes with Shrek and Fiona facing a new hurdle in their relationship. This time, the theme focuses on how love requires compromise and sacrifice, as seen with how far Shrek is willing to change himself if it will make Fiona happy, and Harold realizing that he needs to stand for his daughter, regardless of how much it will cost him.
4
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Following a battle with a giant, Puss in Boots learns that he has gone through 8 of his 9 lives, meaning his next death will be his last one. When a mysterious wolf (Wagner Moura) almost kills him, Puss resigns himself to early retirement and goes to live as a house cat. He gets shaken out of this funk when he learns of a map that leads to the last Wishing Star, which Puss could use to regain his missing lives and return to being a living legend.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the sequel to a spin-off of the Shrek franchise, which makes its stellar writing and animation quality an even greater praise. The art design looks like watercolor pictures come to life, which fits perfectly with the fairy tale aesthetic by making it look like a picture book come to life, and highlights the emotions of each scene with bold colors. The moral is all about accepting one’s mortality and figuring out what matters most, since we only get one life to live, and nobody knows when it will end.
3
‘Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio’ (2022)
After losing his son in World War I, woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) becomes a shell of his former self. One night, he chops down the tree planted on his son’s grave to create a puppet in his likeness. The Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) then uses her magic to bring the puppet to life and names him Pinocchio (Gregory Mann). She offers a cricket living in the tree named Sebastian (Ewan McGregor) a wish if he will help teach Pinocchio right from wrong, which proves to be much harder than anticipated, as several factions seek to exploit Pinocchio for their own gains.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio is by far the most stylistic adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s story, and takes on the most fairy tale aspects. The best example is that, whenever Pinocchio dies, he travels to the underworld and meets with Death (Tilda Swinton), sister to the Wood Sprite. Their interactions are the highlight of the movie and touch on the nature of life, death, existence, and the curse of immortality.
2
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
While moving to a new home, Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) and her parents stumble into the spirit world, and her parents are turned into pigs when they eat spirit food. Chihiro becomes trapped when the sun goes down, but a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden) helps her by directing her to the bathhouse run by the witch Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette). She gets a job at the expense of her true name, and works hard to earn her keep while she tries to find a way to regain her name and rescue her parents.
Spirited Away is like a modern-day Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, transporting audiences to a world that operates on its own logic and doesn’t care if you understand it or not. The world is brought to life through some of the most exquisite and detailed 2D animation ever put to film, with so many little details in every scene that you’ll need multiple viewings to catch them all. Combine it with strong themes of environmentalism and identity, and a host of colorful characters, and it’s no wonder that the movie is considered a masterpiece of 21st-century animation.
1
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is a young girl living in Francoist Spain who is busy taking care of her pregnant mother while her stepfather, Captain Videl (Sergi López), hunts down Maquis rebels. One night, she follows some fairies into an underground labyrinth and meets a faun (Doug Jones). He tells Ofelia that she is the reincarnation of the princess of the Underworld, and if she wants to regain her throne, she must complete three trials.
Pan’s Labyrinth is the pinnacle of the modern-day fairy tale, and only gets better with each re-watch. It’s a dark yet whimsical adventure that touches on themes of loss of innocence, tyranny, and the use of fantasy to try to cope with the dark aspects of reality. This approach leaves the movie open to interpretation as to how much of it is real or just Ofelia’s imagination, and leads to lots of symbolism found in the various monsters Ofelia encounters, as well as the trials themselves.