Spirited Away
Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi, Mari Natsuki
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Why you'll love it
An acclaimed fantasy where a girl enters a supernatural world of spirits and magic accessible through a seemingly ordinary location, exploring themes of transformation and alternate realms.
Pan's Labyrinth
Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López
In 1944 Spain, a girl is sent to live with her ruthless stepfather. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks.
Why you'll love it
A dark fantasy blending reality with an intricate labyrinth containing monsters and magic, where a girl navigates between the real and mythical worlds.
A Monster Calls
Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones
Conor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Why you'll love it
A magical realism drama where a boy encounters a sentient tree that becomes a gateway to understanding grief and an alternate emotional landscape within its branches.
Labyrinth
David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud
Teenage Sarah journeys through a maze to save her baby brother from the Goblin King.
Why you'll love it
A magical adventure where a girl enters an alternate dimension within an enormous maze, featuring surreal landscapes and creatures in a world hidden from reality.
The Shape of Water
Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
Why you'll love it
A fantasy romance set in a hidden facility where a secret aquatic world exists parallel to society, featuring themes of alternate existence and non-human consciousness.
The NeverEnding Story
Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach
A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Why you'll love it
A fantasy adventure where characters journey through a magical realm within a mysterious book, featuring enchanted forests and alternate worlds accessed through imagination.
Annihilation
Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition in which the laws of nature don't apply.
Why you'll love it
A sci-fi thriller exploring a mysterious shimmer zone where nature behaves impossibly, featuring warped ecosystems and unsettling transformations within a strange landscape.
Dreamchild
Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher
Ian Holm is children's author Lewis Carroll in this poignant fantasy-drama set in 1930s New York and populated by the fabulous special effects creatures of Muppet master Jim Henson.
Why you'll love it
A surreal fantasy exploring alternate realities and childhood imagination, featuring dreamlike sequences that blur between our world and fantastical inner realms.
The Happening
Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.
Why you'll love it
An environmental thriller where nature itself becomes a deadly threat, featuring mysterious plant-based phenomena that create alternate perspectives on survival and human vulnerability.