The Very Best Fairy Tale Movies

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated January 7, 2021 36.2k votes 4.4k voters 297.6k views77 items

List RulesVote up your favorite movies that take place in a fairytale world.

What are the best fairytale movies ever made? The films on this list include some wonderful, classic tales. Some are based on actual fairy tales, and others are simply so fantastical they qualify. A great fairy tale movie manages to capture the movie goer's imagination with a compelling storyline, interesting characters and certainly, great acting (including voice acting). Which fairytale films are your favorites? Vote them up on this list, and be sure to add any favorites that are missing.

Disney movies immediately spring to mind whenever great fairytale films are discussed. For decades, Disney's animated tales of magical lands filled with colorful characters, including princes and princesses, and dastardly villains enthralled millions of movie fans. Oh, and yes, everyone lives happily ever after, of course.

But Disney's animated films aren't the only great fairy tale movies for kids -- not by a long shot. Some truly excellent fairytale movies aren't animated at all. Examples? 1998's Ever After was a great, romantic take on the classic Cinderella fairy tale, and 2007's Enchanted was a great nod to some of the best fairytale films ever made. And no list of the best fairytale movies would be complete without The Princess Bride, arguably one of the best movies of all-time -- fairytales or not!

Some of the best fairy tale movies are primarily for children, but in recent years, several new, darker movies based on classic folklore tales have emerged, including 2011's Snow White and the Huntsman.

Enjoy voting on this list of the greatest fairytale movies ever made to which one is the best of all time!

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The Little Mermaid
Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes
Released: 1989
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
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Cinderella
June Foray, Mike Douglas
Released: 1950
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
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Aladdin
Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried
Released: 1992
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
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Tangled
Mandy Moore, Ron Perlman
Released: 2010
Directed by: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
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Beauty and the Beast
Angela Lansbury, Frank Welker
Released: 1991
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
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Enchanted
Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon
Released: 2007
Directed by: Kevin Lima
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Sleeping Beauty
Marvin Miller, Mary Costa
Released: 1959
Directed by: Clyde Geronimi
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The Princess Bride
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright
Released: 1987
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig
Released: 1937
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen, William Cottrell
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Peter Pan
June Foray, Bobby Driscoll
Released: 1953
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton
Released: 2005
Directed by: Andrew Adamson
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Maleficent
Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning
Released: 2014
Directed by: Robert Stromberg
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Ever After
Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston
Released: 1998
Directed by: Andy Tennant
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Shrek
Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Released: 2001
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
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Stardust
Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro
Released: 2007
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
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Ella Enchanted
Anne Hathaway, Heidi Klum
Released: 2004
Directed by: Tommy O'Haver
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Alice in Wonderland
Ed Wynn, Heather Angel
Released: 1951
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi
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Brave
Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson
Released: 2012
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
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The Swan Princess
John Cleese, Jack Palance
Released: 1994
Directed by: Richard Rich
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The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton
Released: 1939
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, King Vidor, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
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Pinocchio
Mel Blanc, Cliff Edwards
Released: 1940
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, T. Hee, Bill Roberts, Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen
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Hook
Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman
Released: 1991
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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Edward Scissorhands
Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder
Released: 1990
Directed by: Tim Burton
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Frozen
Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel
Released: 2013
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
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Penelope
Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci
Released: 2008
Directed by: Mark Palansky
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