If the wizarding world left a permanent hole in your heart that nothing has quite managed to fill, you are not alone, and you are not out of options. The best fantasy films share something with Harry Potter that goes beyond wands and spells, a sense that the world is larger and stranger and more wonderful than it appears, and that somewhere just out of sight there is a door waiting to be opened. Here are eight films that come closest to recreating that feeling.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ (2005)
Four siblings evacuated to the countryside during World War II discover a wardrobe that opens into an entirely different world, one locked in an endless winter by a witch who has ruled it for a hundred years and is terrified of a prophecy that says four human children will end her reign. The film has the same quality that made the early Harry Potter films so magical, the sense of an ordinary child stepping into something enormous and discovering that they were always meant to be there. Tilda Swinton’s White Witch is one of the great fantasy villains, and the film is streaming on JioHotstar.
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ (2016)
Set in 1920s New York and following magizoologist Newt Scamander as he arrives in America with a suitcase full of magical creatures that promptly escape into the city, this is the closest thing to returning to the wizarding world that exists outside the original series. Eddie Redmayne plays Newt as a wonderfully awkward, deeply endearing outsider whose love for magical creatures is more convincing than his love for almost anything else, and the film builds a version of the wizarding world that feels genuinely fresh. It is streaming on Prime Video and JioHotstar.
‘The Golden Compass’ (2007)
Based on Philip Pullman’s beloved novel, the film follows Lyra Belacqua, a fearless young girl living in a parallel world where every human has an animal companion called a daemon that embodies their soul, as she sets off to rescue children being taken by a mysterious organisation with terrifying intentions. The world-building is extraordinary, the mythology is rich, and Dakota Blue Richards anchors the film with a performance of genuine fire and intelligence. For anyone who loved the idea of a young protagonist discovering a vast and dangerous magical world, it is streaming on Prime Video.
‘Eragon’ (2006)
A farm boy in a medieval fantasy world discovers a dragon egg that hatches for him alone, binding him to the creature and drawing him into an ancient conflict between a tyrannical king and the last remaining rebels who remember a better world. It is a film with the bones of a classic fantasy epic, a young hero, a destiny he did not ask for, and a world full of magic that has been suppressed and nearly forgotten, and it captures the particular pleasure of a story that takes its mythology seriously. For fans of dragon lore and classic fantasy adventure, it is streaming on JioHotstar.
‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ (2010)
A twelve-year-old boy with dyslexia and ADHD discovers that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, and that the mythological world he studied in school is not only real but actively trying to kill him. The film has the same DNA as Harry Potter in its bones, an ordinary child discovering an extraordinary heritage, a school for people like him, and a quest that will determine the fate of the world, and it handles the Greek mythology with a lightness and enthusiasm that makes it enormously fun. It is streaming on JioHotstar.
‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ (2008)
Twin brothers moving into their great-great-uncle’s old estate discover a field guide to the secret world of faeries hidden in the walls, and the moment they open it, they set in motion a chain of events that brings every creature described in its pages directly to their door. The film has a wonderful scrappy energy and a genuine sense of danger that sets it apart from gentler fantasy films, and Freddie Highmore is excellent in the dual role of both brothers. For fans of hidden magical worlds lurking just beneath the surface of the ordinary, it is streaming on Prime Video
‘Stardust’ (2007)
A young man crosses the wall that separates his village from a magical kingdom to retrieve a fallen star for the girl he loves, only to discover that the star is actually a woman named Yvaine and that half the kingdom is hunting her for reasons of their own. The film is witty, romantic, and genuinely adventurous, with a cast that includes Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a magnificently scene-stealing Robert De Niro in a role nobody saw coming. It is the kind of film that leaves you feeling warm and slightly enchanted, and it is streaming on Prime Video.
‘Coraline’ (2009)
A young girl discovers a secret door in her new home that leads to an idealised parallel version of her life, where her Other Mother cooks wonderful food, her Other Father pays attention to her, and everything seems perfect until she notices that everyone in this world has buttons for eyes. Henry Selick’s stop-motion masterpiece is one of the most visually stunning and genuinely unsettling fantasy films ever made, capturing the same mixture of wonder and dread that the darker ‘Harry Potter’ films did so well. It is an absolute must-watch and is streaming on Prime Video and for rent on Apple TV. Go to Source
