The 1990s were full of a lot of legendary nostalgia. If you ask anyone who grew up in the '90s, you'll hear reminiscing about the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1990 and even the introduction of Sony's very first console the PlayStation.
Another category you will find 90's kids have strong feelings and opinions on is their favorite fantasy movies.
You could argue the fantasy genre was at its peak in the 1990s with some of the most classic movie releases to date. Interested in knowing which are the best?
Here is a comprehensive list of the top 10 best fantasy movies released in the 90s.
Key Takeaways:
Best Fantasy Movies Released in the '90s
- Hook
- Beauty and the Beast
- Dragonheart
- Mortal Kombat
- The Borrowers
- Ghost
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Jumanji
- The Green Mile
Top 10 90s Fantasy Movies
Fantasy movies have become increasingly popular in recent years, and the 1990s were no exception.
From animated children’s classics to sword-wielding epic adventures, there were plenty of excellent fantasy movies that were released during this decade, as well as some that weren’t so great.
Whether you want to relive your childhood or reminisce about your favorite actors, here are the top 10 best fantasy movies released in the '90s.
Hook - 1991
Hook, the movie, is easily one of the best fantasy films ever made. Hook tells the story of Peter Pan and, when he grew up, forgotten about his adventures as a child.
The movie features Robin Williams playing Peter Pan in what could be argued as one of his best performances. The movie was officially released in 1991, and it was directed by the world-famous Steven Spielberg.
Hook has since garnered a cult following, with people from the 90s leading the pack. It has a 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and many fans re-watch it yearly.
Beauty and the Beast - 1991
Beauty and the Beast have become one of Disney's most famous and well-known animated films. It's garnered so much praise and so much fanfare that they've since released a live-action adaptation of it in 2017.
The live-action adaptation of the film received a lot of praise too. However, it's still the original that wins fans over the most. The movie has garnered an 8.0/10 rating on IMDB.
The film is about a prince that was cursed. He was cursed to live out his days as a monster and the only way he could break the curse was by winning over a young woman's love. It's a beautiful story and even better music and animation.
You could argue it pushed the animation genre forward in a big way.
Dragonheart - 1996
Dragonheart is another movie that you will find a lot of people from the 90s have strong feelings towards.
It was released in the latter half of the decade. It's a movie that was directed by Rob Cohen and it ended up getting nominated for having the best visual effects by the Academy.
This film currently sits at a 6.4/10 on IMDB and a 60% user score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mortal Kombat - 1995
Mortal Kombat is one of those films that you either love or hate. A lot of people ended up falling in love with the movie because they were already big fans of the game.
Mortal Komat is a live adaption of a very popular selling video game from the 90s. It did a lot of fanfare offering fans a glimpse of their favorite video game characters in real life.
It's considered to this day as one of the best video game adaptations because it remained so true to the source material.
The Borrowers - 1997
The Borrowers is another movie that was released in the 90s in the fantasy genre. This particular movie came out in the late 90s in 1997. It's both a fantasy and a comedy.
The film is about a secret family of 4 rich people living in a home that they need to save from a power and money-hungry real estate developer.
The power and money-hungry developer is brilliantly played by John Goodman. The entire store is fun to watch. It currently has a 5.8/10 rating on IMDB.
Ghost - 1990
Ghost is another fantasy film in which you will find plenty of people discussing the best movies released in the 90s.
Ghost is more of a romantic fantasy that wasn't as common back then. The film is about a banker and an artist that are deeply in love. In the movie, Sam is murdered over a business deal gone wrong, and his ghost is free to roam around as a powerless spirit.
The film has a solid 7.1/10 rating on IMDB, and it has a great acting job by Patrick Swayze. Demi Moore also plays a great lover in this film, and Whoopi Goldberg has a central role in the film too.
The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
This is a movie that was released in the early 90s. The Nightmare Before Christmas was released as a stop-motion animated dark fantasy.
It's one of Tim Burton's earliest works, and it's certainly what you would call a classic. In this, Tim Burton tells a story about Jack Skellington, who is the king of Halloween Town and happens to stumble into Christmas Town and ends up getting obsessed with the different holidays.
What makes this particular movie stand out so much is the fact that it has such a brilliant voice-acting cast and brilliant effects.
It was nominated for the Academy Awards in 1994 for having the best visual effects. This movie sits with a stellar 7.98 out of 10 rating on IMDB.
Jumanji - 1995
Jumanji is another cult classic that you will find every 90s kid talking about when they are reminiscing over the best fantasy releases from their favorite golden era.
Jumanji was released in 1995, and it's a fantasy adventure film. It doesn't leave you yearning for adventure, either.
The film takes you through a wild journey where a boy gets trapped in a supernatural board game while playing with his friend. That same boy is then released when years later, a couple of kids start to play it.
It's a fun movie to watch from start to finish, and it has a well-earned 7/10 rating on IMDB because of it. You can buy the board game here, too.
The Green Mile - 1999
The Green Mile is another fantasy classic. This is a drama that was made based on one of Stephen King's best books. The film takes place during The Great Depression and it's one of Tom Hanks's best acting jobs. It is an extremely emotional story. This film currently has an 8.6/10 rating on IMDB making it the best-rated film on this list.
Matilda is another movie in which you will find plenty of 90s babies being nostalgic over. This is a film that was released in 1996 and it tells the story of a girl with psychic powers. She proceeds to use these powers to deal with her family in fun ways. It features brilliant performances from Mara Wilson as Matilda and Danny DeVito as Mr. Wormwood.
What Are Your Favorite 90s Fantasy Films?
As you can tell, there are plenty of fantasy releases that came out in the 90s. You can tell how much of an impact a lot of them made, with many of them having re-releases sometime in the 2000s.
What movie do you love from our list? Which movie did not make the list that you think we should have included?
Email us at intothe1990s@gmail.com to let us know!