Wong Kar-wai’s understated, romantic epic takes place in different storylines involving the year before China’s guarantee of self-rule for Hong Kong comes to an end.

Disjointed, Beautiful  Time Travel Storytelling Director’s Trademark Color Design Incredible Score

Havoc in Heaven (aka Uproar in Heaven) is the best-known telling of The Monkey King stories from the Chinese classic Journey to the West. One of the most celebrated Mandarin-language movies ever made, it was released a year before the Cultural Revolution shut down Chinese film production.

Chinese Animation Elements Inspired By Peking Opera Monkey King Rebels Against The Jade Emperor Of Heaven Based On Classic Literature

Many people born before the 1990s remember *this* as “The Lord of the Rings movie.” It covers all of Fellowship of the Ring and half of The Two Towers from J.R. R. Tolkein’s trilogy. The animation used a new technique in which the characters were captured via live-action and animators then traced the frame.

The OG Lord Of The Rings Movie Unique Animation Style Magically Captivating

The ancient Greek story of Orpheus, set in 1960 Paris. Director Jean Cocteau wrote, “While Orphée does encounter some lifeless audiences, it also encounters others that are open to my dream and agree to be put to sleep and to dream it with me.”

Critically-Acclaimed Set In Paris Based On Greek Myths

The Malian film Yeelen (aka Brightness) is set in the 13th Century Mali Empire. The main character is a magician who must escape his father, an evil wizard set upon killing his son after receiving a vision in which his son kills him.

Malian Cinema Underused Fantasy Setting Won The Jury Prize At Cannes

Less than two decades old, Hayao Miyazaki’s film is widely regarded as the greatest animated Japanese film ever made. The story of a 10-year-old girl moving between worlds resonates deeply, reminding one of Alice in Wonderland alongside older Western and Japanese myths.

Anime Classic Combines Western And Japanese Myths Coming-Of-Age Story

This fairy tale through Georges Méliès eyes is every bit as enchanting as Disney’s version. The fairy godmother transforms the mice and the pumpkin, and Cinderella must run from the ball at the stroke of midnight on the clock. This surreal climax includes dancing clocks, taunting Cinderella as they ring out their chimes. This was Méliès’ first major success and led him to focus his career on these lavish spectacles.

19th Century Pioneer Only 6 Minutes Long In The Public Domain (You Can Watch For Free!)

This telling of Dante’s Inferno was the longest, most expensive movie ever made at the time. It was heavily marketed to appeal both to the Italian intelligentsia and masses alike. Many of the imaginative, wild demons and monsters that inhabit Hell were inspired by artist Gustave Doré.

Early Popular Silent Film Bestiary Of Demons Public Domain (You Can Watch For Free!)

The stop-motion Christmas special has delighted children with its songs and stories for generations. It’s the longest continuously-running Christmas TV special for good reason – the 55-minute movie is packed with characters like the Abominable Snow Monster, Hermey the Dentist, and of course, Rudolph.

Children’s Christmas Classic Barely-Veiled LGBTQ Metaphors Message Of Acceptance And Friendship

This movie IS David Bowie. The legendary singer shines as the Goblin King, who has kidnapped a baby boy. Can his sister, played by Jennifer Connelly, make her way through the maze in time and save him?

David Bowie Sings And Dances Big Sister To The Rescue Jim Henson’s Goth Muppets

The anime fantasy adventure puts a young prince in the middle of a battle between a mining colony and an ancient forest. Along the way, he meets a young woman who was raised by wolves and has turned on her human forebearers.

Girl Raised By Wolves Humans V. Nature Complex Story Children’s Adventure Film

The classic children’s film about the inventor of a flying car and his family. Based on a book by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series.

Dick Van Dyke Sings And Dances “Child Catcher” Villain Is Horrifying Precocious Children Single Dad Finds Love

The Little Mermaid is one of the most fun movies ever to come out of Walt Disney Studios. Those of us who saw it in theaters have been singing the songs for 30 years.

Disney Renaissance Young Girl Becomes Her Own Person Classic Broadway-Style Numbers Fish-Out-Of-Water Humor (Literally)

Suspiria is a horror film that doesn’t rely on sudden volume spikes or shoehorned “twist’ endings or even really gore to earn its scares. It is patient and takes its time telling the story. The bright Technicolor expressionist sets, the intelligent sound mixing, and the wonderfully terrible score by Goblin work together to create a nightmare world.

Takes Place At A Ballet Academy The Colors And The Score Are Amazing Doesn’t Rush The Creepiness All-Time Classic Of Italian Cinema

Director Bob Fosse essentially created a musical autobiography in All That Jazz. The film seems to be an exercise in self-flagellation. The protagonist is a cigarette-smoking womanizing jerk. But isn’t the film also an old-fashioned humblebrag? Fosse appears to be saying, “I’m a jerk, but I still have more women than I can handle!”

Musical Autobiography Won The Palme D’Or At Cannes Protagonist Is A Jerk

One of Georges Méliès’ early silent shorts. The French director explored and experimented with the magic made possible by the new art form of film. In this movie, a chemist puts a head on a table and using his science to make it grow.

Early Special Effects Groundbreaking Short Film Magnificent Movie Magic

Warwick Davis starred in this defining role as a farmer who protects a special baby in a high fantasy setting.

High Fantasy 80s Epic Nominated For Visual Effects And Sound Effects Oscars Val Kilmer And Warick Davis

A hilarious, unique take on the classic novel, this broke box office records for Chinese-language films. Director Stephen Chow, famous for Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, created this movie about an aspiring demon hunter.

Martial Arts Comedy Chinese-Language Blockbuster Unique Brand Of Humor

The most direct comparison to David Lynch’s Eraserhead is some of the early works of Luis Buñuel. Both are surrealist Gothic artists, consciously informed by Freud. In this film, Lynch is clearly working out his own anxieties over fatherhood and carefully crafts images and sounds that can convey his horror.

Gothic Surrealism Rosemary’s Baby Is For Moms, Eraserhead Is For Dads Unique From Beginning To End

The devil rises out of a baptismal font in a French convent. He disguises himself as a priest and preaches a sermon to a group of nuns. As the tension builds, your eye is forced to dart between the nuns and the devil. What is he saying to them? Do they believe him? Then the scene suddenly changes in a blink, and the incredible kinetic energy director Georges Méliès built is unleashed on screen in a terrifying frenzy.

Early Silent Short Satan Himself Pioneering Use Of The Dissolve Transition

The 1990 fantasy is one of the most romantic movies ever made. Patrick Swayze stars as a murdered man who works to save his lover’s life.

Most Romantic Movie On The List Comic Relief From Whoopi Goldberg Ditto

The movie about a pig who wants to be a sheepdog was a surprise hit of the mid-1990s. Nominated for Best Picture, Babe featured characters that were a mix of real animals and animatronics. Amazing special effects just before the era of CGI-everything.

Heartwarming Talking Animals Animatronic Pigs Pig Wants To Be A Sheepdog

A hidden tunnel brings people inside actor John Malkovich’s head, allow them to literally “be” him.

Unique Premise Funny And Quirky

A Japanese anthology film that tells the stories of characters who live in a town atop a rubbish dump. The first explores a boy’s fantasy as a train conductor.

Japanese-Language Vignettes By Acclaimed Director Akira Kurosawa Kurosawa’s First Color Film

Julie Taymor used The Beatles’ music to tell a story of a group of friends living in London in the 1960s.

The Beatles Jukebox Musical Amazing Covers Of Legendary Songs Artsy And Unique

The record-setting blockbuster is part-sci-fi, part-fantasy, as well as part-animated and part-live action. A Marine uses new technology to live inside an “avatar” and infiltrate an alien people who are protected by their nature goddess.

Groundbreaking 3D Effects “Fern Gully In Space” Set Box Office Records

A Viking teenager befriends a dragon when his father expects him to be killing them.

Kids Adventure Movie Spawned Sequels And A TV Show Coming-Of-Age Story

Véronique and Weronika are two women who live in different countries and don’t know each other. However, they are identical, and their lives are intimately connected in ways that illude explanation.

Gorgeous, Poetic Palette Hypnotic And Mysterious “Metaphysical Masterpiece”

This Indian classic is a significant part of Telugu culture and is considered one of the country’s greatest films of all time in any genre. It tells the story of a poor man who must amass enough wealth to marry the princess he lives.

Bollywood Classic Aladdin-Like Fantasy Full Of Mystery

No animated movie this century has had such a huge cultural impact in short a time. Frozen was a classic right out of the gate, and years later, the movie and its songs are instantly recognizable across the globe. It’s also funny. And moving. Frozen is almost universally beloved — the only people who hate it are the parents of children who have been playing “Let It Go” nonstop for years. For Years.

Your Kids Will Love It. Maybe Too Much Based On A Hans Christian Andersen Story About Women, Directed By A Woman Won Best Animated Feature Film At The Academy Awards

A young girl’s life is transformed when her Fairy Godmother casts a spell to free her from her wicked stepmother and help her find her true love.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo Famous Fairy Tale Disney Animated Classic

Two young Irish children — on a human and one a mythical “selkie” — go on an adventure to free magical creatures.

Style And Creators Of The Book Of Kells Sibling Adventure Story Beautiful Irish Music

When Woody is stolen by an obsessive toy collector, Buzz must come to his rescue. Disney originally planned this as a direct-to-video sequel, but it was so good, they decided to release it in theaters. Its success notably changed the studio’s attitude toward sequels.

Better Than The Original Spaceman Saves Cowboy Cowgirl Jessie Joins The Gang

The first in the eight-film Harry Potter series, Sorcerer’s Stone showed it could be done. Harry grows up not knowing he’s a wizard or what really happened to his parents. But that all changes when he turns 11 years old.

Boy Learns He’s A Wizard First Film In The Series Your Kids Will Get Hooked — And So Will You

This celebrated Thai film tells two stories. The first is of two men who fall in love as they journey across the country. The other is of a soldier who goes into the woods to find a lost villager. Both are beautifully shot and put director Apichatpong Weerasethakul on the world map.

Romantic Journey Through Rural Thailand Magical Tiger Beautifully Shot In A Unique Setting

A bizarre Western about a gunfighter journeying through a surrealist version of the Old West.

Surrealist Acid Western Do The Symbols Mean Something, Or Not? Cult Classic

Controversial director Lars von Trier made this early on in his career — it’s only his third feature film. In it, a young American hopes to help out Germany after World War II. As with most of von Trier’s films, not everything goes as planned.

Experimental Style Highly Political Ironic Homage To Film Noir

An African American model is transported back to the times of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The film both exposes the horrors of the Maafa and explores the importance of connecting with one’s roots.

Tells The Story Of The Atlantic Slave Trade Brutally Accurate

A group of aristocrats gather to dine but cannot eat. One of director Luis Buñuel’s most acclaimed films, he humanizes the characters we meet while also keeping us at a certain distance from them.

Buñuel’s Trademark Absurd Surrealism Rich People Are Awful Random Dream Sequences

This is one of the most celebrated adaptions of the legendary King Arthur, Merlin, the Round Table, and Camelot. Filmed entirely in Ireland, the enchanting landscapes add to the richness of this telling.

Legendary Tales Of King Arthur Takes The Stories Seriously

Amy Adams plays an animated Disney Princess who is magically transported into the “real world” New York City.

Disney Princess In The Real World Half-Parody, Half-Homage Musical With A Sense Of Humor

The dark Czech fantasy interprets Alice in Wonderland as a disturbing dream rather than a fairy tale.

Dark Fantasy Adaptation Of Alice In Wonderland Bizarre Czech-Language Film

This romantic horror-comedy is a cult classic among the Chinese of a certain generation. In it, a debt collector spends a night in a haunted temple and is enchanted by a beautiful young maiden who may or may not be already dead.

Chinese Cult Classic Romantic, Funny, Scary Can The Dead And The Living Fall In Love?

What would happen if Peter Pan grew up? Robin Williams plays a Peter who has forgotten the magic of childhood — but makes a surprise return to Neverland.

Peter Pan Grows Up Robin Williams As Peter Pan Dustin Hoffman As Captain Hook

Set in a fictional dystopia, the film stars a cop and a journalist who both investigate a series of strange murders. One of Indonesia’s best films.

Noir-Style Fantasy Indonesian-Language Modern Classic Murder Mystery Set In A Dystopia

Coco is a heartwarming, tear-jerking family film about a boy who visits the land of the dead. The musical is one of Pixar’s best (perhaps its very best?)

The Importance Of Family And Family History Set In Mexico Won Academy Award For Best Animated Feature Boy Wants To Be A Musician, Not A Shoemaker

Directed by Spencer Williams, The Blood of Jesus is a classic of African American cinema. When a woman is accidentally shot by her atheist husband, Satan and an angel battle for her soul.

African American Director And Cast Good And Evil Battle For A Woman’s Soul