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Best Fantasy Movies

of the 1980s

The 20 highest-rated fantasy movies released between 1980 and 1989, ranked by IMDb score.

1

Vincent(1982)

8.3 IMDb

Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams that annoy his mother.

2

The Snowman(1982)

8.2 IMDb80% RT

A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

3

My Neighbor Totoro(1988)

8.1 IMDb94% RT87 Meta

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When t

4

Time of the Gypsies(1988)

8.1 IMDb100% RT

In this luminous tale set in the former Yugoslavia, Perhan, an engaging young Romany with telekinetic powers, is seduced by the quick-cash world of petty crime that threatens to destroy him and those

5

Fanny and Alexander(1982)

8.1 IMDb100% RT100 Meta

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a j

6

The Princess Bride(1987)

8 IMDb96% RT78 Meta

In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicili

7

Castle in the Sky(1986)

8 IMDb96% RT78 Meta

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

8

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind(1984)

8 IMDb91% RT86 Meta

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the

9

Wings of Desire(1987)

7.9 IMDb95% RT79 Meta

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel

10

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982)

7.9 IMDb99% RT92 Meta

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his litt

11

Ghostbusters(1984)

7.8 IMDb95% RT71 Meta

After losing their university jobs, three parapsychologists start a ghost-catching business in New York City and uncover a supernatural threat that could destroy the world.

12

Who Framed Roger Rabbit(1988)

7.7 IMDb96% RT83 Meta

'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acm

13

The King and the Mockingbird(1980)

7.7 IMDb100% RT87 Meta

A young shepherdess and a chimneysweep plan to get married and escape the clutches of a tyrannical king in love with her, assisted by the guile of a cheeky mockingbird, the king's archenemy.

14

The Purple Rose of Cairo(1985)

7.6 IMDb93% RT75 Meta

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Pur

15

Nothing Left to Do But Cry(1984)

7.6 IMDb

Two 20th-century friends accidentally stumble into the year 1492, where they meet a charming teen and try to alter history.

16

Alice(1988)

7.4 IMDb95% RT

A quiet young English girl named Alice finds herself in an alternate version of her own reality after chasing a white rabbit. She becomes surrounded by living inanimate objects and stuffed dead animal

17

Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth(1988)

7.2 IMDb

The Sun God Abel returns to life, bent on punishing the humans and cleansing Earth from their presence. When Athena joins him, leaving humans to their fate, the Bronze Saints must defend the world in

18

Somewhere in Time(1980)

7.2 IMDb52% RT29 Meta

Young writer Richard Collier is met on the opening night of his first play by an old lady who begs him to "Come back to me". Mystified, he tries to find out about her, and learns that she is a famous

19

Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods(1988)

6.6 IMDb

Hyoga is missing somewhere in Asgard... When Seiya and the others are looking for him, Athena is kidnapped and they have to rescue her from Dolvar and some mysterious warriors.

20

Godzilla vs. Biollante(1989)

6.5 IMDb75% RT

After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANE

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