If you absolutely cannot wait for the big release of the Harry Potter spin-off, we’re sharing a few other movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to help you get into the fantasy-action mood! If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been celebrating the film all week, first with our delicious pumpkin butterbeer recipe, then with our favorite trivia and quotes from the movie.
The film hits theaters on November 18, 2016. It is the 1st movie in the trilogy (yay!), with the 2nd movie coming out on November 16, 2018, and the 3rd on November 20, 2020. As I’m sure you know, the film is inspired by the 2001 book of the same name by J.K. Rowling. Check out some other great fantasy movies to watch before (or after) you head to the theaters!
Other Movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
You’ll note that the Harry Potter series is not on this list. Before you head to the comment section to yell at us, we left it off because it’s just way too obvious! I mean, it’s probably the first movie you thought of, right? Our goal here is to give you some ideas outside the box! Ready to check them out?
The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm is a 2005 adventure fantasy movie that is an exaggerated version of the Brothers Grimm, who were most famous for the folk tales of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella. The movie is about Jake and Will Grimm, a pair of con artists who travel near and far. They find themselves encountering a fairy-tale curse which forces them to use courage instead of bogus exorcisms. The Brothers Grimm stars Heath Ledger as Jake Grimm and Matt Damon as Will Grimm.
The BFG
The BFG (which stands for Big Friendly Giant) is a 2016 movie based on the classic children’s book by Roald Dahl. It stars Mark Rylance and the title character, Ruby Barnhill as Sophie and Penelope Wilton as The Queen. The story follows Sophie, a girl who encounters the BFG who, despite his scary looks, turns out to be a kind and gentle soul considered an outcast by other giants because he doesn’t want to eat kids. We loved this movie so much that we created a yummy movie treat for it: a Raspberry Frobscottle drink!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 fantasy adventure movie that is the 1st movie in the trilogy, with the 2nd being the 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and the 2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The movie is also based on the 1937 book titled The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The movie has an all-star cast that includes Martin Freeman and Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield.
Snow White and the Huntsman
Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 dark fantasy movie that is based on fairy tale titled Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. The movie tells the story of a Huntsman tasked with taking Snow White into the woods to kill her, but instead ends up protecting her against the Evil Queen. Snow White and the Huntsman stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen Ravenna.
The Golden Compass
If you like movies based on best-selling fantasy books, you’ll love the Golden Compass. Released in 2007, the film was adapted from Philip Pullman’s first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. It stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Nicole Kidman, Kathy Bates, Iam McKellen, Sam Elliot and Christopher Lee. The story follows young Lyra Belacque as she journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other children from being experimented on by a horribly mysterious organization.
More fabulous fantasy/adventure movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The above are just a few of our favorite picks for your family movie night. If you’ve seen all of those or are still hungry for more fantastic adventures, check out:
- Inkheart
- Princess Bride
- Labyrinth
- The Neverending Story
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Dark Crystal
- Willow
- Hugo
Do you know of any other great movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that we missed? Share in the comments!
I love all of these movies and I think I have seen most of them. Willow and Labyrinth are my absolute faves!
I absolutely love all things Harry Potter. I am so looking forward to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find THem!
I’ve only seen one of the movies you’ve mentioned. I’d love to see the others and they’re likely being added to my movie list!