If the magical world has left a permanent hole in your heart that nothing can fill, you are not alone, and you have no options. The best fantasy films have something in common with Harry Potter beyond wands and spells: the feeling that the world is bigger, stranger, and more wonderful than it seems, 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.
“Records Narnia (2005)
Four siblings evacuated to the countryside during World War II discover a wardrobe that opens to a very different world, one locked in an endless winter by a witch who has ruled her for a hundred years, and is terrified by a prophecy that four human children will end her reign. The film has the same quality that made the early Harry Potter films so magical, where an ordinary child feels like stepping into something enormous and discovers that he or she was always meant to be there.
The White Witch played by Tilda Swinton is one of the greatest fictional villains, and the movie is streaming on JioHotstar.
‘Fantastic beasts And where to find them” (2016)
Set in 1920s New York, the film follows wizarding scientist Newt Scamander as he arrives in America with a suitcase full of magical creatures who immediately flee into the city, the closest thing to a return to the wizarding world that exists outside of the original series. Eddie Redmayne plays Newt as a very likable, eccentric outsider whose love of magical creatures is more compelling than his love of 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 brave young girl living in a parallel world where every human has an animal companion called Satan who embodies their spirit, as she sets out to rescue children who are being kidnapped by a mysterious organization with terrifying intentions. The world-building is exceptional, the mythology is rich, and Dakota Blue Richards anchors the film with a performance of real fire and wit.
For anyone who loved the idea of a young protagonist discovering a vast and dangerous magical world, it’s streaming on Prime Video.
“Eragon” (2006)
A farm boy in a medieval fantasy world discovers a dragon’s egg that hatches just for him, bonding him to the creature and thrusting him into an ancient conflict between a tyrannical king and the last remaining rebels who remember a better world. It’s a film with the bones of a classic fantasy epic, a young hero, a fate he didn’t ask for, and a world full of magic that was suppressed and almost forgotten, and it captures the special joy of a story that takes its mythology seriously.
For fans of dragon lore and classic fantasy adventures, it is streaming on JioHotstar.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010)
A twelve-year-old boy with dyslexia and ADHD discovers that his real father is Poseidon, the god of the sea, and that the mythical scientist he studied in school is not only not real, but actively trying to kill him. The film has the same Harry Potter DNA in its bones – an ordinary kid who discovers an extraordinary heritage, a school for his kind, and a mission that will determine the fate of the world – and it deals with Greek mythology with a lightness and enthusiasm that makes it very entertaining.
It is streaming on JioHotstar.
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” (2008)
Twin brothers move into their great uncle’s old house and 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 straight to their door. The film has a wonderfully staccato energy and a real sense of danger that sets it apart from the bland fantasy films, and Freddie Highmore is excellent in the dual role of both brothers.
And for fans of the hidden magical worlds lurking beneath the surface of the ordinary, it’s 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 full of wit, romance, and true adventure, and the cast includes Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a wonderful scene-stealer, Robert De Niro, in a role that no one expected him to come to.
It’s the kind of movie that makes you feel a little warm and magical, and it’s streaming on Prime Video.
“Coraline” (2009)
A young girl discovers a secret door in her new home that leads to a perfect parallel version of her life, where her other mother cooks amazing food, her other father takes care of 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 truly unsettling fantasy films ever made, capturing the same mixture of wonder and dread that the darker “Harry Potter” films did so well.
It is a must-see movie that is streaming on Prime Video and can be rented on Apple TV.