The Fantasy Film

The Fantasy Film provides a clear and compelling overview of this revitalized and explosively popular film genre. Includes analyses of a wide range of films, from early classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Harvey to Spiderman and Shrek, and blockbuster series such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Harry Potter films Provides in-depth historical and critical overviews of the genre Fully illustrated with screen shots from key films

List of Plates ix Acknowledgements xi 1 What’s in a Name: Defining the Elusive Fantasy Genre 1 2 Once upon a Time: A Brief Historical Overview 15 3 A Brief Critical Overview: Literary and Film Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror 38 4 The Wizard of Oz (1939): Over the Rainbow 55 5 Harvey (1950): A Happy Hallucination? 68 6 Always (1989): Spielberg’s Ghost from the Past 81 7 Groundhog Day (1993): No Time Like the Present 92 8 Big (1988): Body and Soul/‘‘Hearts and Souls’’ 104 9 Shrek (2001): Like an Onion 114 10 Spider-Man (2002): The Karmic Web 124 11 The Lord of the Rings (2001–3): Tolkien’s Trilogy or Jackson’s Thrillogy? 134 12 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005): A Joyful Spell 145 13 Harry Potter I–VI (2001–9): Words are Mightier than the Sword 156 14 Conclusion: Imagine That! 171 References 175 Index 186