However, I find it strange that animation and fantasy are thought to be for kids.
Featuring an early performance from Tom Cruise,Legendwas a large part of the 1980s fantasy boom.
However, this wouldn’t matter in an animated iteration ofLegend.
Image by Yailin Chacon
It’s doubtful that Cruise would reprise his role as a voice actor, but it’s not impossible.
Additionally, animation has always excelled at making compelling and terrifying villains.
Animated characters would not face this problem and could go on as many adventures as the show allows.
Legend, released in 1985, is a fantasy film set in a mythical forest where a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate, embarks on a heroic quest to rescue Princess Lili and thwart the evil Lord of Darkness, preventing the world from succumbing to an eternal ice age.
The film toes the line of family-friendly, as there are some genuinely terrifying plot points.
Additionally, a new take onThe Dark Crystalcouldn’t go many other places besides animation.
However, transitioning to animation might be the best thingThe Dark Crystalfranchise can do to remain relevant.
Legend, released in 1985, is a fantasy film set in a mythical forest where a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate, embarks on a heroic quest to rescue Princess Lili and thwart the evil Lord of Darkness, preventing the world from succumbing to an eternal ice age.
Stephen Garlick and Lisa Maxwell voice the protagonists, Jen and Kira.
These feelings are positive and negative and center on the importance of imagination.
This is where a potential animated series could come in.
5Inkheart (2008)
This underrated fantasy film could have developed into a far-reaching franchise.
For most audiences, stumbling uponInkhearthappens by chance.
An animated series could change this and bring attention back to the overlooked IP.
The best-known animated take on the legend,The Sword in the Stone, fell flat for me.
However, there’s plenty of room for a new TV show, especially in animation.
The best-known animated take on the legend,The Sword in the Stone, fell flat for me.
Directed by Jim Henson and written by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, Labyrinth stars Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, a teenage girl whose accidental wish that her baby brother be taken by the Goblin King results in an epic quest to save the baby from the King through a vast labyrinth, accompanied by its inhabitants. David Bowie also stars as Jareth, the Goblin King, and many of the characters are played by puppets created by Henson.
The film is notable for its striking visuals and adherence to the traditional Arthurian mythology.
3Stardust (2007)
An immersive iteration of one of Neil Gamain’s lesser-known works.
The star-studdedStardustmovie takes on a lighter tone than the original novel by Neil Gaiman.
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, and featuring Henson’s signature use of puppetry and animatronics, The Dark Crystal tells the story of two Gelflings, a fictional race of elf-like fantasy creatures, who must embark on a quest to restore balance to their world through the mending of an all-powerful crystal, broken and corrupted by a malevolent race known as the Skeksis. Stephen Garlick and Lisa Maxwell voice the protagonists, Jen and Kira.
The styles would be vastly different, as the tone ofCoralineleans toward horror and is for a younger audience.
However,Stardustwould work well as a series, considering how many intersecting storylines there are.
The film is part of a loose trilogy by del Toro that includesCronosandThe Devil’s Backbone.
An animated series that explored all three movies would be interesting.
1Eragon (2006)
A movie that flopped despite the book series' huge popularity.
Eragonwas the only one ofThe Inheritance Cyclebooks to be adapted out of Christopher Paolini’s hit fantasy series.
Based on the German novel of the same name, The NeverEnding Story centers on Bastian Bux, a young boy who finds a book about a fantasy world called Fantasia, and becomes inexplicably connected to the book’s plot as he begins to read it. Barret Oliver stars as Bastian, with Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, and Alan Oppenheimer as part of the main cast.
This would have been a major problem if the movies had developed into a franchise.
I want the Disney+ show to succeed, as theEragonstory is personal to many people’s introduction tofantasy.
In Ron Howard’s 1988 fantasy film, the titular Willow (Warwick Davis) must go on a quest to protect a human baby from the clutches of the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) with the help of mercenary Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) and a cast of other colorful fantasy characters. Although it never quite achieved cult-classic status, the movie did launch Davis' career, and led to the creation of a sequel television series on Disney+ in 2022.
Excalibur is a 1981 film directed by John Boorman, which retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Starring Nigel Terry as Arthur and Nicol Williamson as Merlin, the movie covers the mystical origins of Excalibur, Arthur’s rise to power, and the eventual betrayal by his closest allies. The film is notable for its striking visuals and adherence to the traditional Arthurian mythology.
Stardust is a fantasy-based romantic adventure-comedy by director Matthew Vaughn and based on the original novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. In the film, Tristan, a young man who lives in an English town near a magical border wall, decides to catch a fallen star to win the affection of a woman named Yvaine. However, Tristan soon learns what - or who - the star is, and a grand adventure back to England begins.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a ten-year-old girl living in 1940s Spain who learns she is actually a long-lost fairy princess. With the help of a faun, she is set a series of tasks to complete in order to return to her true home in the fairy underworld. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, with Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, and Doug Jones making up the rest of the main cast.
Eragonis based on the book series of the same name, part of a more extensive book series known as the Inheritance Cycle. In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy named Eragon (Ed Speelers) happens upon a dragon’s egg. This egg leads him on a journey to protect his home from tyrannical monarch Galbatorix (John Malkovitch) and a dark sorcerer named Durza (Robert Carlyle). However, Eragon discovers that the egg contains a mighty dragon named Saphira (Rachel Weisz) that he bonds with, and with the help of friends and family, Eragon will challenge the empire and do what he can to keep the dragon safe.
