Millennial film nostalgia online is overrun with The Goonies and The Princess Bride.
We don’t talk about the unhinged VHS tapes and made for TV miniseries that imbued us with weird and, sometimes, even fueled our nightmares. Let’s bring a little attention to some of those bizarre films. Some wholesome, some outright unsettling: these are the forgotten movies that stuck with me as a child.
Warning: might bring buried memories from subconscious to surface.
1. The Flight of the Dragons (1982):
Part philosophy, part fantasy adventure. This animated oddball has John Ritter as a science guy who gets transported into a magical realm where reason and magic are at war. It’s trippy, a little preachy, and surprisingly moving. It’s one of those movies you stumble on once and then spend years asking yourself if you imagined it.
Produced by Rankin/Bass (among others on this list, they had quite the niche), adapted loosely from Peter Dickinson’s book of the same name and Gordon R. Dickson’s The Dragon and the George. The film mixed pseudo-science explanations with fantasy lore, and its character designs share DNA with The Last Unicorn and The Hobbit.
Where to stream
- Available to rent or buy via Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play.
- You can also watch on YouTube.
2. The Last Unicorn (1982)
One of the most hauntingly beautiful films ever. Animated by Rankin/Bass (the same team behind the trippy 1977 Hobbit), with character designs outsourced to Topcraft: a Japanese studio that later evolved into Studio Ghibli. That’s why it has such an ethereal, melancholic look. Voice cast included Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, and Angela Lansbury. The music, by America and composer Jimmy Webb, makes the whole film feel more like a folk ballad than a cartoon.
The art is delicate and eerie and the story is stitched together through loss, transformation, and longing. It’s a “kids’ movie” that absolutely isn’t. It’s for the ones who grew up and realized childhood was always tinged with sadness.
Where to stream
- Streaming for FREE on Tubi, Plex, Fandago, and Amazon Prime!
- Also on YouTube (with subscription) and Apple TV from $3.99.
3. Legend (1985)
Directed by Ridley Scott fresh off Blade Runner, Legend is a dark fantasy that feels both lavish and claustrophobic. The sets were built on the massive 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios in England (which actually burned down during production). Tim Curry’s performance as Darkness, buried under hours of prosthetics by legendary makeup artist Rob Bottin (The Thing), is still considered one of the most striking villain portrayals in fantasy. Opposite him, a very young Tom Cruise plays Jack, the forest hero caught between innocence and corruption. The film flopped in theaters but later built a cult following, partly thanks to its multiple cuts and wildly different soundtracks (Tangerine Dream in the US, Jerry Goldsmith in the UK).
Where to stream
- Rent or Buy on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandago, and Apple TV.
4. The 10th Kingdom (2000)
A five-part NBC miniseries that ran over ten hours, The 10th Kingdom was one of the last big-budget fantasy experiments on network television before streaming made this kind of world-building more common. Produced by Hallmark Entertainment, it combined American actors (Kimberly Williams as Virginia, John Larroquette as her dad) with a largely British supporting cast, including Rutger Hauer, Dianne Wiest, and Ed O’Neill.
The story mashed together fractured fairy tales: trolls, wolf-men, evil queens, and magic mirrors and leaned heavily on both practical sets and early CGI. It won an Emmy for its makeup and earned cult status over the years, especially for Scott Cohen’s charismatic performance as Wolf. If you saw it at the time, you probably remember the talking dog Prince, a piece of camp that perfectly captures the series’ odd balance of sincerity and absurdity.
Where to stream
- Watch FREE with your Netflix subscription.
- Available to Rent or Buy via Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Fandago.
5. Gulliver’s Travels (1996 miniseries)
Technically not high fantasy, but this Ted Danson-led adaptation is surreal enough to belong here. Watching him tied down by hundreds of tiny people or wandering through a giant world hits the same imaginative nerve as the best fantasy. Plus, it was weirdly high-budget for a TV event.
I included it because I watched this on repeat as a kid. From the idiots on the flying land of Laputa to the graceful Houyhnhnm horses (and their counterpart, the savage Yahoos), it’s as unhinged as the rest of the list.
Where to stream
- Stream it FREE on Xumo, Roku, Amazon Prime, Tubi, or the CW.
- With subscription on Peacock.
6. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
So, yes. This one’s Disney and not really living in our subconsciouses.
Rewatch it to know why it belongs on the list anyway. Disney’s take on child Arthur and Merlin is whimsical, weird, and has that feeling of something eerie and off. This is a recurring late night watch for me because of the amazing Archimedes and the entirely creepy Madam Mim. Moments in this movie are truly gripping and frequently gloomy. The ever so slightly trippy nature of 1960s Disney animation along with the ethereal feel to their take on the story earned it’s spot on the list.
Where to stream
- Stream with subscription to Disney +.
- Available for Rent or Buy via Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Fandago.
7. The Hobbit (1977)
Also a Rankin/Bass production, with designs again from Topcraft. The animation has that distinctive watercolor softness, but it’s punctuated with strange tonal shifts: jaunty folk songs one minute, swampy nightmare-Gollum the next. It’s both charming and unnerving, which is why it lodged itself in so many childhood brains.
I watched this nearly weekly as a little kid and likely an embarrassing amount to this day. My elder brothers thought it was ridiculous, but this is a comfort movie for me (in fact the entire series). I couldn’t get enough of the strange cadence of speaking, the offbeat 70’s flavored folk soundtrack, and the exceptionally unique animation.
Where to stream
- Stream with your subscription to HBO Max or Hulu.
- Or with a premium subscription to Roku, YouTube, or Amazon Prime.
- Available for Rent or Buy via Google Play, Fandago, and Apple TV.
8. Merlin (1998)
Likely my all time favorite. Another telling of the story of Merlin and unique take o the world of Camelot, Lady Igraine, the famous sword, and the old gods (Queen Mab? Creeps me out, still).
Shot in England with a stacked cast (Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Helena Bonham Carter, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short). Lena Heady is featured as Guinevere, decades before her sensational performance as Cersei in Game of Thrones. The production leaned heavily on practical sets and the best TV CGI the late 90s could muster. Despite looking dated now, it won four Emmys and remains one of the most ambitious miniseries of its time.
I still watch this miniseries all the time. I keep coming back because of Martin Short’s exceptional performance as Frik – a quirky shapeshifting gnome that meddles with both the good side and bad. I love the character Frik so much, I named one of my rats after him.
Where to stream
- Stream for FREE with Xumo, Pluto TV, The CW, Tubi, Roku, and Amazon Prime.
- Watch via Peacock with subscription.
Bonus Pic for Merlin, It’s just that good.
Which one to watch first?
That’s a difficult question. Writing this makes me want to go binge each one back to back.
We’re not knocking modern fantasy film. Game of Thrones is clearly a masterpiece (though the new LOTR series is up for debate in my mind). Not every killer fantasy film lives in today’s billion-dollar franchises, some are the buried gems lurking in buried millennial memories.
Queue up one of these forgotten masterpieces and see if you don’t agree. At least in 2025, we have streaming to bring back bygone memories.
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