Best Fantasy Movies of 1996

The highest-rated fantasy films from 1996, ranked by MovieMagicScore based on authentic viewer ratings.

Fantasy 1995 Fantasy 1997 All Time Fantasy

Action Comedy Drama Horror Science Fiction Thriller Romance Animation Documentary Crime

Matilda

1996

Matilda Wormwood is an exquisite and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia misunderstand her because they think she is so different. As time passes, she finally starts school and has a kind teacher, loyal friends, and a sadistic headmistress. As she gets fed up with the constant cruelty, she begins to realize that she has a gift of telekinetic powers. After some days of practice, she suddenly turns the tables to stand up to Harry and Zinnia and outwit the headmistress.

7.2

Dragon Ball: The Path to Power

1996

A retelling of Dragon Ball's origin with a different take on the meeting of Goku, Bulma, and Kame-Sen'nin. It also retells the Red Ribbon Army story; but this time they find Goku rather than Goku finding them.

7.3

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

1996

A strange meteor lands in Japan and unleashes hundreds of insect-like "Legion" creatures bent on colonizing the Earth. When the military fails to control the situation, Gamera shows up to deal with the ever-evolving space adversary. However the battle may result in Gamera losing his bond with both Asagi and humanity.

7.5

The God of Cookery

1996

The most renowned and feared chef in the world loses his title of God of Cookery because of his pompous attitude. Humbled, he sets out to reclaim his title.

7.2

The Craft

1996

A Catholic school newcomer falls in with a clique of teen witches who wield their powers against all who dare to cross them -- be they teachers, rivals or meddlesome parents.

6.8

How the Toys Saved Christmas

1996

When Santa's helper La Befana falls ill and must take off a Christmas Eve, she recruits Scarafoni to help deliver all the toys. No one but the toys knows is that Scarafoni plans to auction off the toys to the highest bidder, which means the toys won't make it to the children who have been good all year and deserve them. The toys decide to deliver themselves, and the story follows them as they struggle to avoid the heartless Scarafoni and to find their true homes.

7.2

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

1996

A girl, sent by her parents to live with her two eccentric aunts, finds out on her sixteenth birthday that she is a witch.

6.7

James and the Giant Peach

1996

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

6.6

Slayers Return

1996

Lina Inverse and Naga the White Serpent are back! What begins as a routine bandit-stomping turns into the adventure of a lifetime involving magical golems, an ancient Elven weapon and even someone bent on destroying the world. It's a predicament only Lina and Naga could get themselves in to.

6.5

#10

DragonHeart

1996

In an ancient time when majestic fire-breathers soared through the skies, a knight named Bowen comes face to face and heart to heart with the last dragon on Earth, Draco. Taking up arms to suppress a tyrant king, Bowen soon realizes his task will be harder than he'd imagined: If he kills the king, Draco will die as well.

6.5

#11

Wish Upon a Star

1996

A younger sister wishes to switch places with her popular older sister and the two bickering siblings awaken to find the wish has come true.

6.5

#12

Phenomenon

1996

An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.

6.5

#13

Mars Attacks!

1996

A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

6.4

#14

Tromeo & Juliet

1996

All the body-piercing, kinky sex, and car crashes that Shakespeare wanted but never had! Join Tromeo and Juliet as they travel through Manhattan's underground in search of climactic love, violence and the American Way.

6.0

#15

All Dogs Go to Heaven 2

1996

Charlie and Itchy return to Earth to find Gabriel's Horn, but along the way meet up with a young boy named David, who ran away from home.

6.0

#16

The Preacher's Wife

1996

Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Biggs prays to God for help – which arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.

5.8

#17

Bogus

1996

Recently orphaned, a young boy is taken in by his godmother who is shocked to realize that she can see the boy's imaginary friend: a flamboyant, French magician named Bogus.

5.8

#18

Joe's Apartment

1996

A nice guy has just moved to New York and discovers that he must share his run-down apartment with a couple thousand singing, dancing cockroaches.

5.8

#19

Thinner

1996

An obese lawyer finds himself growing "Thinner" when an old Romani man places a hex on him. Now the lawyer must call upon his friends in organized crime to help him persuade the old man to lift the curse. Time is running out for the desperate lawyer as he draws closer to his own death, and grows ever thinner.

5.9

#20

Multiplicity

1996

Construction worker Doug Kinney finds that the pressures of his working life, combined with his duties to his wife Laura and daughter Jennifer leaves him with little time for himself. However, he is approached by geneticist Dr. Owen Leeds, who offers Doug a rather unusual solution to his problems: cloning.

5.8

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Best Fantasy Movies of 1996

This ranking features the top fantasy movies released in 1996, sorted by MovieMagicScore viewer ratings. Looking for more? Browse all genres from 1996 or see the best fantasy movies of all time.