7 Near-Perfect Family Fantasy Movies That No One Remembers Today

Of course, saying that no one remembers these movies is a bit of an exaggeration, since there are most certainly at least a few hardcore cinephiles who are perfectly familiar with them. But, for the most part, no one would really object to calling these seven masterpieces "hidden gems." They're all, in their own way, masterclasses in family filmmaking; proof that there's no viewing experience quite as fun for kids and parents alike as a well-made fantasy movie.

7 'The Elm-Chanted Forest' (1986)

For people looking for family gems hidden outside of Hollywood, European cinema is an option you can't go wrong with—including the cinema of countries that no longer exist. The Elm-Chanted Forest was the very first animated feature produced in Yugoslavia, and it follows a painter who must help the creatures of an enchanted forest stop the evil Cactus King, who's building an army of magical living weapons and machines to turn the forest into a wasteland. It's a beautifully bizarre film, that's for sure, but one that's nevertheless a blast of fun to put on in the living room.

It's kind of like a cinematic acid trip—perfect for the whole family! Its cleverly conveyed political message is more than interesting enough for grown-ups, but kids will be enthralled by the colorful animation, as well as creeped out by some of the movie's most oddly disturbing moments. What's a good animated family film without some eternal trauma? It's one of the best—and most underappreciated—kids' movies of the '80s, a funny and weird little gem that's worthy of a far bigger cult following.

6 'Havoc in Heaven' (1961)

Made at the height of the Chinese animation industry, Havoc in Heaven (also known as The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven) is one of the best adaptations of the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Its story follows Sun Wukong, King of the Monkeys, as he sets off on his first adventure to gain a worthy weapon. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and the music is some of the best of any non-Disney animated film of the '60s. As far as classic family fantasy movies go, it doesn't get much more artful or entertaining than this.

Fluidly paced, beautifully surreal, and absolutely badass in how its protagonist is a mischievous monkey who flips off the gods, Havoc in Heaven is precisely the kind of children's entertainment that the entire world, not just China, needs more of. It's so philosophically charged and thematically sharp that adults are guaranteed to find it fascinating, but also more than dynamic and colorful enough for kids to find it utterly hypnotic.

5 'On Borrowed Time' (1939)

It's not only animated films, and definitely not only foreign films, that contain history's most underappreciated family fantasy movies. In fact, even periods as dense with masterpieces as Hollywood's Golden Age contain plenty of them. Case in point: On Borrowed Time, a fairy tale about a cantankerous old man who takes in his beloved orphaned grandson, who he must protect with the help of an agent of Death and a magical apple tree. Starring the legendary Lionel Barrymore, who was already an acting veteran when he made the film, it's one of Hollywood's most underrated fantasy movies of the '30s.

The movie was adapted from Paul Osborn's 1938 Broadway hit play, and though the movie was originally criticized by some for how the Hays Code had toned down the material and dialogue from the source material, time has been quite kind to this '30s classic. The movie reads both like a folk tale and like a Twilight Zone episode in all the best ways possible, with a bittersweet tone that stays ingrained in one's memory for days after the credits roll. It is, all in all, one of the best fantasy movies of Hollywood's Golden Age, and it's about time people started talking about it as such.

4 'The Little Fox' (1981)

Hungarian animated cinema is a whole new world of masterpieces waiting to be found, and among them, The Little Fox (known in Hungary simply as Vuk) stands out as one of the best. It tells the tale of a little red fox kit who ventures away from his family's den and, upon his return, finds it empty. It's one of the most near-perfect animated movies that time forgot, as the film is unlikely to be known by many people outside of Europe nowadays. That shouldn't be the case: The Little Fox is a nostalgia-infused coming-of-age unlike any other.

Sure, its message can feel a little preachy at times, but that's to be expected of many family fantasy flicks. Overall, The Little Fox shines thanks to its beautifully touching story, its cute art style, and its lack of fear of getting a bit dark, something that animated children's movies rarely are in the modern day. It's a delightful, charming, and funny hidden gem that has generally aged quite well, and that deserves a lot more recognition from families nowadays.

3 'Rock'n Roll Wolf' (1976)

Also known as Mama, Rock'n Roll World is a Romanian–Soviet–French musical where the Big Bad Wolf and his friends are plotting to kidnap and ransom Mrs. Rada the Goat's children for a bag of gold. It may not be one of the best musicals of all time, but it sure is one of the most underappreciated European musicals of the 20th century. It's an absolutely wild fever dream the likes of which could probably not be made today, a mind-twisting ride and underrated masterpiece that families around the world really ought to check out, which they can do for free on YouTube.

Colorful, gorgeously detailed and intricate in its visuals, and packed with banger song after banger song, Rock'n Roll Wolf seems ripe for a cult reception, which makes it rather bizarre that it's not a classic as big as, say, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's an elaborate, family-friendly rock opera with enough disco glamour to satisfy any musical fan, a genuinely brilliant masterpiece that theater kids in particular are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy thoroughly.

2 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed' (1926)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed, based on elements from several One Thousand and One Nights stories, is about a handsome prince traveling to faraway lands on his flying horse to embark on magical adventures. Calling this one a "hidden" gem is a bit of a stretch, since you'd be hard-pressed to find many true hardcore cinephiles who aren't at least familiar with its existence. However, it's fair to say that practically no mainstream viewers remember it, since the misconception that Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated film of all time is still rather common. It wasn't, actually, as proven by this German fairy tale masterpiece that predates it by 11 years.

It's nothing short of one of the best fantasy movies of the last 100 years, a gorgeous film that has aged like fine wine. It was built on the basis of a silhouette animation technique that director Lotte Reiniger invented with the help of many famous avant-garde animators. A century later, Prince Achmed is still as magical, charming, and wonderful of a family-friendly adventure as it surely must have been back in 1926, with visuals that still look marvelous and a story that's universally engaging. Not a single word of dialogue is needed for this to be not only one of the most historically important films of cinema's early days, but also one of the best animated movies ever made.

1 'Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne' (1969)

As far as Indian filmmakers go, it doesn't get much more internationally famous, important, or groundbreaking than Satyajit Ray. He made several hugely acclaimed masterpieces over the course of his notorious career, but at some point during the '60s, he started to feel a desire to make a film that, unlike the rest of his work, would cater to children. So, he took the characters of Goopy Gyne and Bagha Byne from the Sandesh magazine and made the superhero satire Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a fantasy musical with music and lyrics composed and written by Ray himself. This may be a cornerstone of Indian cinematic culture, but among the rest of the world, it's a tragically underappreciated gem.

In this cinematic landscape still dominated by superhero fare, something this unique and masterfully made is as refreshing as it is delightful for the entire family. The music is wonderful, the production values have aged remarkably well, and Ray always treats his audience with the same level of nuance and intelligence as in the rest of his oeuvre, proving that you don't need to dumb down a film's message in order for kids to absorb it. It's a practically perfect family fantasy film in every way, and a must-see for those who love the genre.