Edgy Fantasy Animation
There's a certain style/feel to the movies I've added on this list... Mainly, darker fantasy animation of the late 70's - mid 80's. Misunderstood & often maligned, these movies were a bit too edgy (bizarre, trippy or creepy) to be popular family fare - but eventually gained cult status. Leave suggestions in your comments. (I didn't focus on anime, since there's an abundance of fan lists devoted to that).
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- 29 titles
- DirectorsJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.
- DirectorRené LalouxStarsBarry BostwickJennifer DrakeEric BauginOn a faraway planet where blue giants rule, oppressed humanoids rebel against their machine-like leaders.
- DirectorsRichard WilliamsAbe LevitowDon BluthStarsClaire WilliamsDidi ConnMark BakerRaggedy Ann and Andy leave their playroom to rescue Babette, a beautiful French doll kidnapped by pirates.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsBob HoltJesse WellesRichard RomanusOn a post-apocalyptic Earth, a wizard and his faire folk comrades fight an evil wizard who's using technology in his bid for conquest.
- DirectorsJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsOrson BeanJohn HustonTheodore GottliebA homebody hobbit in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsChristopher GuardWilliam SquireMichael ScholesThe Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle-earth.
- DirectorsMartin RosenJohn HubleyStarsJohn HurtRichard BriersRalph RichardsonHoping to escape destruction by human developers and save their community, a colony of rabbits, led by Hazel and Fiver, seek out a safe place to set up a new warren.
- DirectorsJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsOrson BeanJohn HustonTheodore BikelTwo Hobbits struggle to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom while their friends desperately fight evil Lord Sauron's forces in a final battle.
- DirectorLee MishkinStarsHans ConriedMorgan BrittanyCraig SchaeferThe king of the faeries sends for a young hunter after his shadow escapes and threatens his kingdom.
- DirectorsGerald PottertonJohn BrunoJohn HalasStarsRichard RomanusJohn CandyJoe FlahertyA glowing green orb that embodies ultimate evil terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories.
- DirectorRené LalouxStarsJean ValmontMichel EliasFrédéric LegrosPiel, a 7 or 8 year old boy, is alone on the desert planet Perdide, only survivor of an attack by giant hornets. Calling for help, Piel's father's friend Jaffar keeps contact with the kid and hurries across space toward Perdide.
- DirectorDon BluthStarsElizabeth HartmanDerek JacobiDom DeLuiseTo save her ill son, a field mouse must seek the aid of a colony of rats, with whom she has a deeper link than she suspected.
- DirectorsJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsJeff BridgesMia FarrowAngela LansburyA beautiful unicorn sets out to learn if she truly is the last of her kind in this sparkling animated musical.
- DirectorClive A. SmithStarsDon FrancksPaul Le MatGreg SalataA malevolent rock star kidnaps a singer to force her to participate in the summoning of a demon, and her band must help her stop him.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsRandy NortonCynthia LeakeSteve SandorAt the end of the ice age, an evil queen and her son are set on conquering the world using magic and warriors. The lone survivor of a crushed village fights back as does the king of Fire Keep.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsSumi ShimamotoMahito TsujimuraHisako KyôdaWarrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
- StarsArthur BurghardtMichael MishFred TravalenaThe comical adventures of a brave if klutzy knight and his companions who live in a fantastical medieval kingdom. Just like in the classic arcade the show is based on, the viewers are asked to guess which path leads the hero to safety.
- DirectorsTed BermanRichard RichStarsGrant BardsleyFreddie JonesSusan SheridanA young boy and a group of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.
- DirectorsWolfgang ReithermanClyde GeronimiDavid HandStarsRickie SorensenSebastian CabotKarl SwensonA poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in English history.
- DirectorJean-François LaguionieStarsMichel RobinLorella Di CiccoArmand BabelGwen is a young girl adopted by a nomad tribe in a desert post-apocalyptic world. When Gwen's friend is kidnapped, she and an old woman called Roseline embark on a trip to bring him back.
- CreatorMark EvanierStarsWillie AamesDon MostAdam RichA group of kids are thrown into a fantasy world where they must search for a way home, armed with magic weapons that an evil tyrant wants.
- DirectorRené LalouxStarsGlenn CloseChristopher PlummerPierre-Marie EscourrouAn evil force begins to destroy the idyllic paradise of Gandahar, where the citizens are in perfect harmony with nature.
- DirectorsTomm MooreNora TwomeyStarsEvan McGuireBrendan GleesonMick LallyA young boy in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids is beckoned to adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives with an ancient book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers.
- DirectorOsamu DezakiStarsShigeru MatsuzakiAkiko NakamuraToshiko FujitaAfter two years in hiding, a famed space pirate with a "psychogun" for a left arm joins a bounty huntress on a quest to save her world, only to find himself battling an old enemy.
- DirectorsJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsVictor BuonoJames GregoryJames Earl JonesA young Boston writer goes back in time into an era where wizards and dragon reign and science is just barely known.
