Plenty of fantasy films for families' entertainment

Harry Potter mania is upon us once again.

As popular as the books and movies are, though, the J.K. Rowling concept hasn't cornered the market on all things fantasy.

There's still the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy, as well as a little thing called "Twilight." And of course, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) is still the most beloved movie fantasy of all time.

Also, there are the classic, Disney animated classic fantasies, such as "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "The Little Mermaid" (1989), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Pinocchio" (1940), "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1939).

That's probably only scraping the tip of the Disney iceberg. So, in fairness, the list that follows, of other worthwhile film fantasies, only includes one of the Mouse House's cartoons, a lesser-known work:

Big Fish (2003, rated PG-13): Tim Burton's charming, underrated father-and-son tale features great performances from Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949, made before ratings): Bing Crosby is a man out of time in the fun, tune-filled, Mark Twain adaptation.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, PG-13): A deserved Academy Award winner, the Ang Lee epic offers a heady mix of martial arts and romance. Chinese with subtitles.

The Dark Crystal (1982, PG): Puppets (from the Muppets folks) star in this adventure, which has held up pretty well.

James and the Giant Peach (1996, PG): Faithful and fun adaptation of the Roald Dahl book, featuring stop-motion-animated characters.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963, G): The Greek myths (including the Golden Fleece story) are told using the special effects wizardry of Ray Harryhausen.

King Kong (1933, made before ratings): Better than Peter Jackson's bloated remake, the original has some thrilling moments. Black and white.

The Princess Bride (1987, PG): Rob Reiner's swords-and-romance comedy has gotten even better with age.

Spirited Away (2001, PG): Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, an Oscar-winning mystery that is utterly entrancing.

The Sword in the Stone (1963, G): One of the better retelling of the Arthurian legends, and featuring one of the all-time best Disney villains (Madam Mim).

e-mail: jeff@desnews.com