Film

Strange Magic

A sprawling animated musical fantasy where a love potion throws a magical realm into chaos, sparking romantic entanglements across warring factions. It's bursting with bright colours, big production numbers, and genuine charm, even when the plot meanders. Perfect for families who love musicals and don't mind their stories a little wonderfully weird.

TMDb rating3.6

If you liked this

Enchanted2007

A fairy-tale princess tangles with modern New York in this smart, sincere musical that celebrates both classic Disney and subverts it. Genuinely moving underneath the fun.

But If you hate fourth-wall winking or prefer your fantasy grounded, the tonal shifts between storybook fantasy and real-world comedy might grate.

Enchanted poster

Shrek2001

A fantasy adventure that treats its misfit characters with real affection while cracking jokes adults will love. Brilliant voice cast, enduring songs, and surprising emotional depth.

But The pop-culture references date it heavily, and the plot is fairly straightforward—there's no mystery, just charm and spectacle.

Shrek poster

Stardust2007

A swathe of magical adventure, sword fights, and genuine romance. Visually gorgeous, funny without being smug, and genuinely moves between registers. Neil Gaiman's fingerprints are all over it.

But It's long and juggles several storylines—if you need a tight plot, it can feel baggy. Some fantasy elements are left deliberately vague.

Stardust poster

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Trolls2016

Both are kaleidoscopic fairy-tale worlds that prize spectacle and music over tight plotting. They share a belief that colour, song, and pure whimsy are enough reason to make a film.

A hypercolour musical comedy about tiny creatures that sing constantly, where the entire film moves like a fever dream of brightness and optimism. Pure joy as visual style.

But It's deliberately abrasive—the colours are aggressive, the songs are constant, and the relentless cheerfulness will exhaust you if you're not in the exact right mood.

Trolls poster
More like this (8)

Anastasia1997

A musical animated film with real stakes, a memorably menacing villain, and songs that stick with you. The relationship between the leads feels earned, not assumed.

But The animation is dated in places. It also plays fairly straight, so if you're craving subversion or irony, this sincere approach might feel saccharine.

Anastasia poster

Troll Hunter2010

A Norwegian found-footage dark fantasy that treats its mythological creatures with genuine worldbuilding. Funny, tense, and surprisingly moving. Proof that fantasy doesn't need a massive budget to work.

But The found-footage framing is shakier than most—literally. If that style makes you queasy, or you're looking for colour and spectacle, this is grittier and stranger.

Troll Hunter poster

The Spiderwick Chronicles2008

A family adventure that takes wonder seriously without talking down to kids. Great practical effects mixed with animation, a genuinely frightening villain, and real emotional stakes about family.

But The plot is fairly conventional—orphans find a magical field guide—and some character voices skew annoying. It's also bloodier than typical kids' fantasy.

The Spiderwick Chronicles poster

Labyrinth1986

A Jim Henson puppet fantasy that's genuinely weird and deeply weird, with music by David Bowie and a castle that shouldn't exist. A teenage girl's fever dream made real.

But It's slow, stops for David Bowie musical numbers, and the practical effects feel handmade in ways some find creepy rather than charming. The plot is slight.

Labyrinth poster

A Troll in Central Park1994

An animated musical about a cheerful troll spreading magic through New York. Unrelentingly positive and strange, with Don Bluth's characteristic hand-drawn magic and genuine heart.

But It's aggressively wholesome to modern sensibilities. The animation is dated, and some will find the relentless sweetness exhausting rather than heartwarming.

A Troll in Central Park poster

The Swan Princess1994

An animated fantasy musical where a princess must save herself and undo a curse. Earnest, colourful, with character arcs that actually go somewhere and songs that work without winking.

But It's genuinely not fashionable, and that's intentional—very much a product of its moment. The animation ranges wildly in quality, and the plot is fairly straightforward.

The Swan Princess poster

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio2022

Both are animated musicals that treat fairy-tale figures seriously and place them in worlds where magic and consequences coexist. Both refuse to choose between fun and feeling.

A stop-motion musical about a puppet boy navigating magic and loss in Fascist Italy. Visually stunning, darkly funny, and genuinely moving. Every frame is a painting.

But It's far more serious than a traditional Pinocchio. The stop-motion is hypnotic but takes time to watch. It's beautiful precisely because it sits with darkness and grief.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio poster

The Owl House2020

Both centre outsiders navigating magical worlds through affection and music. Both refuse to punish their characters for feeling things genuinely, and both treat their fantasy settings as spaces where growth happens.

A Disney animated series about a human girl in a magical realm, mixing comedy, romance, genuine world-building, and real stakes. It's funny, warm, and surprisingly thoughtful about identity and belonging.

But It's deliberately queer and political in ways that will alienate certain viewers. Early episodes are slower while it finds its footing. It was cancelled before full conclusion.

The Owl House poster

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