# Modern Day Fairytales? (movies only) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753 "2011-02-26T22:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/1 "2011-02-26T22:33:47Z")
Modern day = set in the 1900s-2000s I’m looking for recommendations for fairytale movies to tide me over until Suckerpunch comes out next month. They can be overt, like Labyrinth, or subtle, like Running Scared, as long as there’s some sort of fairytale element to it. However, if they’re the dreamy sort, they also need **to make sense** , which the first two on my dislike list do a poor job of IMHO. Like: Labyrinth syfy’s [Alice](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1461312/combined) [Running Scared](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404390/combined) Spirited Away [No Such Thing](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248190/combined) Dislike: Mirrormask (too incoherent) Ink (too incoherent) Tinman (mind-numbingly boring) Howl’s Moving Castle (dunno, I just didn’t like it) I didn’t know what to think: Malice in Wonderland (haven’t gotten around to making myself watch the 2nd half) Tideland (WTF?) Any recommendations? Not necessarily ones you’d recommend to me specifically (though I hope some will be) but fairytales you think we should all see. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/2 "2011-02-26T22:37:04Z")
_Pan’s Labyrinth_ should qualify. It’s an excellent movie, but with some pretty explicit violence; I don’t know if that would be a problem for you. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/3 "2011-02-26T22:49:33Z")
[Stardust](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/4 "2011-02-26T22:53:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > _Pan’s Labyrinth_ should qualify. It’s an excellent movie, but with some pretty explicit violence; I don’t know if that would be a problem for you. > [@picker](#): > > [Stardust](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/) I liked both of these as well, though I’ve never been able to figure out when Stardust was supposed to be set. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/5 "2011-02-26T22:59:33Z")
oops - modern day - never mind ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/6 "2011-02-26T23:00:41Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’ve never been able to figure out when Stardust was supposed to be set. It’s set once upon a time. I recommend: NeverEnding Story Spiderwick Chronicles The Borrowers Indian in the Cupboard ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/7 "2011-02-26T23:25:08Z")
Do you really mean modern day fairy tale movies, or modern day _fantasy_ movies? I ask because most of your examples aren’t based on fairy tales. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/8 "2011-02-26T23:50:09Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Do you really mean modern day fairy tale movies, or modern day _fantasy_ movies? I ask because most of your examples aren’t based on fairy tales. Sure they are. Running Scared is based on a few, Hansel and Gretel probably being the most prominent. No Such Thing is based on Beauty and The Beast. Alice and Malice in Wonderland are both based on Carrol’s work, Tinman on The Wizard Of Oz. The rest are original fairytales, with the normal fairy tale elements of good vs evil, magic, talking animals, quests, monsters, guardians and so on. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/9 "2011-02-26T23:54:45Z")
[Enchanted](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461770/combined) must be a prime candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/10 "2011-02-27T00:00:15Z")
[A.I.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212720/) is basically a fairy tale. More or less a reworking of Pinocchio. And it even features a “blue fairy” to drive the point home. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/11 "2011-02-27T00:44:40Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Sure they are. Running Scared is based on a few, Hansel and Gretel probably being the most prominent. No Such Thing is based on Beauty and The Beast. Alice and Malice in Wonderland are both based on Carrol’s work, Tinman on The Wizard Of Oz. _Alice in Wonderland_ and _The Wizard of Oz_ aren’t fairy tales. They’re children’s fantasy novels. (_Alice_ is arguably not even that, but that’s a bigger question than I’m willing to tackle now!) So is _Howl’s Moving Castle_ (from your dislike list), although it’s much more recent. _Spirited Away_ takes some elements from Japanese folklore but is not based on any particular traditional or literary tale. > [@](#): > > The rest are original fairytales, with the normal fairy tale elements of good vs evil, magic, talking animals, quests, monsters, guardians and so on. These elements are common in fantasy and hardly limited to fairy tales. I am making this distinction not to be pedantic, but so that people can help you find the type of movie that you want. There are movies based on either traditional fairy tales or original stories in the style of traditional fairy tales (Disney’s _The Princess and the Frog_ is one not yet mentioned, it’s a loose adaptation of “The Frog Prince” set in the 1920s), but if you’re willing to accept non-fairy tale fantasies set in modern times then that opens the field up a bit more. I thought _Coraline_ (based on Neil Gaiman’s YA novel) was a good fantasy/horror movie set in contemporary times, but I wouldn’t call it a fairy tale. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/12 "2011-02-27T01:00:03Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I thought _Coraline_ (based on Neil Gaiman’s YA novel) was a good fantasy/horror movie set in contemporary times, but I wouldn’t call it a fairy tale. I dunno…magic…wicked witch…enchantments…seems an awful lot like a fairy tale to me. How would you distinguish between fairy tale and fantasy? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/13 "2011-02-27T01:49:14Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I dunno…magic…wicked witch…enchantments…seems an awful lot like a fairy tale to me. I don’t think the “Other Mother” in _Coraline_ was a witch, except in very loose terms. In the movie she seemed to be some sort of spider-like monster or alien that could create an illusion that made her look like a human woman. I haven’t read the book so I don’t know if it’s more specific about her origin or true nature. > [@](#): > > How would you distinguish between fairy tale and fantasy? There are people who would answer that question differently than I would, but my quick answer is that a fairy tale is a short folktale that includes magical elements but (usually) has an ordinary human as the protagonist and (usually) ends happily, or a short literary work written in the style of a folkloric fairy tale. Fantasy is a broader category that includes any modern (say 1800-present) work of fiction that features significant magical elements. I say “modern” to distinguish fantasy from myths and legends, although fantasy does arguably encompass _any_ story that features magical elements. But I think it’s worth making the distinction between works created by a known author for purposes of art or entertainment and works that grew out of the oral tradition and held religious significance for, or were accepted as histories by, their original audience. I am not looking to hijack this thread though, so I’d prefer not to get into a debate about this subject. I really just want the OP to specify whether s/he is looking for movies based on fairy tales or would accept any fantasy movie set in modern times. There are plenty of fantasies that aren’t fairy tales, and also plenty of movies based on fairy tales that don’t actually contain magical elements – think of all the romantic comedies that are basically “Cinderella”. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/14 "2011-02-27T18:06:02Z")
Since you listed Running Scared I think you might be interested in Oh Brother Where Art Thou?. Basically a retelling of Homer’s Odyssey set during the depression. Personally I thought Pan’s Labyrinth was too long and had too much story involving that Nazi guy. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/15 "2011-02-27T18:10:40Z")
Loch Ness with Ted Danson. > **[Loch Ness (1996) ⭐ 5.5 | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113682/)** > > 1h 41m | PG ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/16 "2011-02-27T19:07:05Z")
[Penelope](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472160/) with Christina Ricci and James McAvoy - very much a modern fairly tale, borrowing heavily from _Beauty and the Beast_, _Sleeping Beauty_, and others. I liked it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/17 "2011-02-27T19:10:49Z")
_The City of Lost Children_ would probably fit the description since it is very modernistic and has fairy-tale elements. Unfortunately it’s a bit hard to tell what it’s really about, but it’s still pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/18 "2011-02-27T19:14:51Z")
Also, many of Tim Burton’s movies could be considered modern fairytales, but I would single out _Edward Scissorhands_ and _Big Fish_ as the best representatives. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/19 "2011-02-27T22:31:16Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Loch Ness with Ted Danson. _The Water Horse_ is a really good one. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753/20 "2011-02-27T22:49:50Z")
_Ondine_ is the story of an Irish fisherman who finds a strange woman in one of his nets, who may or may not be a selkie - a kind of water fairy. I couldn’t really get into it the one time I tried to watch it, but that had more to do with my state of mind at the time than anything inherent in the movie. Its reviews were generally positive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-fairytales-movies-only/572753.md?page=2)