15 Best Animated Fantasy Movies Under 90 Minutes Long, Ranked

Image via Pixar Updated Aug 17, 2026, 7:39 AM EDT Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada. Sign in to your Collider account For as long as stories have been told, the fantasy genre has remained one of the most recognized and expansive types of stories. Limited only by the teller's imagination, fantasy tales pull audiences into new worlds of magic, monsters, and strong moral themes. With the rise of animated films in the early 20th century, fantasy stories could come to life in ways never imagined before. In recent years, people's lives have gotten busier and busier, as society has created innumerable things to pull one's attention this way or that. Fortunately, there's a good number of fantasy films that can be watched in under an hour and a half. The best of them can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. 15 'The Hobbit' (1977) 78 min Image via NBC In a hole in the ground lives Bilbo Baggins (Orson Bean), a respectable hobbit who never wanted anything to do with adventures. This all changed when the wizard Gandalf (John Huston) attached him to the company of thirteen dwarves. Suddenly, Bilbo is whisked away from all comforts and taken across the wild lands of the East on a quest to reclaim the dwarves' lost home and treasure and slay the dragon, Smaug (Richard Boone). Despite condensing the story in order to tell the whole story in one film, The Hobbit manages to be a more faithful adaptation than Peter Jackson's trilogy. It retains a fairytale feel that offers plenty of exciting visuals, brought to life by the animators at Topcraft, while still dipping into dark imagery and mature themes. While some of the designs might clash heavily with people's collective acceptance of what a dwarf or elf should look like, it helps to give the film its own distinct identity. 14 'FernGully: The Last Rainforest' (1992) 76 min Image via 20th Century Fox Deep within the Australian rainforest lies FernGully: a hidden land of fairies who use their magic to ensure the forest and animals grow strong and safe. One of them, named Krysta (Samantha Mathis), is curious about humans, who the fairies think are myths due to being separate from them for so long. After meeting an escaped lab bat named Batty (Robin Williams), Krystal seeks out the humans and runs into Zak (Jonathan Ward), who is marking trees to be cut down. This accidentally unleashes an ancient evil named Hexxus (Tim Curry) who intends to lead the humans straight to FernGully. FernGully: The Last Rainforest remains one of the best examples of a '90s environmentally conscious animated film. It stresses the importance of man's relationship to the natural world without becoming preachy, and offers some interesting story ideas, such as the fairies' view of humans as children's stories. The main characters can be a little flat, but the side characters are fantastic, especially Batty and Hexxus, since the writers let Williams and Curry really let loose with their performances. 13 'Wizards' (1977) 80 min Image via 20th Century Studios 2 million years after nuclear war destroyed the Earth, magic returns to the world. Eventually, societies form based around the fairy queen's twin wizard sons: Avatar (Bob Holt), who uses his magic for good and to help the kingdom of elves and fairies, and Blackwolf (Steve Gravers), who rules over the mutant kingdom of Scorch as he delves into ancient technologies. Upon discovering ancient Nazi propaganda that galvanizes his army, Blackwolf prepares a new war, forcing Avatar, the elf warrior Weehawk (Richard Romanus), and fairy princess Elinore (Jesse Welles), to oppose him. Befitting a film from the beautifully bizarre mind of Ralph Bakshi, Wizards presents a dystopian future that melds magic and technology into a gritty, hostile world. There are some interesting politics discussed with the divide between mutants and non-mutants, technology vs magic, and even a humorous jab at religious organizations, but otherwise the story is a traditional quest with enjoyable characters. It's also one of Bakshi's more tame films when it comes to adult content, though Elinore's design is still pretty provocative. 12 'Alice in Wonderland' (1951) 75 min Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures While daydreaming about a world of her own, Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) is shocked to see a white rabbit (Bill Thompson) with a waistcoat and a pocket watch running down the road screaming that he is late. Curious, she follows him down a rabbit hole and ends up in Wonderland, a strange place with no logic whatsoever. As Alice continues following the rabbit, she bumps into numerous inhabitants, each of whom is mad in their own unique way. Alice in Wonderland was a box office and critical failure on release, but has since been recognized as one of the most stylistic animated films ever made. It has an episodic structure, allowing each segment to shine through memorable characters and off-the-wall hand-drawn animation that plays around a lot with colors and visual gags. Beaumont is also perhaps the best Alice put to film, giving a fantastic performance that blends seamlessly with the animation to bring the character to life. 11 'The Emperor's New Groove' (2000) 78 min Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Kuzco (David Spade) is the young, spoiled emperor of the Incan Empire who plans to destroy a village to build a summer home as a birthday present. However, he is transformed into a llama by his former advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), due to a mix-up by her henchman, Kronk (Patrick Warburton). When Kronk fails to dispose of Kuzco, he ends up in the cart of Pacha (John Goodman), the chief of the village he wants to destroy, and his only hope of getting back to the palace and regaining his humanity. The Emperor's New Groove went through a very tricky production that saw the movie completely re-made from the ground up. This turned it into one of Disney's most unique films, as its 4th wall-breaking humor and fast-paced slapstick feel more at home in a Warner Bros. cartoon. While Kuzco and Pacha make for a great heroic duo, Yzma and Kronk steal the show thanks to their complementary personalities and Kitt and Warburton's unmatchable performances. 10 'The Secret of NIMH' (1982) 82 min Image via MGM Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman) is a recently widowed mouse who cannot move her family in time to escape the farmer's plow because her youngest son, Timmy (Ina Fried), is sick with pneumonia. Desperate for help, she seeks out the Great Owl (John Carradine), who instructs her to ask the rats in the farmer's rosebush for help. This leads her to discover that the rats are more intelligent than other animals and have a history with her late husband, Johnathan. The Secret of NIMH was the first film by animation legend Don Bluth after he left Disney, and it is considered by many to be his best work. It doesn't shy away from dark and mature content, such as violent betrayals and children getting put into near-death situations. However, it balances this imagery with a powerful story about courage and the strength of a mother's love. 9 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993) 76 min Image via Buena Vista Pictures In Halloween Town, the citizens work hard all year to ensure children around the world can have a scary and memorable Halloween night. Sadly, their leader, Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King (Chris Sarandon), has grown disillusioned with the constant cycle of scares and longs for a new purpose in life. While walking, he falls through a door that takes him to Christmas Town, which instantly captures his imagination. He decides that this year, Halloween Town will oversee Christmas, despite the fears of his friend, the ragdoll Sally (Catherine O'Hara), that this will end in disaster. The Nightmare Before Christmas is dripping with creativity, from its highly stylistic stop-motion animation and memorable songs to its simple but unforgettable characters. Jack and Sally both stand out among the cast due to the former's wide-eyed and childlike wonder and the latter's resourcefulness and supportive attitude. Its message is about finding enjoyment in your life, and that, even if you fail, the effort you put into the journey still matters. Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz Which Oscar Best PictureIs Your Perfect Movie? Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one. 🪜Parasite 🌀Everything Everywhere ☢️Oppenheimer 🐦Birdman 🪙No Country for Old Men FIND YOUR FILM → 01 What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don't just entertain — they leave something behind. ASomething that pulls the rug out — that makes me think I'm watching one kind of film and then reveals I'm watching another entirely. BSomething overwhelming — funny, sad, absurd, and genuinely moving, all at once. CSomething grand and weighty — a film that makes me feel the full scale of what I'm watching. DSomething formally daring — a film that pushes what cinema can even do. ESomething lean and relentless — pure tension with no wasted frame. NEXT QUESTION → 02 Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What's yours? AClass, inequality, and what people are willing to do when desperation meets opportunity. BIdentity, family, and the chaos of trying to hold your life together when everything is falling apart. CGenius, moral responsibility, and the catastrophic weight of a decision you can never take back. DEgo, legacy, and the terror of becoming irrelevant while you're still alive to watch it happen. EEvil, chance, and whether moral order actually exists or if we just tell ourselves it does. NEXT QUESTION → 03 How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means. AGenre-twisting — I want it to start in one lane and migrate into something completely different. BMaximalist and genre-blending — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, all in one ride. CEpic and non-linear — cutting between timelines, building a mosaic of cause and consequence. DA single unbroken flow — I want to feel like I'm living it in real time, no cuts to safety. ESpare and precise — every scene doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more. NEXT QUESTION → 04 What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you? AA system — invisible, structural, and almost impossible to fight because it has no single face. BThe self — the ways we sabotage, abandon, and fail the people we love most. CHistory — the unstoppable momentum of events that no single person can stop or redirect. DThe industry — the machinery of culture that chews up talent and spits out irrelevance. EPure, implacable evil — a force so certain of itself it becomes almost philosophical. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What do you want from a film's ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like? AShock and inevitability — a conclusion that recontextualises everything that came before it. BEarned emotion — I want to cry, laugh, and feel genuinely hopeful, even if the world is a mess. CDevastation and grandeur — an ending that makes me sit in silence for a few minutes after. DAmbiguity — something that leaves enough open that I'm still thinking about it days later. EBleakness — an honest refusal to pretend the world is tidier than it actually is. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what's even possible. AA gleaming modern city with a hidden underside — beauty masking rot, wealth masking desperation. BA collapsing suburban life that opens onto something infinite — the multiverse of a single ordinary person. CThe corridors of power and science at a world-historical turning point — where decisions echo for decades. DThe grimy, alive chaos of New York and Hollywood — fame as both destination and trap. EVast, indifferent landscape — desert and highway where violence arrives without warning or reason. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable. AProduction design and mise-en-scène — every frame composed to carry meaning beneath the surface. BEditing and tonal control — the ability to move between registers without losing the audience. CScore and sound design — music that becomes inseparable from the dread and awe of what you're watching. DCinematography as performance — the camera not recording events but participating in them. ESilence and restraint — what's left unsaid and unshown doing more work than any dialogue could. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you. ASomeone smart and resourceful who makes increasingly dangerous decisions under pressure. BSomeone overwhelmed and ordinary who turns out to be capable of something extraordinary. CA brilliant, tortured figure whose gifts and flaws are inseparable from each other. DA self-destructive artist whose ego is both their superpower and their undoing. EA quiet, principled person trying to make sense of a world that has stopped making sense. NEXT QUESTION → 09 How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately. AI love a slow build when I know the payoff is going to be seismic — patience for a devastating reveal. BGive me relentless momentum — I want to feel breathless and emotionally spent by the end. CEpic runtime doesn't scare me — if the material demands three hours, give me three hours. DI want it to feel propulsive even when nothing is technically happening — restless energy throughout. EDeliberate and unhurried — I want dread to accumulate in the spaces between the action. NEXT QUESTION → 10 What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want? AUnsettled — like I've just seen something I can't fully explain but can't stop thinking about. BMoved and energised — like the film reminded me what actually matters and gave me something to hold onto. CHumbled — like I've been in the presence of something genuinely important and overwhelming. DExhilarated — like I've just seen cinema doing something it's never quite done before. EHaunted — like a cold, quiet dread that stays with me for days. REVEAL MY FILM → The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works. ParasiteYou are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it's ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image. Everything Everywhere All at OnceYou want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn't want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it's about. OppenheimerYou are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort. BirdmanYou are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it's about. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor's ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn't be possible. Michael Keaton's performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all. No Country for Old MenYou are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 8 'The Secret of Kells' (2009) 75 min Image via Les Armateurs Brendan (Evan McGuire and Michael McGrath) is a young boy living in the Abbey of Kells, where his uncle, Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), is abbot. The abbey swells with refugees fleeing from invading Northmen, so Cellach spends all of his time building a wall and has little time for Brendan. One day, he welcomes Aidan (Mick Lally), a master illustrator who recruits Brendan to help him finish his illuminated manuscript called the Book of Iona. The Secret of Kells is the first in the Irish Folklore Trilogy from Cartoon Saloon, and what a way to introduce international audiences to Ireland's rich mythology. The use of magic in the film is rather reserved, meaning that when it shows up, such as through Brendan's interactions with a fairy named Aisling, it feels truly otherworldly and never dull. The animated film is also gorgeous, with an art style that looks like the illustrations of an illuminated manuscript come to life, which further adds to the magic and mystery of the world. 7 'Cinderella' (1950) 74 min Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures After the death of her father, Cinderella (Ilene Woods) is turned into a slave by her stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Elanor Audley), and her daughters Drizella (Rhoda Williams) and Anastasia (Lucille Bliss). Despite her situation, Cinderella remains positive, showing kindness to the birds and mice of the estate. One day, the king (Luis van Rooten) announces a royal ball and demands that every eligible maiden in the kingdom attend, and the animals and a fairy godmother (Verna Felton) do what they can to give Cinderella one night of happiness. Cinderella is the movie that brought Disney back to its fairy tale roots and kickstarted its Silver Age. A big reason for its success is Cinderella herself; while not as fleshed out as future princesses, she is a terrific role model thanks to her positivity and compassion, while still showing that she has her limits. Besides her, the film boasts beautiful animation and shot composition, memorable songs, and one of Disney's best female villains in Lady Tremaine, who controls every scene she is in with a stern glance and well-chosen words. 6 'My Neighbor Totoro' (1988) 86 min Image via Studio Ghibli With their mother recovering from an illness, sisters Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka/Lisa Michelson/Dakota Fanning) and Mei Kusakabe (Chika Sakamoto/Cheryl Chase/Elle Fanning) move with their father to a new house in order to be close to her. The girls discover that the wilderness is full of playful spirits. Chief among them is a silent but friendly cat-like creature named Totoro (Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker) who becomes their friend. My Neighbor Totoro is one of the most recognized films by the famed Studio Ghibli. Its plot doesn't focus on epic narratives or struggles with good vs evil, but rather a focus on the beauty of nature and the excitement of exploration and making friends. Using young children helps to facilitate this, as it taps into childhood memories of exploring the backyard or even just under the bed. The various spirits are also creative to behold, especially a large cat who is also a bus.