[#InEnglish] Immersion into the imaginary

The Fantasy Genre

You know the fantasy genre, right? You can’t walk into a movie theater today and not come across an eye-catching poster of a blockbuster that is poised to rake in millions of dollars. Chances are this blockbuster can be categorised as a fantasy movie. Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel, you name it. The fantasy genre is this magic wand that turns the imaginary, the supernatural, and the extraordinary into a captivating story. In other words, a movie belongs to the fantasy genre when actions do not match “natural” laws. Also, fantasy is often related to the science-fiction and horror genres because the latter depict unrealistic phenomenon.

A little history class, I promise I won’t be long! The first director who used the fantasy genre is George Mélies in 1902 with his movie A trip to the moon. Then, fantasy caught on with numerous adaptations: Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Vampire Dancer by August Blom and The Vampire produced by Robert G. Vignola.

Nowadays, the fantasy genre not only represents monsters and vampires but also magical worlds, characters with superpowers etc... You want to get absorbed in an uncommon atmosphere? Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, you have a large choice of movies and universes. This genre is specific because it plays with your imagination, it’s somehow a way to “escape” from reality. I think that is very important for us to imagine, to dream and to build extraordinary things in our minds, especially in this dystopia-like time.

The International Film Festival of La Roche-sur-Yon offers an interesting version of the famous tale Peter Pan on Thursday. Director Benh Zeitlin restyles this story through the eyes of Wendy. A trip to Neverland which, in my opinion, is worth a look. Following Wendy wherever she may go!

Hannah Lemarignier