Entertainment
15 Most Quotable Fantasy Movies of All Time, Ranked
There are few movies more quotable than fantasy movies. These grand stories, full of rich imagination, set in grand fictional worlds with complex magic systems and mythical creatures of wonder, typically lend themselves to fun, memorable dialogue. Oftentimes, these lines of dialogue go down in movie history as some of the medium’s most iconic, cementing fantasy as the perfect place for quotes that are inspiring, or funny, or badass, or all of those things at once.
Whether it’s a huge fantasy franchise like the Harry Potter movies, or a one-off classic like It’s a Wonderful Life, the most quotable fantasy movies usually couple their memorable lines of dialogue with colorful, vibrant characters and engrossing world-building. This ensures that, if anything, these films will go down in history as some of the most entertaining ever made.
15
‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)
Most iconic quote: “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”
Based on the sword-and-sorcery hero Conan created by Robert E. Howard, one of the biggest icons in the history of pulp magazines, Conan the Barbarian represented Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s breakout role as a leading Hollywood action hero. By proving that the sword-and-sorcery genre could be big, brutal, and serious, Conan became one of the R-rated fantasy movies that changed the genre forever.
There are plenty of reasons why it has been one of the most widely beloved fantasy and action movies of the ’80s for years, not least of which is the quotability of the script co-written by Oliver Stone and director John Milius. Dialogue throughout the movie is relatively sparse, but that stoicism is precisely what lends so many of the script’s most memorable lines such dramatic weight.
14
‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)
Most iconic quote: “Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco’s poison. That poison?”
Often, it’s fantasy comedies that end up going down in history as some of the genre’s most quotable films; and often, it’s family comedies that end up having the most memorable dialogue. Case in point: Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove, one of the first movies the House of Mouse released after the end of the period now known as the Disney Renaissance.
Originally envisioned as a dramatic epic musical, Emperor’s New Groove ended up transforming into the delightfully comedic buddy film that allowed it to become one of Disney’s biggest animated cult classics. From Kuzco and Pacha’s hilarious banter to the deliciously villainous lines delivered by Eartha Kitt‘s Yzma, the movie is full of snappy dialogue that has endured with the rise of meme culture in the years following the film’s release.
13
‘Army of Darkness’ (1992)
Most iconic quote: “You see this? This… is my Boomstick!”
Sam Raimi‘s The Evil Dead didn’t just catapult the young director’s career; it altogether revolutionized low-budget horror filmmaking. Its sequel, Evil Dead II, proved to be every bit as inventive and successful. And with Army of Darkness, Raimi brought the franchise squarely into dark fantasy territory with an even more overt sense of humor than ever before.
Precisely thanks to that sense of humor, Army of Darkness is one of the most fun horror movies of all time, as well as one of the most quotable. From “this is my boomstick!” to Ash’s iconic catchphrase “groovy,” the film is full of lines both amusing and badass, which only add to how utterly unforgettable the whole movie is.
12
‘Labyrinth’ (1986)
Most iconic quote: “You remind me of the babe.”
Directed by Jim Henson and starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly in what’s perhaps both their most iconic big-screen roles, Labyrinth received a mixed critical reception and underperformed at the box office upon release. In the years since, however, it has come to be recognized not just as one of the biggest Hollywood cult classics of the ’80s, but also one of the most irresistibly entertaining musical movies ever made.
Whether it’s the songs or the spoken dialogue, Labyrinth is filled to the brim with quotable lines that have been a paragon of Internet pop culture for years. The dialogue and song lyrics themselves are already abundantly bombastic in isolation, but the way Bowie and Connelly deliver those lines with gleeful theatricality elevates the entire film even further.
11
‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ (1971)
Most iconic quote: “You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!”
One of the most brilliantly subversive family movies of all time, Mel Stuart‘s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory may have been hated by Roald Dahl upon release (then again, not that Dahl ever approved of any cinematic adaptation of his work), but cinephiles throughout the years have never stopped considering it one of the most magical family movies ever made.
Reasons to love Willy Wonka are abundant, and the iconicity and memorability of its dialogue is certainly no small reason. It’s primarily the lines delivered by Gene Wilder as Wonka himself that have gone down in history as some of the fantasy genre’s most commonly quoted, but pretty much the entire script penned by David Seltzer and Dahl himself is full of unforgettable lines of dialogue.
10
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)
Most iconic quote: “This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!”
Based on the iconic Disneyland attraction, the Pirates of the Caribbean series proved that, when they put enough love and passion into it, Disney could really make an awesome movie out of any concept. The first film is Curse of the Black Pearl, where a blacksmith teams up with an eccentric pirate to save his love from the pirate’s former allies, who are now undead monsters.
Curse of the Black Pearl is one of the best and most entertaining pirate swashbucklers in the history of movies, packed with creativity, humor, great action, and some genuinely scary moments. What’s most memorable and fun about the whole film, though, is arguably the presence of Johnny Depp’s bombastic Captain Jack Sparrow, who has most of the best quotes in the series. Curse of the Black Pearl is wonderfully written, and that includes some super strong dialogue that bolsters the story, world, and characters remarkably well.
9
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)
Most iconic quote: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
Frank Capra‘s It’s a Wonderful Life is so much more than just the quintessential Christmas classic. Part endearing rom-com, part profoundly moving character drama, part complex exploration of depression and suicide in men, it’s far and away one of the best movies of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It’s the story of George Bailey, a frustrated businessman who thinks the world would be better off without him. So, an angel is sent from Heaven to show him what life would have been like if he had never been born.
A huge part of what makes It’s a Wonderful Life one of the most uplifting drama movies in history is the outstanding screenplay, which has an emotionally riveting story, an engrossing protagonist, and a formidable villain. It also includes some of the most quotable dialogue of this era of Hollywood, from Clarence the angel’s delightful bits of wisdom to George and his wife Mary’s many romantic conversations.
8
‘Toy Story’ (1995)
Most iconic quote: “To infinity and beyond!”
When Pixar released Toy Story, the first-ever fully CG-animated feature film in history, the animated film industry changed forever. This is one of the most iconic stories of ’90s cinema, about a cowboy toy who feels jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as his owner’s favorite toy. Thus, the legendary filmography of the king of animation studios kicked off.
Toy Story sparked three (soon to be four) sequels, all of them with phenomenal dialogue, but no Pixar movie is more quotable than this one. Funny moments, like Woody reminding Buzz that he’s only a toy; profound scenes, like the duo’s heart-to-heart conversations in the third act; and, of course, larger-than-life quotes that have become staples of pop culture all make this delightful little family movie endlessly quotable.
7
The ‘Harry Potter’ Series
Most iconic quote: “Always.”
There are very few fantasy movie franchises more popular, better-known, or more beloved than the Harry Potter films. Throughout these eight magical movies, fans got to grow up alongside this orphaned boy who finds out that not only is he a wizard—he’s an awfully powerful one, too, destined to become the only person who can stop the evil Lord Voldemort from rising to power in the Wizarding World.
As much as it’s known for its endearing characters, thrilling moments, and many entertaining storylines, all eight Harry Potter films are popular for their delightfully fun dialogue. They go from the funny, to the romantic, to the badass, to the simply unforgettable. Every character in the franchise has a very distinct way of speaking, and as a result, every few quotes that they spoke throughout the films instantly became a whole pillar of fantasy pop culture.
6
‘Shrek’ (2001)
Most iconic quote: “We can stay up late swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I’m making waffles!”
There aren’t many movie moments more magical than hearing “Some…BODY” and the kick in the door that opens the story of DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek. Winner of the first Best Animated Feature Oscar ever, it’s a fairy tale comedy about an ogre who, after his swamp home is taken over by fairy tale creatures who have been evicted by a mean lord, must go on a quest to rescue a princess in order to get his land back.
Shrek has everything that anyone could ask for in a family movie. Plenty of fun moments and amusing jokes to charm the little ones? Check. A surprisingly even larger number of hidden adult jokes and clever deconstructions of the fairy tale movie genre? Check. Some of the greatest, most quotable lines in animated movie history? Definitely check. Awesome music, hilarious jokes, and a number of emotional moments make Shrek one of the best animated films of the 21st century, all memes aside.
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