The Fantasy Film

Acknowledgements xi

1 What's in a Name: Defining the Elusive Fantasy Genre 1

2 Once upon a Time: A Brief Historical Overview 15

3 A Brief Critical Overview: Literary and Film Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror 38

4 The Wizard of Oz (1939): Over the Rainbow 55

5 Harvey (1950): A Happy Hallucination? 68

6 Always (1989): Spielberg's Ghost from the Past 81

7 Groundhog Day (1993): No Time Like the Present 92

8 Big (1988): Body and Soul/"Hearts and Souls" 104

9 Shrek (2001): Like an Onion 114

10 Spider-Man (2002): The Karmic Web 124

11 The Lord of the Rings (2001–3): Tolkien's Trilogy or Jackson's Thrillogy? 134

12 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005): A Joyful Spell 145

13 Harry Potter I-VI (2001-9): Words are Mightier than the Sword 156

14 Conclusion: Imagine That! 171

References 175

Index 186