#FallIntoFairyTales with FTT

From vintage masterpieces, to cult classics, to modern retellings - here are some of our favorite fairytale movies for you to enjoy this fall (or whenever you feel like it) in no particular order.

***Spoilers ahead.

This romantic fairytale centers around a kindhearted beast that longs for Belle to love him back. He showers Belle with jewels, dresses, and almost her every desire - accept for her wish to be free to see her family again. He claims that if she leaves him and does not come back he will surely die. When he finally lets her return home to visit her family, her greedy siblings attempt to hold her back and take the beasts treasures for themselves. Although this film is in black and white it is no less opulent and beautiful.

A conceited king asks for his three daughters to tell him how much they love him in front of the royal court. When the youngest daughter declares that she loves him just as much as salt (her reasoning being that there is nothing more widely used and needed by everyone in the world) the king becomes enraged at her comparison of him to what he considers to be a seemingly insignificant item. He then banishes the young princess and attempts to banish salt from his kingdom as well. This film is inspired by the Czech fairytale "Salt Over Gold".

In order to win the heart of an arrogant princess, a brave young prince must meet her demand and present her with "the singing ringing tree", which is located in the realm of an evil dwarf. He risks getting turned into a bear and he and the princess go on an adventure (spoiler he gets turned into a bear). This German classic is loosely based on the story "Hurleburlebutz" by the Brothers Grimm.

A young princess, who has only lived amongst snow and ice, dreams of running away to a greener land. Her opportunity arrives when she meets a cursed prince who was turned into polar bear by an evil witch. The princess must defeat the witch and break the spell over her prince charming, in order to live happily ever after.

In 1917, two English girls take a series of photos of fairies in a nearby forest. A media spectacle ensues and the girls are thrust into the spotlight, as their photographs are believed to be the first piece of scientific evidence that proves the existence of fairies. This film is based on a true story.

Sidebar: We would give anything to find a replica of that fairy house that the girls gift to their fay friends - it is GLORIOUS.

The Darling children are whisked away from a rather colorless Edwardian era London, to Neverland by Peter Pan. The children explore the magical world but are launched into an ongoing war between the evil Captain Hook and Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. This spellbinding film does an excellent job with staying true to the classic tale written by J.M. Barrie.

 Maleficent is the protector of the Moors (the fay creatures that live in an enchanted forest). After an incomprehensible betrayal by King Stephan, Maleficent hardens her heart and casts a spell over his daughter, Princess Aurora. In an unlikely twist of events Maleficent becomes attached to the princess, and cares for Aurora as though she were her own.

Sidebar: this tale is so charming and has A-list talent, but we would watch it for the enchanted forest/kingdom of the Moors and the costumes alone.

 This recent French remake of Beauty and The Beast, by director Christophe Gans, has everything you could ever want in a fairytale movie: princesses in clinquant costumes, magic, a strong heroine, and breathtaking imagery throughout. This film is a must watch.

Ella's fairytale-esque childhood comes to an abrupt end when her mother passes and her father remarries a cruel woman with two equally cruel daughters. They mistreat her until Ella (now Cinderella) has her shining moment at the prince's ball with the help of her fairy godmother and some animal friends. Lily James makes an excellent Princess Cinderella, and reminds us all to "have courage and be kind."

Based on the popular fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, this film tells the story of a kindhearted, orphaned, princess left in the care of her evil stepmother, the queen. Obsessed with beauty, the queen asks her magic mirror daily, "who is the fairest of them all?" Unfortunately for her, the mirror says that it is Snow White who is the fairest in all the land. Sick with rage, the queen vows to kill Snow White, who has to escape deep into the forest where she finds the quaint cottage of seven jewel mining dwarves. 

Kept in rags and practically enslaved by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella has no chance of attending the prince's royal ball. That is until her fairy godmother transforms her into an effervescent vision of beauty and sends her on her way in a magical pumpkin coach. The prince is enamored with Cinderella upon seeing her at the ball and will dance with no one else the entire night. Cinderella leaves her glass slipper behind when hastily exiting the prince's palace and after searching his kingdom high and low for the girl that can fit the slipper, he is reunited with Cinderella and [spoiler alert] they live happily ever after.

In a fit of jealous rage the evil Maleficent places a curse on the infant Princess Aurora. The curse says that on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. Luckily, one off the three fairies that were actually invited is able to soften the curse by changing it so that she will fall into a deep sleep (as opposed to death) and can only be awoken by true loves kiss. This film gave rise to one of the biggest debates of all time - do you prefer the blue dress or the pink?

A selfish king sends a young cook on a long journey to retrieve the striking princess Goldilocks (whose name was given to her on account of her long blonde hair that glitters like gold). If he is not successful, then the king will have him executed. Luckily for  the cook, he can talk to animals, and because of the kindness he shows them all on his journey the animals help him win over the princess for his king. However, things become complicated when he and the princess fall in love.
-

This is the story of The Princess and the Pea, but not quite the way Hans Christian Anderson had originally penned it. There is a queen mother that cannot quite let go, some strange marriage laws, and a princess that does not in any way fit the frail "damsel in distress" archetype that many of us are familiar with. This lively, made for TV, musical boasts such talent as Carol Burnette and Zoey Deschanel. Also, it's hilarious!

Aladdin, a street urchin living in the city of Agrabah, is tricked into entering the deadly "Cave of Wonders" by the kings evil advisor, Jafar. Luckily, Aladdin is able to escape the cave with the help of a genie, a magic carpet, and his sidekick Abu. He  endeavors to win the heart of the beautiful and headstrong princess Jasmine, and enlists his new genie to help him pass as Prince Ali. However he doesn't do the best job at wooing Jasmine - that is until he unravels Jafar's evil plan and ultimately defeats him. 

This movie is worth it for the dazzling musical numbers alone.

This is an honorable mention because it is actually an incredible limited series, rather than a single movie.

The Sultan Sharyar needs to remarry quickly, however he is distrustful of women due to his last wife's attempt to seize power. Gripped by madness, he decides to keep marrying new brides and then kill them the next day. He does this several times until he decides to marry Scheherazade who uses her knowledge of folktales, along with her talent for story telling, to stall the king by telling him one story a night and ending it on a cliffhanger until the next morning. After 1,001 nights of storytelling the sultan falls in love with Scheherazade and overcomes his madness. The two live happily ever after.