Netflix has a new massive hit fantasy movie that is dominating the streamer’s charts, and it is part of a beloved franchise. Netflix’s library of movies and TV shows features quite a few noteworthy fantasy releases. One of those is part of Netflix’s 2026 movie lineup. That would be the animated Netflix Original movie Swapped, which starred Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan and Ted Lasso‘s Juno Temple. So far, Swapped is Netflix’s most-watched new movie of 2026, entering the streamer’s all-time charts alongside the sci-fi thriller War Machine, which stars Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson. This shows the power of fantasy movies on Netflix.
The fantasy genre is also strong on the streaming service when it comes to TV shows. Projects like the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece shows released new seasons in 2026, whereas the streamer is also a home to older fantasy hits like Henry Cavill’s The Witcher, which is now led by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, and the animated League of Legends adaptation Arcane. That said, the fantasy project that is currently dominating Netflix’s charts is not a TV show, but a movie, and it is a licensed release, Pussin Boots: The Last Wish.
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Is Crushing It On Netflix
A Compendium of Enchanted Cinema How Well Do You Know Fantasy Movies? “Magic always comes with a price.”
🪄SpellsWingardium Leviosa
🐉BeastsHere be dragons
👑KingdomsLong live the king
⚔QuestsThe hero’s journey
🔮MagicWhat lies ahead
01
Across the Harry Potter films, the boy wizard is rarely without his loyal companion — a snowy owl gifted to him by Hagrid on his eleventh birthday. What is the owl’s name?
✓ Correct! Hedwig — the snowy owl Harry receives in The Philosopher’s Stone — becomes one of his most beloved companions. Errol is the Weasleys’ ancient, accident-prone owl; Pigwidgeon is Ron’s tiny hyperactive owl; and Crookshanks is Hermione’s ginger cat — not an owl at all.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Hedwig. Errol is the Weasleys’ clumsy family owl, Pigwidgeon is Ron’s tiny owl from later books, and Crookshanks is Hermione’s cat. Hedwig is the snowy owl Hagrid buys Harry for his birthday — even getting her own leitmotif from composer John Williams.
02
In Rob Reiner’s 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride, the farm boy Westley answers Buttercup’s every demand with the same three words — which she comes to realize actually mean “I love you.” What does he say?
✓ Correct! “As you wish” is Westley’s signature line — and the film’s emotional core. “Inconceivable!” is Vizzini’s catchphrase (prompting Inigo’s famous “You keep using that word…”). The other two were never in William Goldman’s script — the whole point is that three plain words carry all the meaning.
✗ Not quite! The answer is “As you wish.” “Inconceivable!” belongs to the Sicilian Vizzini. Buttercup slowly realizes that Westley’s endlessly repeated “As you wish” is really his way of saying “I love you” — one of the most quoted lines in fantasy cinema.
03
The 2006 Spanish-language masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth blends a fascist-era fairy tale with the grim reality of post-Civil War Spain, featuring the nightmarish Pale Man. Which director created this dark fantasy?
✓ Correct! Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed Pan’s Labyrinth, designing the Faun and the eyeless Pale Man himself. He’d later win Best Director and Best Picture for The Shape of Water. Cuarón directed Prisoner of Azkaban; Almodóvar is Spain’s great melodramatist; Rodriguez is del Toro’s close friend but made Sin City and Spy Kids.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Guillermo del Toro. Alfonso Cuarón (a fellow “Three Amigos” of Mexican cinema) directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Pedro Almodóvar makes Spanish melodramas, and Robert Rodriguez made Sin City. Del Toro’s creature designs in Pan’s Labyrinth are now iconic.
04
In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), the four Pevensie children first stumble into the snowy land of Narnia by passing through what object?
✓ Correct! It’s a wardrobe — it’s right there in the title. Lucy hides inside during a game and finds the snow and lamppost of Narnia beyond the fur coats. A magical painting actually appears in the sequel, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; the mirror and well are red herrings from other fantasy tales.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a wardrobe — literally named in the title. Lucy Pevensie pushes past the coats and steps out into snowy Narnia by the lamppost. (A magical painting does pull the children into the sea in the later film The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — but not here.)
05
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) made Oscar history as the first fantasy film to win Best Picture, sweeping every category it was nominated in. How many Academy Awards did it take home?
✓ Correct! Return of the King won all 11 of its nominations — tying Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997) for the all-time record, and becoming the first (and so far only) fantasy film to win Best Picture. Remarkably, it earned zero acting nominations yet still swept the board clean.
✗ Not quite! The answer is 11 — a perfect clean sweep. Return of the King tied Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscar wins ever and broke fantasy’s long Best Picture drought. Fellowship of the Ring won 4 and The Two Towers won 2; the finale took everything it was nominated for.
06
In the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean films, Johnny Depp earned an Oscar nomination playing a swaggering, kohl-eyed pirate captain reportedly inspired by Keith Richards. What is the character’s name?
✓ Correct! Captain Jack Sparrow — Depp’s loose-limbed, rum-soaked performance earned a surprise Best Actor nomination for The Curse of the Black Pearl. Will Turner is the blacksmith hero (Orlando Bloom), Davy Jones is the tentacle-faced villain (Bill Nighy), and Hector Barbossa is the mutinous rival captain (Geoffrey Rush).
✗ Not quite! The answer is Captain Jack Sparrow. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is the earnest blacksmith, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is the squid-faced sea villain, and Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is the cursed rival. It was Depp’s Sparrow — modeled partly on Keith Richards — who earned the Oscar nod.
07
Jim Henson’s 1986 musical fantasy Labyrinth features a teenage Jennifer Connelly navigating a maze to rescue her baby brother from the flamboyant, wild-haired Goblin King Jareth. Which rock legend played Jareth?
✓ Correct! David Bowie played Jareth, writing and performing the film’s songs including “Magic Dance” and “As the World Falls Down.” Tim Curry famously played the demon Darkness in another Ridley Scott fantasy, Legend (also 1985-86). Jagger and Sting are rock icons but never donned Jareth’s glittering cape and wild wig.
✗ Not quite! The answer is David Bowie. Tim Curry played the towering devil Darkness in the rival fantasy Legend around the same time. Bowie not only starred as Jareth the Goblin King but composed and sang the soundtrack — “Magic Dance” remains the film’s signature number.
08
In the 1984 classic The NeverEnding Story, the young warrior Atreyu journeys across the dying realm of Fantasia and befriends a furry, dog-faced luckdragon who carries him through the skies. What is the luckdragon’s name?
✓ Correct! Falkor (Falkor the luckdragon) is the friendly, scale-and-fur covered dragon who aids Atreyu and Bastian. Artax is Atreyu’s horse, lost heartbreakingly in the Swamp of Sadness; Gmork is the wolf-like servant of The Nothing; and Bastian is the real-world boy reading the story who is ultimately drawn into it.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Falkor. Artax is Atreyu’s beloved horse (the Swamp of Sadness scene scarred a generation), Gmork is the menacing wolf-beast serving The Nothing, and Bastian is the bullied boy reading the book. Falkor is the soaring luckdragon — one of fantasy cinema’s most cherished creatures.
The Grimoire Closes · Quest Complete Your Fantasy Rank
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Archmage of the Silver Screen — or still lost in the labyrinth?
At the time of writing, the animated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish stands as the 4th most-watched movie on Netflix in the United States. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has become a quick hit for the streaming service, as the fantasy movie was one of Netflix’s new September arrivals. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish became available on Netflix on September 10. It instantly started to trend on the streamer, debuting at 8th on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies chart in the US the very next day. After that, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish climbed all the way to 2nd.
However, it has since fallen on the coveted Netflix chart, though the fantasy movie is still at a respectable position on the list. At 4th, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ranks higher on Netflix in the United States than movies like the Jon Bernthal and Taylor Sheridan R-rated action thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead, Netflix’s new original crime thriller The Whisper Man with Robert De Niro, Will Smith’s animated Shark Tale, and more. On Rotten Tomatoes, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish holds a near-perfect 95% critics’ score based on 196 reviews. It also has a stellar 94% audience score.
What Does The Future Hold For Puss In Boots?
Puss in Boots holding a glass of milk in Puss in Boots the Last Wish
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is part of the larger Shrek franchise, and the fantasy movie ended with a tease that the characters will meet again. The main animated franchise will return with the release of Shrek 5 on June 30, 2027. At the time of writing, Antonio Banderas’ Puss has yet to be announced for the cast of the upcoming movie, which could be out of a desire to keep his role a secret until the film releases in theaters. If Puss in Boots ends up not appearing in Shrek 5, then perhaps a sequel to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish could follow its ending tease.
