“You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you.”
Henry Travers in It’s a Wonderful Life

Alakazam! You’ve just been turned into a frog. Or at least your protagonist has. If the magic in your script is real, or the monster has come out of the closet for a bedside chat, or talking trees and philosophizing rodents are par for the course, you’re most likely penning a fantasy film. Unlike science fiction films, which are usually based on some type of empirical science, fantasy films take their inspiration from myths, legends, and fairy tales. Often focusing on one or more ordinary people (or people-ish beings) coping with an extraordinary world or set of circumstances, fantasy filmplots tend to focus on easily relatable themes, such as power, truth, loss, and love.

Quickly leaving the normal world behind, the fantasy film hero or heroine will almost always engage in some type of journey, be it physical, emotional, or psychological. Although rarely supernaturally gifted himself, the protagonist will usually seek out the help of someone with greater knowledge and metaphysical ability. This mentor may point the hero in the right direction, but will not do the hero’s work. No, the path is going to be rough and thorny, and at midpoint, the protagonist will usually realize he’s been moving in the wrong direction. As strange as the hero’s reality may be, he will usually come to
realize that the outward obstacles of the journey cannot be conquered by magic or other external means. The real hurdle lies within, and the hero cannot achieve victory until his inner demons are conquered.