10 Fantasy Movies That I Knew Would Be Masterpieces From the First 10 Minutes

The article highlights ten fantasy films whose opening minutes quickly establish compelling worlds, characters and themes. It argues that efficient, engaging openings matter especially in fantasy, where viewers need to be drawn into an unfamiliar setting.

The examples in the supplied text include *Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End*, which opens with a mass hanging that establishes the threat posed by Lord Cutler Beckett; *Spirited Away*, where Chihiro’s parents become pigs in a newly revealed spirit world; *Kung Fu Panda*, which introduces Po through a stylised martial arts dream; and *Shrek*, whose opening uses a fairy tale and “All Star” to set its irreverent tone. The article also names *The Curse of the Black Pearl* as a major fantasy success, but the provided excerpt ends during its discussion of *Shrek* and does not show all ten films.