Pan's Labyrinth + Big Fish

Pan's Labyrinth and Big Fish are two of my favorite movies. Pans Labyrinth is an adult fairy tale, blending together the beautiful and the harsh of both reality and fantasy. Set during the Spanish Civil War, a young girl named Ofelia and her pregnant mother get swept away into hiding with army captain Vidal. Ofelia is plunged into a fantasy when she decides to explore a stone labyrinth run by a mythical faun (Pan). She is convinced that she is the lost Princess of their world and undergoes three tasks in order to return to her throne. 

Big Fish is the story of a father (Edward) and son (William). Edward is on his death bed, retelling tales of his life to his son and his wife. The stories in Williams eyes are all tall tales, filled with impossible characters. His life seemed too good to be true. No matter how ridiculous the stories are, the beautiful thing is the way Edward touched peoples lives, as Will comes to find when meeting with a "witch" from his fathers stories.

Both of these movies place fantasy elements into a real life setting. I think one of the reasons I like them so much is for that reason. Sometimes, fantasy and sci-fi can be really over the top. Sometimes that works for me, most of the time it doesn't. This application of fantasy in real life is perfect, because it makes you think about your own life, and makes you insert fantasy into it.