Oscar Loves... Fantasy Films

This month, Mark and Izzy look at the Academy's relationship with all things fantasy and explore those in the genre that have won Best Picture.

The Return of the King was the final instalment of Peter Jackson's Tolkein magnum opus The Lord of the Rings. With a star ensemble, epic battles and the stunning backdrop of New Zealand, viewers flocked to the cinema to see if Sam and Frodo would make it to Mordor and save Middle Earth. 

Fourteen years later, Guillermo Del Toro gave us his dark aquatic fairytale - The Shape of Water - set in a fictional 1960s scientific research centre where woman and sea creature fall in love. Sally Hawkins leads the cast with Doug Jones creating the amazonian river god who captures her heart. 

Thank you to Thomas Whitelaw for our intro music and Rachel Valentine Smith for our artwork. This episode was recorded remotely and so we apologise for any changes in sound quality present.