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relish the idea of unstoppable monsters colliding with strong, determined female heroes.

Modern re-tellings of fairy tales such as Ever After and Ella Enchanted have also provided strong female leads, whilst in the world of animation, Shrek's straight talking Ogre, Princess Fiona, has given Cameron Diaz a terrifically different sort of strong female character to voice. Shrek could be read as a backlash against the Disneyfied history of animated fantasy role models, but, conversely, the Disney studio has always championed strong female leads. From Snow White through to Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Disney has never failed to provide kind, brave heroines. Disney have even joined in with Shrek's joke, poking gentle fun at their own history with Enchanted.

More traditional, but nevertheless strong, female leads can be found in classic fantasy films such as The Wizard of Oz, Metropolis, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Modern cinema is also home to some exceptional fantasy films, with many big name directors proving forthright exponents. Jean Pierre Jeunet uses elements of fantasy in all his films, such as when Audrey Tautou literally melts with love in Amelie. Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton are also famous advocates of the fantastic, although not so much the strong roles for women.

Celebrated Lord of The Rings director Peter Jackson has a deep rooted and obvious love of fantasy films. His famous trilogy, based on the books of JRR Tolkien, has limited opportunity for female characters, but the main ones - Arwen, Galadriel and Eowyn - are certainly figures of immense bravery and power. Jackson has, however, put female characters center stage before, in his much praised early film Heavenly Creatures. This was the film that gave Kate Winslet her feature debut, as one half of a murderous pair of teenage girls. Although the film was based on a true story, the way Jackson chose to portray blossoming young love was done through dreamy imagery, invoking the strange, dark fantasy world of Juliet and Pauline.

Jackson has also recently revised that other classic fantasy, the creature feature King Kong. He may have added new and exciting elements to the tale, but you would still need to go a long way to beat Fay Wray's iconic performance as Ann Darrow in the 1933 version.

The list of strong female characters in fantasy films is growing all the time, and long may it continue.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Strozykowski.
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