‘Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis’ (1997)

For Anne Curtis, fantasy was where it all began.

Released in 1997, Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis marked Curtis' theatrical film debut. Directed by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, the film was a Philippine fantasy adventure and one of the entries in the 1997 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Curtis played Princess Dahlia, the rightful heir to the kingdom of Damortis.

The story follows three young warriors who are tasked with helping save the kingdom from the evil Basilicus and restoring Dahlia to her rightful throne. IMDb classifies the movie as action, adventure and fantasy, placing it squarely in the genre.

For fans who know Curtis primarily as a leading lady in romantic comedies, it can be easy to forget that her first movie role came in a sprawling fantasy adventure.

She was only a young actress at the time, but Magic Kingdom would become an important piece of her career history: the movie that introduced Anne Curtis to Philippine cinema.

The film also performed well at the 1997 Metro Manila Film Festival, where it won third Best Picture.

‘Ang Panday’ (2009)

More than a decade after her movie debut, Curtis returned to the fantasy genre in Ang Panday.

Released in 2009, the film was based on the popular Panday comic-book mythology created by Carlo J. Caparas. It starred Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. as the legendary blacksmith Flavio, with Curtis playing Adora.

The story brings together a magical sword, supernatural forces and a battle between good and evil, making fantasy an important part of the film's world.

Curtis' role was not that of the central hero, but Adora placed her inside one of the Philippines' best-known fantasy-action franchises.

The film was released as a 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival entry and became one of the major Filipino fantasy productions of its period. Curtis' filmography lists her as Adora, confirming her role in the movie.

Ang Panday also demonstrated how Filipino fantasy cinema often combines mythology, action and larger-than-life heroes rather than following the Western model of fantasy storytelling.

‘Blood Ransom’ (2014)

If Magic Kingdom represented the colorful, traditional side of fantasy, Blood Ransom took Curtis into much darker territory.

The 2014 film stars Curtis as Crystal, a young woman caught in a dangerous supernatural world. Directed by Francis dela Torre, the movie combines drama, fantasy, horror, romance and thriller elements.

Curtis shares the screen with Alexander Dreymon and Jamie Harris.

At the center of the story is a woman struggling with the monster she is becoming while trying to save the man she loves. IMDb's official listing specifically classifies Blood Ransom as fantasy, alongside horror, romance, drama and thriller.

That makes it one of Curtis' most direct encounters with supernatural fantasy.

Unlike her role as Princess Dahlia, Curtis' character here is not a traditional fantasy heroine. Crystal's story is darker, more intimate and rooted in the horror of transformation.

The film also gave Curtis an opportunity to work in an international setting, with the movie filmed in the United States and featuring an international cast.

‘The Mall, the Merrier!’ (2019)

Fantasy took another turn in 2019, this time into comedy.

Curtis starred as Morisette “Setset” Molina in The Mall, the Merrier!, a Christmas comedy directed by Barry Gonzalez.

The movie also stars Vice Ganda as Morisette's sibling, Moira/Moises Molina. The story centers on the siblings' fight over ownership of a shopping mall following the death of their parents.

Unlike Blood Ransom, the movie uses fantasy as part of a broad, comedic and family-friendly story.

IMDb classifies The Mall, the Merrier! as slapstick comedy, family, fantasy and music, confirming its place among Curtis' fantasy films.

Curtis' Morisette is one half of the central sibling rivalry, opposite Vice Ganda's Moira.

The film was also a 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival entry and brought together comedy, music, celebrity cameos and fantasy in a distinctly Filipino Christmas movie package. The cast included Curtis, Vice Ganda, Dimples Romana, Elisse Joson and several guest performers.

A surprisingly short fantasy filmography

Looking at Curtis' complete movie credits, the fantasy portion of her career is surprisingly compact.

Her filmography includes dozens of movies across different genres, but only a small number can confidently be identified as fantasy films in which she has a credited acting role.

The four clearest titles are:

1997 — Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis Curtis as Princess Dahlia

2009 — Ang Panday Curtis as Adora

2014 — Blood Ransom
Curtis as Crystal

2019 — The Mall, the Merrier!
Curtis as Morisette “Setset” Molina

There are other Curtis movies with supernatural or fantasy-related elements, but they are better classified under other genres.

For example, Aurora is primarily categorized as horror, mystery and thriller, while 'Wag Kang Lilingon is a horror film. Including them in a strict list of fantasy movies would blur important genre distinctions.

Likewise, Lastikman is a fantasy-superhero movie, but Curtis' role was Young Linda, a relatively small early appearance rather than a starring role. Her filmography also lists her as a passenger in Petrang Kabayo, which is not enough to describe the movie as an Anne Curtis fantasy vehicle.

From Princess Dahlia to Crystal

What makes Curtis' fantasy roles interesting is the contrast between them.

She began her movie career as Princess Dahlia, a young royal in a magical kingdom. More than a decade later, she became Adora in a Filipino fantasy-action epic. Then came Crystal in Blood Ransom, where fantasy became darker and more supernatural.

Finally, The Mall, the Merrier! brought her back to fantasy, this time through comedy and family entertainment.

It is not the longest genre list in Anne Curtis' filmography.

But it tells an interesting story about an actress who has repeatedly stepped outside familiar territory.

From princess to warrior-world fantasy, supernatural drama and magical comedy, Anne Curtis has visited several different kinds of fantastical worlds, even if she did not make 10 fantasy movies.

And perhaps that is what makes these four titles worth remembering.