Top 11 Flying Movie Characters

By CJ Tiernan

Flying. There are few super powers quite as fantastic as flying. Humans have yet to achieve this power outside of a flying machine. When will The Jetsons become a reality? I want my future with a side of being able to fold up my space ship and carry it as a briefcase. Or, you know, just magic. Can we invent magic and fly that way? That'd be sick. Anyway, I compiled a list of my favorite characters that take flight in movies and these are my Top 11 Flying movie characters.

1. Falkor - The Neverending Story (1984)

This '80s fantasy movie is epic. It has a story within a story, a kid as the only hero that can save the world, and a giant creature made of rocks that eats rocks (and laments the absence of gourmet rocks). I watched this movie as a child. The stakes felt so big and The Nothing was terrifying. You know what wasn't terrifying? Falkor. Falkor is a flying luckdragon who likes to be scratched behind the ears. He's over 40 feet long and can fly. That's pretty awesome. I'm only 6 feet long (when measured vertically) and I can't even make it to my dentist appointments on time. Falkor can fly and assists the protagonist with his quest. In addition to luck, he can also dole out sage wisdom.

2. Iron Man - Iron Man (2008)

Alyssa Patton, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Robert Downey Jr. getting cast as Tony Stark is one of the greatest casting decisions in film history. He is so perfect in the role I can hardly stand it. Stark is brilliant enough to build his first suit "in a cave, with a box of scraps." His subsequent suits really give him a slew of superpowers, but the coolest one is flight. To be able to fly in a suit of metal is really an accomplishment. I've heard it said that Batman's superpower is being rich. I believe the same applies here except that he is also a brilliant engineer. Downey Jr.'s improv at the end of the first movie was the catalyst for the MCU: "The truth is... I am Iron Man." Love it!

3. Neo - The Matrix (1999)

Spoiler Alert! If you haven't seen The Matrix then the whole thing is blown. He only gains the ability at the very end of the first movie. However, it's pretty sick. Neo, a mere mortal jacked into The Matrix, is able to see the world as code, and thus manipulate it to meet his every need (or whatever). You throw a 1000 Elrond's at him and he still doesn't falter. He can stop bullets. He deftly returns from dying, a feat that few among us have ever managed. And he can fly. He is The One.

4. Russell - Up (2009)

The little kid from the movie "Up" is hilarious. His presence on this list is not a perfect match for the category, as he is not flying of his own free will. Instead, he is attempting to graduate to Senior Wilderness Explorer by assisting the elderly, a role he has targeted Mr. Fredrickson for. However, said Mr. Fredrickson, in true wild-west fashion, engages in the "you'll never take me alive" activity of flying his house to South America via balloons. Russell, in his quest to help the old dude out, becomes an unwitting passenger aboard the house whilst engaged in a Snipe hunt. All and all, a great family flick and Russell is hilarious and one of my youngest favorite fliers (while Mr. Fredrickson might be one of the oldest).

5. Thor - Thor Ragnarok (2017)

Everything about this movie is awesome. Thor is a god (the god of thunder). At various points in this movie, his dad dies and he is in a quest for justice against both his sister and his brother. He is also against an avenger at one point. It is a complicated operation of good vs. evil. He handles it with much aplomb and operates with a noble sense of right and wrong. Chris Hemsworth is fantastic in this role and Taika Waititi unlocks something special here in his role as director. A funny superhero is absolutely a character that belongs on Top 11 Flying Movie Characters.

6. Caractacus Potts and Family - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

The inventor, Caractacus Potts (played by Dick Van Dyke), scrounges together enough money to purchase an old race car that has wrecked. He rebuilds it (and adds some mad-scientist modifications) and rebrands it as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (named for totally normal sounds the engine is making). He takes his two children and the heiress to a candy fortune to the beach to break it in. There he regales them all with a story that includes all of them and the car, with an ability to transform into a boat or a flying car. While the obvious answer to greatest flying car in a movie is the DeLorean at the end of Back to the Future (and subsequent sequels), this car has character and I dig its vibe.

7. Peter Pan - Hook (1991)

Whether you go with the one that never grows up in the animated Disney movie from the '50s, or the Robin Williams version that has grown up and forgotten his pals in Neverland in the '90s, you gotta love Peter Pan. He and his sidekick Tinkerbell fly around and thwart pirate activities and hang out with mermaids and while away their time not growing up. As someone for whom death is the biggest fear, I am drawn in by a character that doesn't age. Instead he just aims for the 3rd star on the right and flies straight on 'til morning. I'm jealous.

8. Harry Potter - Harry Potter Films (2001-2011)

Harry Potter was the title star of 7 books, 8 movies, and a forthcoming TV show. He's kind of a big deal. And, as luck would have it, kind of a natural at flying on a broomstick. While he does encounter some bone-crushing setbacks, dude plays a mean seeker on the Quidditch pitch. There are countless characters in this story, and thus tons of wizards who can fly, but few are as thoroughly discussed as Harry (in our world or his), so I'll take Potter as my flying wizard.

9. Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins (1964)

She comes flying in on an umbrella to care for a couple of spoiled rich kids (their surname is literally Banks), taking them on an adventure to an animated land with a one man band named Bert (Dick Van Dyke makes another appearance on the list). Julie Andrews stars as the "practically perfect in every way" nanny. She doesn't stand for their nonsense and sings about doing chores and taking medicine and stuff. While she may have used her magical powers to literally blow away the competition, she can also use her magical wind powers to fly (or fall with style) whilst using an umbrella.

10. The Ghosts - Casper (1995)

Casper is the friendly ghost. However, he is also flanked by his uncles with the names Fatso, Stretch, and Stinkie (probably not birth names) and so, you know, they're not all friendly. They are a lot of fun though. When I was a kid, I got a glow-in-the-dark Casper hand puppet from Pizza Hut (hooray! brand tie-ins!). We used to go there a lot because of Book-It! You remember Book-It? They just gave you pizza for reading. How great was that? Aw man, I read so many books. I wonder if they still do that. Anyway, this movie was lot of fun to watch as a kid and ghosts cannot only fly but they can go through walls and choose when people get to see them. Creepy!

11. The Witches - Hocus Pocus (1993)

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy star as the three Sanderson Sisters, a group of witches that are brought back from the late 1600s by a teenager who lights the black candle (whoops!). They are out of their element 300 years later and they fly on a broom and the much less expected mop and vacuum cleaner. They are the perfect combination of funny and scary. Great for a Halloween movie for the whole family.

Final Thoughts

There are all sorts of characters throughout cinema that fly. Superman didn't make my list. Hiccup and Toothless from "How to Train Your Dragon" and Aladdin's Magic Carpet also just missed my list. Plus, don't forget about Buzz Lightyear (of Star Command). I'm sure that you have your own favorite flying characters. Please let me know in the comments below who I missed. Thanks!