The 10 Most Unconventional Modes Of Transportation In Film

ComingSoon.net is about to set off on a journey to find the most unconventional modes of transportation in film history. Check out our selections in the gallery below!

Boats, planes, trains, automobiles—we’ve all seen plenty of films that revolve around these modes of transportation. Heck, remember Premium Rush, that Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie about a delivery boy racing through New York City on a bike? We all know these modes of transportation. We love to see them. We welcome them.

But what happens when a movie throws us a curveball? What happens when a filmmaker forces us to confront a mode of transportation that we’ve never seen before? One that totally blows the lid off of how out minds think about transportation? It’s happened plenty of times before, and it’s sure to happen plenty more times going forward. Don’t believe us? Check out these unconventional modes of transportation below.

Which of these odd ways to get around is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

unconventional transportation

Aladdin (1992)

With its recent live-action remake still raking in the dough at the box office, 192’s Aladdin is still on the minds of many moviegoers. The animated magic carpet—both in style and in personality—is a standout of the original film, frequently stealing small scenes without ever having any dialogue.
Back to the Future (1985)

We’ve all seen flying cars, but Back to the Future is different. Get the car up to 88 miles per hour, and the car flies through time instead of the air.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill and Ted are coming back for a third adventure very soon, perfectly timed to coincide with Keanu Reeves’s renaissance. All three films see the titular Bill and Ted traveling around in a phone booth, Dr. Who style.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

One of the most whimsical iterations of the flying car trope, 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang depicts this familiar fantasy creation with all kinds of additional bells and whistles. It might be the best flying car on film for this very reason.
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Not to be confused with last year’s flop Mortal Engines, Studio Ghibli’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle features exactly what the title would suggest: a moving castle that travels across mythical lands. Hayao Miyazaki’s films are always so inventive, and Howl’s Moving Castle is no exception.
Swiss Army Man (2016)

One of the most recent entries in this slideshow, Swiss Army Man is a real stand-out for utilizing mankind itself as a mode of transportation. It’s one strange movie, for sure, and this might be the strangest thing about it.
The Neverending Story (1984)

The 80s were a truly wonderful time for big-budget studio fantasies. The Neverending Story is one such example, and it sees a young boy traveling through a fantasy world on a furry dragon named Falkor.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Clearly an aesthetic influence on Disney/Pixar’s Up, The Wizard of Oz has to have been the first movie to feature transportation by flying house. Granted, Dorothy owes a lot to the tornado that swept her away, but it doesn’t matter—it’s still impressive.
Up (2009)

Disney/Pixar’s Up was praised at the time for its sheer inventiveness, showcasing wondrous visuals as an old man, a young boy scout, and a talking dog journeyed to a mythical land the widower’s wife always hoped to visit. To get there, the crew travels by attaching a bunch of balloons to the roof of the house and moving across the globe like some kind of hot air balloon.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ends with an unforgettable shot: a flying elevator shooting off into the sky with Willy Wonka and Charlie inside. Leave it to Dahl to imagine something so unique.