Sprightly British actress Dakota Blue Richards achieved her first major cinematic coup as eloquently named Lyra Belacqua, heroine of the effects-heavy fantasy extravaganza The Golden Compass (2007). The story -- adapted from the best-selling novel by Philip Pullman -- finds 12-year-old Lyra journeying into a stunning fantasy world to rescue her best friend, a world that encompasses "dæmons," witches, massive polar bears, and all sorts of other stunning beings. She would next star in another fantasy-novel adaptation, The Moon Princess, as Maria Merryweather.