The emergence of mesoscopic structures and the role of slow dynamics in thin magnetic films is an area of considerable interest. The role played by defect mediated dynamic processes is a current area of experimental and theoretical research that is essential to the understanding of the properties of these films. This research is driven by both the potential applications of thin magnetic films, and the fundamental questions and new physics that they point to. This brief review provides an overview of some recent experimental work on both epitaxial magnetic films and on meta-material magnetic films. An overview of some corresponding results from theory and simulation studies is also given. The article concludes with a summary and some forward-looking speculations and questions regarding these systems.
