Movies like The Thing in the Distance (2009)
The best movies like The Thing in the Distance (2009) are Koati (2021), Arctic Dogs (2019) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003). If The Thing in the Distance hooked you with its animation, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Thing in the Distance
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHilda and the Mountain King (2021)7.6/10 from 208 votes
- NewestThe Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023)Released 2023
Koati (2021)
Three unlikely heroes - Nachi, a free-spirited coati; Xochi, a fearless monarch butterfly and Pako, a hyperactive glass frog - embark on an adventure to stop wicked coral snake Zaina from destroying their rain forest homeland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArctic Dogs (2019)
Animals band together to save the day when the evil Otto Von Walrus hatches a sinister scheme to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisFinal Flight of the Osiris (2003)
Immediately before the events of The Matrix Reloaded, the crew of the hovercraft Osiris discovers a quarter of a million sentinels drilling through the surface of the earth towards the last human city of Zion. But can the Osiris survive long enough to warn Zion?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInception: The Cobol Job (2010)
Cobb, Arthur and Nash are enlisted by Cobol Engineering.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHilda and the Mountain King (2021)
When Hilda wakes up in the body of a troll, she must use her wits and courage to get back home, become human again — and save the city of Trolberg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
The maniacal baby of the Griffin family, Stewie, meets his future self. In doing this he discovers that his future image is not what he has anticipated because of a near death experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe House (2022)
Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisB.O.B.'s Big Break (2009)
Dr. Cockroach comes up with a brilliant plan to break themselves out of Area 52 – but to implement the plan, he has to trick B.O.B. into thinking it’s his birthday.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisKahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014)
Exiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)
Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022)
A brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNight of the Animated Dead (2021)
An animated retelling of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, in which a group of people in a rural farmhouse struggle to survive the threat of bloodthirsty zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisProgram (2003)
Cis and Duo discuss leaving the real world during a samurai sword fight. Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts set in the Matrix universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (2019)
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023)
GrandPat travels through alternate dimensions and timelines to get home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo Time for Nuts (2006)
Scrat comes across a time machine and is transported to various times all in pursuit of his beloved acorn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEpic (2013)
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world—and ours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond (2003)
While looking for her cat, a young woman and some kids find an abandoned building where strange things happen and the rules of physics don't always apply. Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts set in the Matrix universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Thing in the Distance?
The closest matches to The Thing in the Distance are Koati (2021), Arctic Dogs (2019) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Thing in the Distance?
Start with Koati (2021), the closest match to The Thing in the Distance.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Thing in the Distance?
Hilda and the Mountain King (2021), rated 7.6/10 by 208 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Thing in the Distance?
The Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Thing in the Distance?
Yes: Koati (2021), Arctic Dogs (2019) and Final Flight of the Osiris (2003).
How are movies similar to The Thing in the Distance chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Thing in the Distance, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















