Movies like I Heard the Bells (2022)
The best movies like I Heard the Bells (2022) are Christmas Cottage (2008), A Timeless Christmas (2020) and The Christmas Candle (2013). If I Heard the Bells hooked you with its history and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)8.3/10 from 5,162 votes
- NewestThe Testament of Ann Lee (2025)Released 2025
Christmas Cottage (2008)
Inspired by the picturesque paintings of Thomas Kinkade, The Christmas Cottage tells the semi-autobiographical tale of how a young boy is propelled to launch a career as an artist after he learns that his mother is in danger of losing the family home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Timeless Christmas (2020)
Charles Whitley travels from 1903 to 2020 where he meets Megan Turner, a tour guide at his historic mansion, and experiences a 21st Century Christmas.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Candle (2013)
Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candlemaker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Spirit of Christmas (2015)
A woman falls in love with a man who is somewhat unavailable.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSilver Skates (2020)
1899, the Christmas-time St.Petersburg. Ice-covered rivers and canals of the capital seethe with festive activities. On the eve of the new century those who should not be destined to meet, come together. They are people from different worlds: Matvey, the son of a lamplighter, whose only treasure is his silver-plated skates; Alice is the daughter of a high-ranking official dreaming of science. Each of them has his own difficult life-story, but having accidentally met they rush forward together in pursuit of their dreams.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
In 1843, despite the fact that Dickens is a successful writer, the failure of his latest book puts his career at a crossroads, until the moment when, struggling with inspiration and confronting reality with his childhood memories, a new character is born in the depths of his troubled mind; an old, lonely, embittered man, so vivid, so human, that a whole world grows around him, a story so inspiring that changed the meaning of Christmas forever.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Carol (1999)
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiracle Maker - A Christmas Tale (2015)
It all starts with one little seed of love."The Miracle Maker is coming!" Everyone in the tiny hamlet is excited when they hear the news that the renowned man of wonders is coming to their village. But the humble traveler who appears isn't what anyone expected. They were looking forward to someone magnificent who would change their lives. But it seems this man can barely take care of himself, let alone fulfill the dreams of others. However, miracles can come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes from unexpected places.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Genius (2016)
New York in the 1920s. Max Perkins, a literary editor is the first to sign such subsequent literary greats as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a sprawling, chaotic 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer falls into his hands, Perkins is convinced he has discovered a literary genius.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding Neverland (2004)
During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Women (2019)
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSmall Things Like These (2024)
In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFX's A Christmas Carol (2019)
London, 1843. Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old man, despises the Christmas holiday. Over the course of Christmas Eve night he is visited by three ghosts to show him his past, present and future.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Women (1994)
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis (2021)
An elder C.S. Lewis looks back on his remarkable journey from hard-boiled atheist to the most renowned Christian writer of the past century.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Colette (2018)
After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as Willy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoodbye Christopher Robin (2017)
The behind the scenes story of the life of A.A. Milne and the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories inspired by his son Christopher Robin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmily (2022)
The imagined life of one of the world’s most famous authors, Emily Brontë, as she finds her voice and writes the literary classic Wuthering Heights. Explore the relationships that inspired her – her raw, passionate sisterhood with Charlotte and Anne; her first aching, forbidden love for Weightman and her care for her maverick brother whom she idolises.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo Walk Invisible (2016)
To Walk Invisible takes a new look at the extraordinary Brontë family, telling the story of these remarkable women who, despite the obstacles they faced, came from obscurity to produce some of the greatest novels in the English language.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Invisible Woman (2013)
In 1857, at the height of his fame and fortune, novelist and social critic Charles Dickens meets and falls in love with teenage stage actress Nelly Ternan. As she becomes the focus of his heart and mind, as well as his muse, painful secrecy is the price both must pay.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
SnoozefestMovies like thisMiss Potter (2006)
Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved children's book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", struggles for love, happiness and success.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers as the female Christ.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
When Clara’s mother leaves her a mysterious gift, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms—where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Lennon Report (2016)
The events on the night John Lennon was killed, seen through the eyes of those who lived it. The great men and women of NYC who did all they could to save a life, some without even knowing it was John Lennon himself. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
A Christmas Carol (1997)
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Turner (2014)
Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPinocchio (2009)
The enchanted story of Pinocchio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMary (2024)
A miraculous conception. A merciless king. A murderous pursuit. Mary's journey to give birth to Jesus unfolds in this biblical coming-of-age epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like I Heard the Bells?
The closest matches to I Heard the Bells are Christmas Cottage (2008), A Timeless Christmas (2020) and The Christmas Candle (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after I Heard the Bells?
People who watched I Heard the Bells most often go on to Christmas Cottage (2008), A Timeless Christmas (2020) and The Christmas Candle (2013).
What is the highest-rated movie like I Heard the Bells?
It's a Wonderful Life (1946), rated 8.3/10 by 5,162 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like I Heard the Bells?
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like I Heard the Bells?
Yes: Christmas Cottage (2008), A Timeless Christmas (2020) and The Christmas Candle (2013).
How are movies similar to I Heard the Bells chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I Heard the Bells, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.