Movies like Hachiko (2023)
The best movies like Hachiko (2023) are Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004), Hearty Paws (2006) and Black Dog (2024). If Hachiko hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRemarkably Bright Creatures (2026)8.3/10 from 1,019 votes
- NewestRemarkably Bright Creatures (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseBlack Dog (2024)Also in Chinese
Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)
A Labrador retriever named Quill begins specialized training as a guide dog from an early age, then the canine is paired with a blind man who is initially reluctant to rely on his new partner.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHearty Paws (2006)
11-year-old Chan-yi is looking after his lovely younger sister So-yi, by himself ever since their mother left them to find her own future. Despite their desperate situation of being abandoned by family and neighbors, these kids try their best to carry on life. One day, a little puppy joins this small family as Chan-yi steals it from an old couple's kennel as a gift his sister's birthday.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Black Dog (2024)
Released from jail, Lang returns to his hometown in Northwest China. As part of a dog patrol tasked with clearing stray dogs before the 2008 Olympics, he bonds with a black stray. The two lonely souls embark on a new journey together.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmitty (2012)
SMITTY is a family film about a rescue dog. When life gets tough for Ben, a friendly paw is all it takes to pull him through. Mischievous thirteen-year-old Ben is sent to his grandfather's farm for the summer, where he crosses paths with a lovable mutt. With help from the unlikely canine companion, Ben learns the importance of friendship, family and responsibility.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Marona's Fantastic Tale (2020)
Marona, an innocent and empathetic little female dog, remembers the life she has shared with different masters, whom she has loved unconditionally.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Heart Puppy (2023)
Min-soo is about to get married when his fiancée suddenly admits that she is allergic to dogs. Now the guy's best friend, the golden retriever Rooney, needs a new family. With the help of his cousin and social media, Min-soo starts looking for a new home for Rooney.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
White Fang (2018)
A loyal wolfdog’s curiosity leads him on the adventure of a lifetime while serving a series of three distinctly different masters.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHachiko (1987)
The tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dog's Way Home (2019)
The adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
Professor Wilson discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home. Despite objections from his wife, Hachi endears himself to the family and grows to be Parker's loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA Dog's Journey (2019)
A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005)
The little nomad girl, Nansal, finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend - against all rejections of her parents. A story about a Mongolian family of nomads - their traditional way of life and the rising call of the City.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Call of the Wild (2020)
Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team—and later its leader—Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dog's Courage (2019)
Abandoned by his owners, a feisty and playful dog joins a pack of strays and embarks on a journey filled with fun and life lessons in their pursuit to find a new and loving home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dog's Purpose (2017)
A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTibetan Dog (2011)
After his mother dies, Jiantan has to leave Xi'an to live with his father on the Tibetan steppe, where he meets a golden dog that helps him cope with the new challenges ahead.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
10 Promises to My Dog (2008)
One day a puppy comes to the house of Akari, who has just turned twelve, and was trying hard to act strong after her mother suddenly fell ill. She immediately falls in love with the puppy and names it "Socks" after the paws which looked like they had white socks on. Akari was together with Socks day and night. However, as Akari grows up, her feelings and interest moves away from Socks. Year by year, their distance grows, which also leads to her physical distance as she moves to a far off city, and must leave Socks behind to a childhood friend. One day, Akari remembers the 10 promises that she had made with Socks and her deceased mother...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Hero Dog: The Journey Home (2021)
Chinook the Alaskan Malamute must lead a shipwrecked blind man out of the wilderness, while the man's children launch a rescue mission of their own.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue (2024)
Family frenemies, Gracie and Pedro, must put their differences aside, embarking on a thrilling quest packed with perilous escapades in order to reunite with their owners.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)
When Milo the cat and Otis the dog are separated, they each set off on an adventurous and often perilous quest across mountains, plains, and snow-covered lands to reunite with one another.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Friend (2025)
New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Way Home (2002)
This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA Simple Life (2012)
After suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
James Bowen, a homeless busker and recovering drug addict, has his life transformed when he meets a stray ginger cat.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBelle and Sebastian (2013)
Belle and Sebastian is set high in the snowy Alps during the Second World War. The resourceful Sebastian is a lonely boy who tames and befriends a giant, wild mountain dog, Belle – even though the villagers believe her to be ‘the beast’ that has been killing their sheep.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Small Land (2022)
Sarya lives between three worlds: Having fled from Turkey to Japan, her small family tries to maintain their Kurdish traditions. On the other hand, Sarya, who arrived when she was five, feels at home in Japan. But then, the family loses its refugee-status. Life becomes unpredictable and their days in Japan seem numbered. A haunting story about the balancing act of finding your place in the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025)
The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family's housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family's idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRemarkably Bright Creatures (2026)
Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hachiko?
The closest matches to Hachiko are Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004), Hearty Paws (2006) and Black Dog (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hachiko?
People who watched Hachiko most often go on to Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004), Hearty Paws (2006) and Black Dog (2024).
What is the highest-rated movie like Hachiko?
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026), rated 8.3/10 by 1,019 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hachiko?
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Hachiko?
Yes: Black Dog (2024).
How are movies similar to Hachiko chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hachiko, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.