Movies like Variants (1980)
The best movies like Variants (1980) are Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014), The House (2022) and Cat Napping (1951). If Variants hooked you with its animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMary and Max (2009)7.9/10 from 2,376 votes
- NewestFixed (2025)Released 2025
- In GermanDie Lösung (1988)Also in German
Kahlil 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 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 thisCat Napping (1951)
Tom has plans to take a nice long nap in a hammock, but Jerry has gotten there first and is snoozing happily, so the two fight it out to see who gets to sleep there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDog Trouble (1942)
Tom's chasing Jerry when he runs right into a sleeping dog and the two of them must work together to fend him off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKoati (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 thisWoody Woodpecker (2017)
Woody Woodpecker enters a turf war with a big city lawyer wanting to tear down his home in an effort to build a house to flip.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMouse Cleaning (1948)
Mammy Two-Shoes threatens to throw Tom out of the house if he makes a mess. Jerry sees an opportunity to rid himself of his feline nemesis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Cat Blues (1956)
Jerry narrates in voiceover: Tom has fallen hard for the cat next door, and competes with rich cat Butch for her affections. But Butch outspends Tom to a ludicrous level at every turn. Tom goes downhill after that, until we see him contemplating suicide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHey Arnold! The Movie (2002)
Arnold and his friends must recover a stolen document in order to prevent the neighborhood from being bulldozed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRecess: All Growed Down (2003)
T.J. and The Recess Gang are kidnapped by the Third Street School's kindergartners, who are in turn being bullied by a new kid in their class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSea Scouts (1939)
Donald is an admiral on a seagoing voyage with his nephews in which they encounter a ravenous shark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisBatman and Harley Quinn (2017)
Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: School's Out (2001)
The school year is finally ending, and T.J. Detweiler is looking forward to summer. But boredom quickly sets in when his friends leave for camp — until T.J. uncovers an evil plot to do away with summer vacation! A crazy former principal, Dr. Benedict, is planning to use a laser beam to alter the weather and create permanent winter. Faced with the dire threat of year-round school, T.J. rounds up the RECESS gang and bands together with some unexpected allies — Miss Finster and Principal Prickly — in a nonstop adventure to save everyone's summer break.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere Is Anne Frank (2021)
The film follows the journey of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank dedicated her diary. A fiery teenager, Kitty wakes up in the near future in Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam and embarks on a journey to find Anne, who she believes is still alive, in today's Europe. While the young girl is shocked by the modern world, she also comes across Anne's legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry (2005)
After being evicted from their old house by Tom's owner for causing major damage, cat and mouse Tom and Jerry enter a race entitled the "Fabulous Super Race" to win a mansion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFixed (2025)
After learning he's getting neutered, a dog has 24 hours to squeeze in one last balls-to-the-wall adventure with the boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's House of Villains (2002)
The villains from the popular animated Disney films are gathered at the House of Mouse with plans to take over. Soon, the villains take over the house and kick out Mickey, Donald and Goofy. It's all up to Mickey and his friends to overthrow evil and return the House of Mouse to normal--or as close to normal as it gets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster House (2006)
Monsters under the bed are scary enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? Three teens aim to find out when they go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVeggieTales: Are You My Neighbor? (1995)
Two stories, told by the VeggieTales gang, talk about why it's important to love your neighbor. "The Story of Flibber-O-Loo": The inhabitants of the towns Flibber-O-Loo and Jibberty-Lot, who are constantly fighting, attempt to make peace with each other. "The Gourds Must Be Crazy": The USS Applepies is in the path of a giant meteor! Scooter and Junior Asparagus frantically work to fix the ship's engines, but will they rely on oddball crewmembers Jimmy and Jerry Gourd to help them?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Island (1973)
A castaway is interrogated by Interpol, conquered by an imperialist ship, loses his lone palm tree to greedy loggers, is consoled by a missionary who promptly abandons him, is thoroughly examined by scientists, and harassed by journalists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Family Holiday (1975)
Got your holidays booked yet? Take a look at what Terminal Tours have to offer in this consciously coarse comic cartoon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Die Lösung (1988)
Young birds are kept in line, but one of them insists on facing another direction. Being grassed by his comrades, he is visited by their master, who will try to reeducate him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Little Prince (2015)
Based on the best-seller book 'The Little Prince', the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNeighbours (1952)
In this Oscar-winning short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPat & Mat: Back In Action (2018)
Pat and Mat have moved into new houses, and every odd job turns into a new adventure. A mole in the garden, a blocked chimney, a fence, a swarm of bees, a solar lawnmower or a security camera: nothing stops the two handymen, though their solutions rarely go as planned.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Mary and Max (2009)
A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe District (2004)
In an effort to end family feuding, a young gypsy travels back in time to kill mammoths to ensure Hungary becomes rich by killing mammoths in order to create a massive oil reservoir. Things don't go entirely according to plan...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Variants?
The closest matches to Variants are Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014), The House (2022) and Cat Napping (1951). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Variants?
Start with Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014), the closest match to Variants.
What is the highest-rated movie like Variants?
Mary and Max (2009), rated 7.9/10 by 2,376 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Variants?
Fixed (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Variants?
Yes: Die Lösung (1988).
How are movies similar to Variants chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Variants, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.