Movies like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973)
The best movies like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973) are An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995) and The Magic Faraway Tree (2026). If From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler hooked you with its adventure and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Dog's Purpose (2017)7.6/10 from 3,634 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999)
Follow the clues to fun and excitement as the beloved little mouse takes on a big monster in this charming, full-length adventure. When a ferocious, mouse-nabbing creature puts fear into the hearts of New York City's rodents, Fievel and his friends team up with a reporter to chase after the scoop of the century and -- just maybe -- get a close-up look at the bad guy himself!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995)
Two teen girls, one from the city, one from the country, try to find the hidden gold of Bear Mountain learning about friendship, loyalty and courage on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013)
A 10-year-old child prodigy cartographer secretly leaves his family's ranch in Montana where he lives with his cowboy father and scientist mother and travels across the country on board a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpymate (2006)
Amelia, a young genius and daughter of a top secret agent, unknowingly invents a contraption that makes her the target of an evil scientist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998)
Fievel and his friend Tony Toponi find a map that they believe points to a treasure buried somewhere beneath Old New York, and the plucky rodent is determined to find it. However, what he discovers under the city is a tribe of Native American mice who were driven underground by prejudiced European immigrants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWish Upon a Unicorn (2020)
Two children discover that their mother is gone. The youngest of the pair, adventurer and upcomming singer, Long Johnson forces his older sister, Lily Johnson, to hunt down a unicorn with magical blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInkheart (2008)
The adventures of a father and his young daughter, in their search for a long lost book that will help reunite a missing, close relative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost on a Mountain in Maine (2024)
When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't count on a fast-moving fog that obscures the path. He doesn't count on falling down an embankment that hides him from sight. And he doesn't count on taking a turn that leaves him alone to wander aimlessly for nearly two weeks in the empty mountain wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
After her father's ship is carried off by a sudden storm, the spunky Pippi Longstocking is stranded with her horse, Alfonso,and her pet monkey, Mr. Neilson, and takes up residence in the old family home, which is thought by neighborhood children to be haunted. Soon, two children, Tommy and his sister Anika, venture into the house only to meet up with Pippi. The three soon become friends and get into various adventures together, including cleaning the floor with scrubbing shoes, dodging the "splunks", going down a waterfall in barrels, and helping Pippi with the problem of having to go to an orphanage. Older children will probably get the most out of this movie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
SnoozefestMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
When precocious twins Sarah and Julie feel like Mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to their grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSketch (2025)
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Thief Lord (2006)
A tale about two young boys, Prosper and Bo, who flee to Venice after being orphaned and dumped in the care of a cruel auntie. Hiding in the canals and alleyways of the city, the boys are befriended by a gang of young urchins and their enigmatic leader, the Thief Lord. From their home base of an old cinema theater, the children steal from the rich to support themselves and soon capture the interest of a bumbling detective. However, a greater threat to the children is something from a forgotten past - a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisiCarly: iGo to Japan (2008)
Carly, Sam and Freddie kick off their adventure in Japan on a tin can of a plane packed with caged possums and piloted by Spencer's odd acquaintance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPropeller One-Way Night Coach (2026)
During the golden age of aviation, a young airplane enthusiast and his mother embark on a cross-country journey to Hollywood—and their simple flight transforms into the trip of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Coming SoonMovies like thisThe Adventures of Timmy the Tooth: The Brush in the Stone (1996)
Timmy gets a case of the itchy polka dots on the day of the Flossmore Valley Fair. It's up to Mr. Wisdom to read Timmy a medieval story about the origins of the childhood disease.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
The Wind in the Willows (TBA)
Jailed for his reckless driving, rambunctious Mr. Toad has to escape from prison when his beloved Toad Hall comes under threat from the wily weasels, who plan to build a dog food factory on the very meadow sold to them by Toad himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
The BFG (1990)
Sophie is snatched from her orphanage early one morning by the BFG (Big Friendly Giant), whom she witnesses engaged in mysterious activities. She is soon put at ease, as she learns that BFG's job is to collect, catalog and deliver pleasant dreams to children. She joins him that night, but a mean giants follow them, planning to eat the children of the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)
Thomasina the cat brings a family together through her mysterious death and reappearance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh in the Clouds (2027)
After he accidentally sparked a revolution against Gretsch, the bossy diva-owl who has banned all music from his town, a teenage squirrel named Wirral embarks on an extraordinary journey to set music free.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Coming SoonMovies like thisThe Emperor's New Clothes (1994)
The Emperor of a European country demands new clothes to wear every day, in fact sometimes several times a day. He imposes a heavy tax on the poor citizens to pay for his vanity. An itinerant man and boy come to the capital city and see the injustice, and make friends, but they soon have to flee. They return disguised as Arab tailors, and offer to make the Emperor a new suit of clothes. But only the wise will be able to see it; fools, or those unfit for their public office, will not see anything. The Emperor orders the suit made, and much money is needed to purchase the raw materials. Eventually the suit is ready, and the Emperor and his officials pretend that they can see a wonderful outfit; will anyone prick the bubble of the illusion?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Murder Over New York (1940)
When Charlie's old friend from Scotland Yard is murdered when they attend a police convention in New York, Chan picks up the case he was working on.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Little Black Fish (2025)
The Little Black Fish tells the tale of a small, inquisitive fish who dares to question the limitations of her world—the stream where generations of fish have lived without exploring beyond. Driven by curiosity and a thirst for truth, she embarks on a brave journey beyond the known waters, encountering various creatures, dangers, and wonders. Her journey becomes a powerful metaphor for resistance, growth, and the importance of independent thought.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Lulu Is a Rhinoceros (2025)
On a quest to spread kindness, fun-loving Lulu embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, powered by new friends, courage, and catchy songs!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
The closest matches to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler are An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995) and The Magic Faraway Tree (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Start with An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), the closest match to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
What is the highest-rated movie like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
A Dog's Purpose (2017), rated 7.6/10 by 3,634 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Yes: An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995) and The Magic Faraway Tree (2026).
How are movies similar to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.