Movies like Nautilus (1933)
The best movies like Nautilus (1933) are The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012), Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022) and Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale (2017). If Nautilus hooked you with its animation and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Nautilus
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)8.0/10 from 1,155 votes
- NewestThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)Released 2025
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012)
After a hurricane levels his city, a young man wanders into a mysterious library where books literally come to life. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2012.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPuss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale (2017)
After tumbling into a magic storybook, Puss in Boots must fight, dance and romance his way through wild adventures as he searches for an escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sea Beast (2022)
When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared with his best friend. But the Vikings of New Berk were beginning to forget about their friendship with dragons. Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber know just what to do to keep the dragons in the villagers' hearts. And across the sea, the dragons have a plan of their own...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Monkey King (2023)
A stick-wielding monkey teams with a young girl on an epic quest for immortality, battling demons, dragons, gods — and his own ego — along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrings (2004)
The story of Prince Hal who sets out to avenge his dead father against the city's rivals, the Zeriths, little knowing it was his wicked uncle Nezo who is the real killer, with his own designs on the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magician's Elephant (2023)
Peter is searching for his long-lost sister when he crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square. His only question is: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFire and Ice (1983)
The villainous Nekron and his mother, Queen Juliana, plot against the human race from their frigid fortress. Creating mass destruction with huge glaciers, mother and son incur the wrath of Larn, a warrior whose entire village was destroyed by ice. When Nekron's underlings kidnap the beautiful Princess Teegra, Larn sets out to rescue her, assisted by the fierce and enigmatic Darkwolf.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)
When his best friend Gary is suddenly snatched away, SpongeBob takes Patrick on a madcap mission far beyond Bikini Bottom to save their pink-shelled pal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & 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 & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)
When human sailors are attacked by mysterious creatures of the deep, only one person can stop the war between land and sea: the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022)
The fearless one-eyed weasel Buck teams up with mischievous possum brothers Crash & Eddie as they head off on a new adventure into Buck's home: The Dinosaur World.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 1 (2022)
This collection of 10 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Puppy (2013); Minion Scouts (2019); Training Wheels (2013); The Secret Life of Kyle (2017); Santa's Little Helpers (2019). From the "Grinch" franchise: The Dog Days of Winter (2019). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Norman Television (2016); Weenie (2016). From the "Sing" franchise: Love at First Sight (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Forces of Nature (2012).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSofia the First: The Floating Palace (2013)
After Sofia helps a little mermaid named Oona, Sofia's amulet grants her the power to transform into a mermaid and visit her new friend's underwater kingdom. But when Cedric (disguised as a seamonster) plots to steal Oona's enchanted Mermaid Comb, danger surfaces for both worlds. With a little help from special guest, Princess Ariel, Sofia embarks on an adventure to rescue Oona and prevent a typhoon before it's too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLou (2017)
A lost-and-found box holds a mysterious and unseen monster within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRobin Robin (2021)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow (2013)
When Brainy Smurf is favored to win the annual Smurfberry Hunt for the ninth year in a row, Gutsy Smurf sets out to discover how Brainy wins every year. Gutsy’s investigation takes him into spooky Smurfy Hollow–and right into Gargamel’s trap! Can Brainy and Gutsy, with the help of Smurfette, put aside their rivalry before Gargamel captures them–or worse, they come face-to-face with the legendary ghost, the Headless Horseman?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPokrovo-Pokrivonko… (1997)
The girl Hanusya and her younger brother Andriyko lived in the village, whose mother was taken captive by the Horde, and whose father, who went to free her, also disappeared. The Cossack Stepan is courting Hanusya, but she promised to marry only after the return of her parents. All three find themselves in danger, because they are pursued by the devil, who was driven out of hell by Satan himself, having ordered to harm at least one human soul.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Seraphim on the Go! (2021)
a life size stop motion child puppet races through memories and daydreams reflecting on the cyclical nature of life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Forest (2008)
A young girl is lost in a forest filled with eyeball trees, skeletal animals and a nephilim
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Apocalypsis (2018)
Set in a parallel universe entering a black hole, a woman reading the book of Revelation has visions of regeneration during Anthropocene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Awooga! (2025)
Popette, a professional striptease dancer is starting her show. Remembering how infinitely hot she is, Popette conquers the stage and dives deep into the ecstasy of passionate dancing as the performance starts taking an unexpected turn.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Big Walls Big Seas (2016)
After South Georgia in 2008 and Antarctica in 2010, Isabelle Autissier, Lionel Daudet, and their crew set off on a new adventure to Greenland. This non-motorized sporting, environmental, and scientific expedition began on June 10th and concluded in mid-September 2016. Aboard a sailboat with an aluminum hull capable of navigating Arctic ice, the crew sailed to southwest Greenland. Lionel Daudet, Enzo Odo, and Siebe Vanhee embarked on a journey to explore this land of discovery, aiming to open new and breathtaking routes on big walls. An adventure between sea and mountains, crew and climbing team.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
2:30 (2025)
In a dark and cramped attic, Luna, a moth with dreams of becoming a dentist, sets up her first professional practice from home. As she works, she discovers an intoxicating euphoria in the glow of her dental light, forming an obsession that fuels her craft and enhances her skills. As the days blur together, her fixation deepens and her artistry decays along with her sanity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Ice Voyagers (1993)
Greenland, the largest island in the world, is unlike any other country. The film recounts the exploration of the Inlandis cavities in Greenland during the summer of 1992. Janot Lamberton, one of the pioneers of these expeditions, ventured, with speleologists and mountaineers, into the moulins, these immense crevasses that tear through the back of the Inlandis, a vast glacier four times the size of France, while glaciologist Louis Reynaut studies infraglacial phenomena. It is obviously not easy to penetrate the depths of the ice and film at a depth of 150 meters in sub-zero temperatures. The light is blue in one of the most fascinating landscapes on the planet, where scientists and explorers collaborate to deepen their knowledge of the Earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
The Flying Proletarian (1962)
Animated poetic ode to the bright Soviet Future, based on the poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Like Nautilus and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Nautilus?
The closest matches to Nautilus are The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012), Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022) and Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Nautilus?
Start with The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012), the closest match to Nautilus.
What is the highest-rated movie like Nautilus?
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 1,155 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Nautilus?
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Nautilus?
Yes: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012), Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022) and Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale (2017).
How are movies similar to Nautilus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Nautilus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.