Movies like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
The best movies like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) are The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025). If The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie hooked you with its adventure and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Lion King (1994)8.3/10 from 20,403 votes
- NewestThe Pout-Pout Fish (2026)Released 2026
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)
Evil pirate Burger Beard is in search of the final page of a magical book that makes any evil plan he writes in it come true, but the final page happens to be the Krabby Patty secret formula. When Burger Beard endangers Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton must embark on a quest to retrieve the recipe and save their city...a quest that takes them to the surface world and transforms them into superheroes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoana 2 (2024)
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
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 & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
With his nephews and niece, everyone's favorite rich uncle, Scrooge McDuck, treks from his mansion home in Duckburg in search of the long-lost loot of the thief Collie Baba. But finding the goods isn't quite what it's "quacked" up to be! Their thrilling adventure leads to comical chaos, magical mayhem, and a lesson about what is far more valuable than money, gold and jewels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Swan Princess (1994)
The beautiful princess Odette is transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer's spell. Held captive at an enchanted lake, she befriends Jean-Bob the frog, Speed the turtle and Puffin the bird. Despite their struggle to keep the princess safe, these good-natured creatures can do nothing about the sorcerer's spell, which can only be broken by a vow of everlasting love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisMoana (2016)
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
The enthusiastic Pirate Captain, along with his rag-tag crew, sets out to beat his bitter rivals. The chaotic adventure takes them from exotic shores to Victorian London, and from a haplessly smitten scientist to a diabolical queen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pout-Pout Fish (2026)
Living on a rundown shipwreck, Mr. Fish one day discovers a hyperactive young sea dragon Pip – who had mistaken his home for a junkyard – pilfering his belongings. The heated argument that ensues leaves both their houses in ruin. But there is hope! Embarking on a seemingly impossible quest in search of the mythical 'Shimmer' to grant them a wish, there’s only one problem: someone else is on the hunt...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004)
Spring has sprung, and baby Roo is excited to get out and explore and make new friends. But Rabbit seems preoccupied with spring cleaning, instead of embracing his usual role of playing Easter Bunny. Leave it to Roo to show Rabbit -- through love -- that it's more important who you love and not who's in charge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome (2015)
When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh. The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
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 Bad Guys (2022)
When the Bad Guys, a crew of criminal animals, are finally caught after years of heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal to save them all from prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: Dolphin Magic (2017)
Barbie and her sisters take off on another exciting, global adventure to visit their friend Ken at his summer internship at a beautiful and exotic coral reef.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding Dory (2016)
Dory is reunited with her friends Nemo and Marlin in the search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPinocchio (1940)
When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio, is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShark Tale (2004)
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian. When a lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and Lenny becomes an outcast, the two form an unlikely friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChicken Little (2005)
When the sky really is falling and sanity has flown the coop, who will rise to save the day? Together with his hysterical band of misfit friends, Chicken Little must hatch a plan to save the planet from alien invasion and prove that the world's biggest hero is a little chicken.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisAsterix vs. Caesar (1985)
Obelix falls for a new arrival in his home village in Gaul, but is heartbroken when her true love arrives to visit her. However, the lovers are kidnapped by Romans; Asterix and Obelix set out to rescue them on a dangerous journey that will involve gladiators, slavers and beauracracy - and a personal encounter with the Emperor himself, Julius Caesar...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDigimon Adventure tri. Part 5: Coexistence (2017)
Meicoomon rampages after witnessing Meiko Mochizuki being injured by the man bearing Gennai's likeness. "It would have been better if you hadn't been born..." Meicoomon disappears into the Real World, which has since become distorted. Possessing overwhelming power, she's the key to the world's destruction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWild Wild West (1999)
Legless Southern inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless plans to rekindle the Civil War by assassinating President Ulysses S. Grant. Only two men can stop him: gunfighter James West and master-of-disguise and inventor Artemus Gordon. The two must team up to thwart Loveless' plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisShanghai Noon (2000)
Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lion King (1994)
Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for himself. Amid betrayal and tragedy, Simba must confront his past and find his rightful place in the Circle of Life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDick Tracy (1990)
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Two stoners wake up after a night of partying and cannot remember where they parked their car.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Action Pack Saves Christmas (2022)
The Action Pack teams up with Santa Claus to save the day when greedy Teddy Von Taker plots to steal all of the Christmas cheer from Hope Springs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Garfield (2004)
Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna lover, has everything a cat could want. But when Jon, in an effort to impress the Liz - the vet and an old high-school crush - adopts a dog named Odie and brings him home, Garfield gets the one thing he doesn't want. Competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisDrillbit Taylor (2008)
Dealing with a sociopathic school bully, three high school freshmen hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them, not realizing he is just a homeless beggar and petty thief looking for some easy cash.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?
The closest matches to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie are The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?
Start with The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), the closest match to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
What is the highest-rated movie like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?
The Lion King (1994), rated 8.3/10 by 20,403 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?
The Pout-Pout Fish (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?
Yes: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025).
How are movies similar to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.