Movies like Woodpeckers were the first to know (2023)
The best movies like Woodpeckers were the first to know (2023) are Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Northfork (2003) and Wildwood (2026). If Woodpeckers were the first to know hooked you with its fantasy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWildwood (2026)8.5/10 from 274 votes
- NewestWildwood (2026)Released 2026
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorthfork (2003)
The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the responsibility of a six-man Evacuation Committee to relocate the townsfolk to higher ground. Most have duly departed, but a few stubborn stragglers remain – among them a priest caring for a sickly orphan, a boy whose fevered visions are leading him to believe he is a member of a roaming band of lost angels desperately searching for a way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWildwood (2026)
Prue and her classmate Curtis are drawn into a magical forest filled with enchanted creatures, loyal allies, and formidable adversaries as they embark on a desperate quest to rescue Prue's abducted baby brother from a murder of crows led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Legend of Ochi (2025)
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFour Kids and It (2020)
A group of kids on holiday in Cornwall meet a magical creature on the beach with the power to grant wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021)
Escaping from poverty to become a witcher, Vesemir slays monsters for coin and glory, but when a new menace rises, he must face the demons of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisEpic (2013)
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world—and ours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Water Man (2020)
Hoping to save his sick mother, a boy named Gunner and his friend Jo venture into the remote Wild Horse forest to search for a mythical figure who possesses the secret to immortality. When they go missing, Gunner's father Amos must immerse himself in his son's world to find them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Flight of Dragons (1982)
The realm of magic is being threatened by the realm of logic, so the green wizard, Carolinus, decides to shield it for all time. Ommadon, the evil red wizard, stands in his way. Carolinus then calls for a quest that is to be led by a man named Peter Dickinson, who is the first man of both the realms of science and magic. It is Peter's job to defeat Ommadon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom Thumb (1958)
A boy, no bigger than a thumb, manages to outwit two thieves determined to make a fortune from him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Crystal (1982)
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use the crystal for evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak and his new friends fight to defend FernGully from lumberjacks — and the vengeful spirit they accidentally unleash after chopping down a magic tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Bird (1940)
Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're accompanied by the anthropomorphized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, and Bread, among other entities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPrincess (2008)
A reclusive princess and a directionless young man embark on a quest to save the world's mythical creatures from becoming extinct.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBright (2017)
In an alternate present-day where magical creatures live among us, two L.A. cops become embroiled in a prophesied turf battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Tooth Fairy Tale (2025)
Van, the brave son of a tooth fairy leader, meets the goblins girl Gemma on his first mission. Despite the myths about ancient disputes between fairies and goblins, they share common values. When the greedy Spider Queen threatens both tribes, they must work together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyage of the Unicorn (2001)
One day the Aislings find themselves magically transported to a ship called the Unicorn. Here, they discover that they've been chosen to fulfill an incredible quest! They undergo an incredible journey of discovery in strange lands with enchanted creatures, but find their voyage is really one of the spirit, as they each learn faith and the power of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDEEMO Memorial Keys (2022)
Deemo is a lonely individual who lives in solitude, playing the piano in a castle. One day, a girl who has lost her memory falls from the sky. Wanting to help her recover her memories and return to her world, Deemo discovers that a tree kept atop the piano will grow whenever the piano is played.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & fantasy
The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022)
Maula Jatt, a fierce prizefighter with a tortured past seeks vengeance against his arch nemesis Noori Natt, the most feared warrior in the land of Punjab.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & fantasy
The Whisper (2022)
Summer camp. Èlia and Nil kiss for the first time. They are the first campers, from all boys and girls, to ever kiss. Suddenly, the camp fills with an atmosphere of curiosity, discovery and enthusiasm.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The 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: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBe It (2025)
A young man mysteriously finds himself in a black-and-white forest, and makes a strange discovery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
In The Woods We Can Be Together (2019)
Under the scalding heat of the summer sun, two young men find shelter in the woods of a local park. Unbeknownst to them, they’re thrust into a summer of exploration, emotion, and romance. But is love enough?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPeople on Sunday (1930)
A semi-documentary experimental 1930 German silent film created by amateurs with a small budget. With authentic scenes of the metropolis city of Berlin, it's the first film from the later famous screenwriters/directors Billy Wilder and Fred Zinnemann.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Clearing (2004)
When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
A group of beavers ask Dr. Dolittle to save their habitat from loggers. The only hope is to get the forest preserved because it's the home of a protected bear, but there's a problem: the bear's the only bear in the forest, so she can't reproduce. Undaunted, Dolittle persuades a circus bear to help out, but he has to teach him not just the ways of the wild, but the wiles of lady bears too.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Woodpeckers were the first to know?
The closest matches to Woodpeckers were the first to know are Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Northfork (2003) and Wildwood (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Woodpeckers were the first to know?
Start with Where the Wild Things Are (2009), the closest match to Woodpeckers were the first to know.
What is the highest-rated movie like Woodpeckers were the first to know?
Wildwood (2026), rated 8.5/10 by 274 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Woodpeckers were the first to know?
Wildwood (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Woodpeckers were the first to know?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to Woodpeckers were the first to know chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Woodpeckers were the first to know, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.