Movies like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show (1988)
The best movies like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show (1988) are The Sandlot (1993), Thunderstruck (2012) and The Rocker (2008). If Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedToy Story (1995)8.0/10 from 20,831 votes
- NewestPlaydate (2025)Released 2025
The Sandlot (1993)
During a summer of friendship and adventure, one boy becomes a part of the gang, nine boys become a team and their leader becomes a legend by confronting the terrifying mystery beyond the right field wall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rocker (2008)
In the 1980s, a drummer is abandoned by his band just before they become rock superstars. Twenty years later, the drummer sees his second chance at stardom arise when he is asked to perform with his teenage nephew's high school rock band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisToy Story (1995)
Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHome Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Greg Heffley is headed for big things, but first he has to survive the scariest, most humiliating experience of any kid’s life – middle school! That won’t be easy, considering he’s surrounded by hairy-freckled morons, wedgie-loving bullies and a moldy slice of cheese with nuclear cooties!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Day Takes You (1992)
King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaydate (2025)
When out-of-work accountant Brian joins stay-at-home dad Jeff for a playdate with their sons, he expects a laid-back afternoon. Instead, they're chased by mercenaries, and Brian—totally unprepared—must survive one absurd obstacle after another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022)
As a new school year begins, Greg is subject to relentless teasing from his brother Rodrick. Will Greg manage to get along with him? Or will a secret ruin everything?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this17 Again (2009)
On the brink of a midlife crisis, 30-something Mike O'Donnell wishes he could have a "do-over." And that's exactly what he gets when he wakes up one morning to find he's 17 years old again. With his adult mind stuck inside the body of a teenager, Mike actually has the chance to reverse some decisions he wishes he'd never made. But maybe they weren't so bad after all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
Winnie the Pooh and friends decide to throw a birthday celebration for gloomy, old Eeyore.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh School Musical (2006)
A popular high school athlete and an academically gifted girl get roles in the school musical and develop a friendship that threatens East High's social order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: Taking the Fifth Grade (2003)
Everyone's favorite fourth graders have graduated! It's an all-new school year for the kids — and the gang hits the fifth grade running! But they're stopped in their tracks when they discover some unwelcome changes — no pizza, no playground... no lockers! And to make things worse, their teacher turns out to be the cantankerous Miss Finster! It's all too much for T.J., who is determined to find a way to stand up for what the gang believes in and improve the school they love! The fifth grade brings out the best in everyone... even Miss Finster and Principal Prickly!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)
When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRookie of the Year (1993)
When the cast comes off his once broken arm, a 12-year-old boy can throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, and the Chicago Cubs want him as their new pitcher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTigertail (2020)
A man reflects on the lost love of his youth and his long-ago journey from Taiwan to America as he begins to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy Longlegs (2010)
After months of living a solitary existence, Lenny, 34, picks up his kids from school. Every year he spends a couple of weeks with his sons Sage, 9, and Frey, 7. Lenny hosts his kids within a midtown studio apartment in New York. During these two weeks, he must figure out if he wants to act as their father or be their friend. Ultimately, their trip upstate results in complete lawlessness taking over their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlicka 2 (2010)
Carrie is a big-city teenager whose life is turned upside down when she moves to a horse ranch in Wyoming to live with her father. But everything changes when Carrie meets Flicka, a wild, jet-black mustang who's just as free-spirited and strong-willed as Carrie. The two form a special bond and Carrie opens her heart to her father and a handsome, local boy, but when a jealous rival puts Flicka's life in jeopardy, Carrie must do whatever it takes to save her best friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDennis the Menace (1993)
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (2021)
After finding out her grandmother won't be visiting for Christmas, Lucy decides to cheer herself up by throwing the ultimate New Year's Eve party. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown tries to fulfill one of his resolutions before the clock strikes midnight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show?
The closest matches to Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show are The Sandlot (1993), Thunderstruck (2012) and The Rocker (2008). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show?
Start with The Sandlot (1993), the closest match to Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show.
What is the highest-rated movie like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show?
Toy Story (1995), rated 8.0/10 by 20,831 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show?
Playdate (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show?
Yes: The Sandlot (1993), Thunderstruck (2012) and The Rocker (2008).
How are movies similar to Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Barney and the Backyard Gang: The Backyard Show, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.