Movies like Emperor (2023)
The best movies like Emperor (2023) are Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016), The Swallows of Kabul (2019) and The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (2022). If Emperor hooked you with its animation and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWorld of Tomorrow (2015)7.8/10 from 379 votes
- NewestIron Boy (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchThe Swallows of Kabul (2019)Also in French
Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016)
The brutally honest story of Robert's turbulent relationship with a self-destructive, yet charismatic friend from childhood, who cries out for help from a military hospital in China and sets Rob on a wild ride to get him home to Vancouver.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Swallows of Kabul (2019)
Summer 1998—Kabul under Taliban rule. Zunaira and Mohsen are young and in love. Despite the daily violence and misery, they hope for a better future. One day, a foolish gesture causes life to take an irrevocable turn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (2022)
Three tales, three ages, three worlds. At the time of Ancient Egypt, a young king becomes the first black pharaoh to deserve the hand of his loved one. During the French Middle Ages, a mysterious wild boy steals from the rich to give to the poor. In 18th-century Turkey, a prince of pastries and a princess of roses escape the palace to live their love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
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 animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMetropia (2009)
In the near future, oil reserves are nearly depleted and Europe is connected by series of underground tunnels. While navigating these tunnels, Roger hears voices, one in particular. Seeking a way to rid himself of the voice only leads Roger deeper into a bizarre conspiracy of control - mind and body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Lost My Body (2019)
A story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Boy (2026)
In rural France, 10-year-old Christophe tries to live up to his rigid and distant father on the family farm. But the young boy starts to lean over and collapse without warning — on the tractor, at school, at dinner... A doctor finds the solution: Christophe must wear an iron corset to keep himself upright. Forced to reinvent his life away from the farm, Christophe discovers a new passion for music, meets a new friend, and follows her into his first mischief. But will any of this really fix what is out of balance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhere Is Anne Frank (2021)
The film follows the journey of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank dedicated her diary. A fiery teenager, Kitty wakes up in the near future in Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam and embarks on a journey to find Anne, who she believes is still alive, in today's Europe. While the young girl is shocked by the modern world, she also comes across Anne's legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMatriculated (2003)
The human resistance works to convert a sentinel to their side. Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts set in the Matrix universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing (2020)
When a musical dragon with a beautiful voice hypnotizes the dragons and people of Huttsgalor, the Rescue Riders have to find a way to break the spell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster High: Friday Night Frights (2012)
After Monster High’s roller skating team is defeated at the Skulltimate Roller Maze tournament, the ghouls team up to face an all-boys league, with the hope of winning back the school crest and restoring school spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cat in the Hat (1971)
In a marvelously animated version of one of the most beloved of all Dr. Seuss tales, two youngsters find themselves at home with nothing to do on a rainy afternoon. But when the magical, mischievous Cat in the Hat arrives on the scene, they're all cat-apulted into a day of rousing, romping, outlandish antics they - and you - will never forget!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMelody Time (1948)
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. You'll be sure to tap your toes and clap your hands in this witty feast for the eyes and ears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCat Pack: A PAW Patrol Exclusive Event (2022)
When Mayor Humdinger transforms his robot cat Meow-Meow into a tiger-sized metal-eating menace, the PAW Patrol calls in the Cat Pack for help in the stopping the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)
When Snoopy's beloved doghouse goes missing, he tries to track it down, and learns what makes a house feel like home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon (2020)
It's the treasure hunt of a lifetime for the Rescue Riders, who must race to find a precious golden dragon egg and protect it from evil pirates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 characters in order to save their world—and ours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTinker Bell (2008)
Journey into the secret world of Pixie Hollow and hear Tinker Bell speak for the very first time as the astonishing story of Disney's most famous fairy is finally revealed in the all-new motion picture "Tinker Bell."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWorld of Tomorrow (2015)
A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDislocation (2020)
Displacement – the enforced departure of people from their homes, typically because of war, persecution, or a natural disaster. This film takes a look at an absurd moment of disbelief and fear. It examines the internal processes that develop and offers a visual depiction of a moment in time of a person forced to fight for his life in a strange land – a moment of displacement.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Goldmine (2026)
Singer Lorelai's father suffers a heart attack and is placed on VR life support. She enters his virtual reality to revive him through shared memories, but becomes trapped in an Old Western VR world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Metamorphosis Project (2024)
After a harrowing diagnosis, Eric is given the opportunity to test a virtual-living experience. But glitches in the system start to show that his newfound “freedom” isn’t all it seems.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Robot Stories (2003)
Four stories including: "My Robot Baby," in which a couple must care for a robot baby before adopting a human child; "The Robot Fixer," in which a mother tries to connect with her dying son; "Machine Love," in which an office worker android learns that he, too, needs love; and "Clay," in which an old sculptor must choose between natural death and digital immortality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Expelled from Paradise (2014)
A.D. 2400, DEVA's central council detects an incident of unauthorized access into their mainframe. Someone on Earth was trying to hack into the system. The only information DEVA was able to retrieve was that hacker referred to themselves as "Frontier Setter." To investigate the mysterious hacker's motives, the high officials of DEVA dispatch system Security Third Officer Angela Balzac to the Earth's surface. Equipped with a prosthetic "material body," Angela attempts to make contact with a local agent Dingo, but what awaited her instead was a swarm of Sandworms now infesting the Earth's surface. Angela intercepts the gruesome pests with her exoskeleton powered suit Arhan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVirtuality (2009)
Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them to take on various identities. But as the ship approaches a critical phase of their journey, a deadly flaw is discovered in the virtual system, forcing them to question if someone onboard might be a killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe District (2004)
In an effort to end family feuding, a young gypsy travels back in time to kill mammoths to ensure Hungary becomes rich by killing mammoths in order to create a massive oil reservoir. Things don't go entirely according to plan...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Osomatsu-san VR (2017)
A VR short created for the Anime Plaza x Osomatsu-san collaboration, which could be experienced from October 6, 2017 to January 31, 2018 in various locations across Japan. The short involves you, brought into the world of the show, meeting with the sextuplets in the bathhouse and granting their wishes, with chaos ensuing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Illustrated Man (1969)
A man who has a body almost completely covered in tattoos is searching for the woman who cursed him with the "skin illustrations". Each tattoo reveals a bizarre story, which is experienced by staring at the scene depicted. When the illustrated man meets a fellow tramp on the road a strange voyage begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Emperor?
The closest matches to Emperor are Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016), The Swallows of Kabul (2019) and The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Emperor?
Start with Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016), the closest match to Emperor.
What is the highest-rated movie like Emperor?
World of Tomorrow (2015), rated 7.8/10 by 379 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Emperor?
Iron Boy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Emperor?
Yes: The Swallows of Kabul (2019), The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (2022) and I Lost My Body (2019).
How are movies similar to Emperor chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Emperor, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.