Movies like The Return Of Zappy (2024)
The best movies like The Return Of Zappy (2024) are Paper Man (2009), A Dog Year (2009) and My Own Love Song (2010). If The Return Of Zappy hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJojo Rabbit (2019)8.0/10 from 10,856 votes
- NewestMy Mother's Wedding (2025)Released 2025
Paper Man (2009)
A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dog Year (2009)
Jon Katz is close to burnout. He's a writer with writer's block; his wife has left for her sister's because he's emotionally distant; he rarely answers his phone. A kennel sends him a border collie that's undisciplined because of abuse. Despite a series of mishaps, Jon decides to keep trying with the dog, and he rents a dilapidated farm house to give the dog room to run. A local handyman refers Jon to a woman who might be able to help him train the dog. Reluctantly, Jon gives her a try. Is the dog the problem, or the owner?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Own Love Song (2010)
A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubUrbia (1997)
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWelcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
When a celebrated TV show host returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoll Bounce (2005)
In the summer of 1978, a teenager and his group of friends face new challenges when their neighborhood roller-skating rink closes, forcing them to visit a different rink.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThings Change (1988)
Jerry, a misfit Mafia henchman, is assigned the low-level job of keeping an eye on Gino, a shoe repairman fingered by the Mob to confess to a murder he didn't commit. But Gino's mistaken for a Mafia boss, and the two are suddenly catapulted to the highest levels of mobster status. Only friendship will see them through this dangerous adventure alive!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSometimes Always Never (2019)
Alan is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. He has spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son Michael who stormed out over a game of Scrabble. With a body to identify and his family torn apart, Alan must repair the relationship with his youngest son and solve the mystery of an online player who he thinks could be Michael, so he can finally move on and reunite his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mother's Wedding (2025)
Three sisters return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. But the mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected wedding guests.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfterlife of the Party (2021)
A social butterfly who dies during her birthday week is given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIF (2024)
After discovering she can see everyone's imaginary friends, a girl embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends with their kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997)
When Toaster and the gang spark friendships with the playful animals at the veterinary hospital, they soon discover their new pals are about to be sent to a testing laboratory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (2021)
An evil sorceress transports the gang back to the age of chivalrous knights, spell-casting wizards, and fire-breathing dragons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fox and the Hound (1981)
When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expected to take on his role as a hunting dog -- and the object of his search is his best friend!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Parts You Lose (2019)
An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2018)
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang meet up with Batman and other friends to defeat evil villains and save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRegular Show: The Movie (2015)
After a high school lab experiment goes horribly wrong, Mordecai and Rigby must go back in time to battle an evil volleyball coach in order to save the universe — and their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents Papi and Chloe upside down when their rambunctious, mischievous puppies present one challenge after another. But when their human owners end up in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them - because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. So Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisRon's Gone Wrong (2021)
In a world where walking, talking, digitally connected bots have become children's best friends, an 11-year-old finds that his robot buddy doesn't quite work the same as the others do.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverything You Want (2005)
A visionary and artistic young woman finds her love torn between her imaginary boyfriend and a real boy from one of her classes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Jojo, a lonely German boy during World War II has his world shaken when he learns that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Influenced by a buffoonish imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, he begins to question his beliefs and confront the conflict between propaganda and his own humanity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Annihilation of Fish (1999)
A Jamaican widower recently released from a mental institution and a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini become the unlikely tenants of an eccentric widow in Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Imagine Me and You (TBA)
A school reunion forces Robert to rethink if he should still have an imaginary best friend at 38 years old.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Kryptonite! (2011)
Set in 1970s Naples, bullied nine year-old Peppino is watching the world around him as his extended dysfunctional family change. Psychedelic flower power and hippie love is threatening the old traditional southern Italian family. Dad is having an affair and Mom has taken to her bed with depression. Super-mod brother and sister Titina and Salvatore take the boy under their wings, introducing him to demonstrations and love-ins, whilst caped superhero Gennaro visits Peppino even after being knocked down and killed by the number 12 bus. It is the imaginary appearances of this older superman cousin that help the nine-year-old navigate the complicated adult world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLycinda (2021)
After the loss of her dad, a young girl will only speak to her imaginary friend 'Lycinda'. Her stepmother finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a bond with the girl, and the stakes rise when 'Lycinda' starts to seem not-so-imaginary and not-so-friendly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Harvey (1950)
The story of Elwood P. Dowd who makes friends with a spirit taking the form of a human-sized rabbit named Harvey that only he sees (and a few privileged others on occasion also.) After his sister tries to commit him to a mental institution, a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mending its wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBrain in Gear (2019)
Remi is struggling with her stress levels, not to mention her running feud with the woman across the street and her incontinent dog. Life is made so much harder by her two housemates - projections of her own self-doubt and self-confidence, neither of whom have anything useful to say.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Opal Dream (2006)
Pobby & Dingan are invisible. They live in an opal town in Australia and are friends with Kellyanne, the 9 year-old daughter of an opal miner. The film tells the story of the bizarre and inexplicable disappearance of Pobby & Dingan, Kellyanne's imaginary friends, and the impact this has on her family and the whole town. The story is told through the eyes of Kellyanne's 11 years old brother Ashmol.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Blood Alley (1955)
An American Merchant Marine captain, rescued from a Chinese Communist jail by local villagers, is "shanghaied" into transporting the entire village to Hong Kong on an ancient paddle steamer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Return Of Zappy and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return Of Zappy?
The closest matches to The Return Of Zappy are Paper Man (2009), A Dog Year (2009) and My Own Love Song (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return Of Zappy?
Start with Paper Man (2009), the closest match to The Return Of Zappy.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return Of Zappy?
Jojo Rabbit (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 10,856 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return Of Zappy?
My Mother's Wedding (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Return Of Zappy?
Yes: Paper Man (2009), A Dog Year (2009) and My Own Love Song (2010).
How are movies similar to The Return Of Zappy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return Of Zappy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.