Movies like The Blue Balloon (2010)
The best movies like The Blue Balloon (2010) are Paperhouse (1988), Cold Skin (2017) and Before I Wake (2016). If The Blue Balloon hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedOnce (2007)7.4/10 from 1,518 votes
- NewestFirebreak (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishFirebreak (2026)Also in Spanish
Paperhouse (1988)
A young girl lost in the loneliness and boredom of reality finds solace in an ill boy, whom she can visit in a surreal dream world that she drew in her school composition book.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCold Skin (2017)
A young man who arrives at a remote island finds himself trapped in a battle for his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBefore I Wake (2016)
An orphaned child's dreams—and nightmares—manifest physically as he sleeps.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhisper (2007)
Sinister things begin happening to kidnappers who are holding a young boy for ransom in a remote cabin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirebreak (2026)
Little Lide disappears in the forest while her family packs up their home. As a fire breaks out, her mother must race to reach her before the flames do.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Ibbetson (1935)
When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlong for the Ride (2022)
The summer before college, Auden meets the mysterious Eli, a fellow insomniac. While the seaside town of Colby sleeps, the two embark on nightly quests to help Auden experience the fun, carefree teen life she never knew she wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPenguin Bloom (2021)
When an unlikely ally enters the Bloom family's world in the form of an injured baby magpie they name Penguin, the bird’s arrival makes a profound difference in the struggling family’s life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Amy, the young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed, befriends her father's late first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Shall Not Sleep Tonight (2024)
A boy is haunted by terrifying nightmares where a monster lurks inside the closet. To his relief, his father appears in the middle of the night helping him to face his fears. But the boy will begin to question the true nature of these apparitions, having to face the truth about his father's destiny and the evil force that threatens to consume him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisAlice in Wonderland (1933)
In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland, populated by even more fantastic characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTini: The New Life of Violetta (2016)
A teen star ventures out to the Italian countryside for a summer and emerges a new artist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFatima (2020)
In 1917, outside the parish of Fátima, Portugal, a 10-year-old girl and her two younger cousins witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I. As secularist government officials and Church leaders try to force the children to recant their story, word of the sighting spreads across the country, inspiring religious pilgrims to flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle..
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
A nine-year-old boy gets a plastic Indian and a cupboard for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life and befriends him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnce (2007)
A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInk (2009)
Invisible forces exert power over us in our sleep. A mercenary named Ink, on a literal nightmare mission, captures the spirit of 8-year-old Emma in the dream world. To save her, the dream-givers marshal all their resources, focusing on saving the soul of Emma's tragically broken father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Light Between Oceans (2016)
A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKisses (2008)
Two kids, Dylan and Kylie, run away from home on Christmas Day and spend a night of magic and terror on the streets of inner-city Dublin.
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 The Blue Balloon?
The closest matches to The Blue Balloon are Paperhouse (1988), Cold Skin (2017) and Before I Wake (2016). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Blue Balloon?
Start with Paperhouse (1988), the closest match to The Blue Balloon.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Blue Balloon?
Once (2007), rated 7.4/10 by 1,518 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Blue Balloon?
Firebreak (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like The Blue Balloon?
Yes: Firebreak (2026) and Tini: The New Life of Violetta (2016).
How are movies similar to The Blue Balloon chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Blue Balloon, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.