Movies like They Shall Have Music (1939)
The best movies like They Shall Have Music (1939) are August Rush (2007), Boychoir (2015) and Music of the Heart (1999). If They Shall Have Music hooked you with its family and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMichael (2026)8.6/10 from 4,722 votes
- NewestMichael (2026)Released 2026
August Rush (2007)
Evan, a musically gifted orphan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater. After discovering his talent, the Wizard gives Evan the name "August Rush" and devises a plan to profit from his talent. Little does Evan know that his parents, Lyla and Louis, are searching for him too.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoychoir (2015)
A troubled and angry 11-year-old orphan from a small Texas town, ends up at a Boy Choir school after the death of his single mother. Completely out of his element, he finds himself in a battle of wills with a demanding Choir Master who recognises a unique talent in this young boy as he pushes him to discover his creative heart and soul in music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMusic of the Heart (1999)
After Roberta Guaspari separates from her husband, she receives encouragement from her mother to take up a job of a music teacher at the Central Park East School in East Harlem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (2016)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSteven Universe: The Movie (2019)
Two years after bringing peace to the galaxy, Steven Universe sees his past come back to haunt him in the form of a deranged Gem who wants to destroy the Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBallet Shoes (2008)
An unusual explorer named Gum and his kindly niece adopt three orphans -- Pauline, Petrova and Posy -- and raise them as sisters in 1930s London. But the girls must fend for themselves when Gum doesn't return from one of his adventures. Together, they nurture their passions for acting, aviation and ballet in this charming TV adaptation of Noel Streatfield's novel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Princess (1939)
A little girl goes in search of her father who is reported missing by the military during the Second Boer War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside Llewyn Davis (2013)
In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWild Hearts Can't Be Broken (1991)
A runaway orphan, young Sonora, persists in a menial job mucking stables in Doc Carver's travelling stunt show. Her great wish is to become a death-defying "diving girl," but Doc refuses her pleas. Undaunted, Sonora's gutsy resolve finally convinces him to give her a break. On the brink of stardom, however, a cruel twist of fate threatens to destroy her dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Little Princess (1995)
When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Garden (2020)
Mary Lennox is born in India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her. When her parents suddenly die, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle. She meets her sickly cousin, and the two children find a wondrous secret garden lost in the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOliver Twist (1997)
An orphan endures a harsh life in a workhouse before fleeing to London, where he falls in with a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the criminal Fagin, and eventually finds a better life, exposing the cruelties of poverty and child labor in Victorian England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (1985)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpin (2021)
Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is re-ignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMichael (2026)
The story of Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists the world has ever known, and his life beyond the music. His journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world, highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisShiloh (1996)
An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMark Lowry Goes to Hollywood (2005)
For one night in history, one man single-handedly turned "Hollywood" into "Lowrywood." Will the city ever be the same again? Could he do it without Bill Gaither? Find out in Mark Lowry Goes to Hollywood. With a little help from a tremendous line-up of musical guests, Mark Lowry delivers a healthy dose of side-splitting comedy and a power-packed line-up of great music in this live video event. Mark forms his own "Mark Lowry Vocal Band" just for the occasion with Michael English, Reggie Smith, and Bill Gaither. Great performances by The Isaacs, LordSong, Stan Whitmire, and Karen Harding and the "reMarkable Choir" cap off the evening perfectly in this video event of a lifetime!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & music
ABBA Voulez - Vous Deluxe Edition (1979)
Voulez-Vous is the sixth studio album by Swedish group ABBA, released in 1979. It was the first ABBA album to be recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm, and the only ABBA album to include a studio recording made outside Sweden. Some of the songs were secretly written and demoed at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and the title track was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami. Voulez-Vous was first released on CD in 1984. The album has been digitally remastered and reissued four times; first in 1997, then in 2001 and in 2005 as part of the The Complete Studio Recordings box set, and yet again in 2010 for the Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Jeff Beck - Big Town Playboys (TBA)
Jeff Beck has made many strange albums, but none were ever quite as strange as this. With the Big Town Playboys offering support, Beck rips through 18 Gene Vincent numbers (not "Be-Bop-a-Lula," however), paying tribute to Vincent's guitarist, Cliff Gallup. Beck sounds terrific as he reconstructs Gallup's parts, but he doesn't add anything to the originals. Still, Crazy Legs is a fun listen and offers many insights into Beck's playing, if not Gallup's.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Road to Perdition (2002)
Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrank Sinatra: The Main Event (1974)
Charged with the electricity of a heavyweight prizefight, " The Main Event " was filmed live at Madison Square Garden, a venue usually reserved for sporting events and rock 'n' roll concerts. Sinatrra dazzies the crowd with contemporay numbers as " You are the Sunshine of My Life ", " Let Me Try Again " and delivers the knockout blow with signature tunes " My Kind of Town " and " My Way ".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Death Cab for Cutie: Live at the Mt. Baker Theatre (2011)
On April 22 and 23, 2009, Death Cab for Cutie returned to Bellingham, WA, where they had formed over ten years prior, to perform two sold-out concerts at the historic Mt. Baker Theatre. This film features previously unreleased performances from these two very special nights as well as interviews with band members about the band's early days in Bellingham.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Puscifer – Parole Violator (2022)
Billy D is in jail, Hildy is on the war path and Peter Merkin, as usual, is up to no good. The saga of the Bergers continues as Puscifer pairs the duo’s ongoing melodrama with a live, track-by-track re-imagination of the band’s critically-acclaimed 2011 album, Conditions of My Parole. Visually, “Parole Violator” is evocative of Keenan’s North Arizona homestead, with Puscifer’s performance married to striking visuals, dramatic lighting, and in a nod to the band’s 2011/2012 tour in support of the collection, closes with a campfire sing-a-long.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Timeless: The Film (2014)
Timeless (stylized as Timel3ss) was the sixth concert tour by French recording artist, Mylène Farmer. The tour supported the singer's ninth studio album, Monkey Me. The tour began on September 7, 2013 and ended on December 3, 2013. It played 39 shows in 5 countries. Over 535,000 people saw Mylène Farmer live on this tour.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Sign Me A Story (1987)
Linda Bove (from Sesame Street) stars in this Sign Language special featuring 2 'sign-along' stories: Little Red Riding Hood & Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Seabiscuit (2003)
True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like They Shall Have Music?
The closest matches to They Shall Have Music are August Rush (2007), Boychoir (2015) and Music of the Heart (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after They Shall Have Music?
Start with August Rush (2007), the closest match to They Shall Have Music.
What is the highest-rated movie like They Shall Have Music?
Michael (2026), rated 8.6/10 by 4,722 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like They Shall Have Music?
Michael (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like They Shall Have Music?
Yes: August Rush (2007), Boychoir (2015) and Music of the Heart (1999).
How are movies similar to They Shall Have Music chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside They Shall Have Music, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.