Movies like The Wild Heart (1968)
The best movies like The Wild Heart (1968) are A Dog's Purpose (2017), The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975) and Blueback (2022). If The Wild Heart hooked you with its adventure and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPrincess Mononoke (1997)8.3/10 from 9,460 votes
- NewestA Butler's Job (2026)Released 2026
A Dog's Purpose (2017)
A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)
The story of a modern family bored with the hassles of the city life in Los Angeles. They head for the wilderness never to return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisBlueback (2022)
Based on the best-selling novel by Tim Winton, Blueback is a timely tale about the ocean, a beautiful marine creature, and a young girl’s power to change the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wolf and the Lion (2021)
After her grandfather's death, 20-year-old Alma decides to go back to her childhood home - a little island in the heart of the majestic Canadian forest. Whilst there, she rescues two helpless cubs: a wolf and a lion. They forge an inseparable bond, but their world soon collapses as the forest ranger discovers the animals and takes them away. The two cub brothers must now embark on a treacherous journey across Canada to be reunited with one another and Alma once more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
Jonathan is sick and tired of the boring life in his seagull clan. He rather experiments with new, always more daring flying techniques. Since he doesn't fit in, the elders expel him from the clan. So he sets out to discover the world beyond the horizon in a quest for wisdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBenji the Hunted (1987)
Benji has become stranded on a remote island after a boating accident. He finds himself struggling to survive in the wilderness, avoiding close encounters with a wolf, a bear, and a territorial female cougar with her cub.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to Nim's Island (2013)
Fourteen year old Nim, more determined than ever to protect her island and all the wildlife that call it home, faces off against resort developers and animal poachers. Soon she realizes she can’t depend on her animal cohorts alone and must make her first human friend – Edmund, who’s run away to the island from the mainland – to save her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnce Upon a Forest (1993)
A young mouse, mole and hedgehog risk their lives to find a cure for their badger friend, who's been poisoned by men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Ochi (2025)
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Incredible Journey (1963)
The story of three pets, a cat and two dogs, who lose their owners when they are all on vacation. Can they find their way home?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisLassie (1994)
On their way to start a new life at a sheep farm in rural Virginia, the Turner family are halted by a wreck on the highway that has claimed the life of a truck driver. Spotting the trucker's now-abandoned collie on the side of the road, they take pity on the dog and adopt her. As the city family copes with the change to rural life, including a feud with a neighboring farm family who resent the city interlopers, the ever-loyal Lassie helps them adjust to their new surroundings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Search for Santa Paws (2010)
When Santa and his new best friend, Paws, discover that the boys and girls of the world have lost the spirit of the season, they take a trip to New York City. But after Santa loses his memory, it's up to Paws, a faithful orphan named Quinn, her new friend Will, and a wonderful group of magical talking dogs to save St. Nick and show the world what Christmas is really all about.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSanta Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012)
When Mrs. Claus travels to Pineville, the merriest place on the planet, a quartet of magical puppies stow away on her sled, granting joyful wishes to the town's boys and girls. However, something goes terribly wrong - the Christmas spirit begins to disappear. Now, the Santa Pups and Mrs. Claus must race to save Christmas magic from running out for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIron Will (1994)
When Will Stoneman's father dies, he is left alone to take care of his mother and their land. Needing money to maintain it, he decides to join a cross country dogsled race. This race will require days of racing for long hours, through harsh weather and terrain. This young man will need a lot of courage and a strong will to complete this race.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2017)
Can twelve 12-year-olds escape from the most ridiculously brilliant library ever created? Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library plunks a dozen sixth-graders into the middle of a futuristic library for a night of nonstop fun and adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBalto III: Wings of Change (2004)
Balto and the other sled dogs are feeling dejected because the mail that used to be delivered by dogsled is now being delivered by airplanes. But when a mail plane crashes in the mountains, the dogs come to the rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pagemaster (1994)
Rich knows a lot about accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While in an old library, he is mystically transported into the unknown world of books, and he has to try and get home again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobin Robin (2021)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Against impossible odds, Spirit, a young mustang, sets out across the majestic wilderness to regain his freedom and save his homeland. Along the way, he forms a friendship with a young Lakota brave, outwits a squadron of soldiers, and ultimately, finds love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Horse Whisperer (1998)
The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRain in the Sunshine (2013)
Schoolboy Hinata has a big crush on his classmate Shigure, but is too shy to tell her. On the day Shigure is leaving, Hinata flies off on the wings of a bird chasing after her to tell how he feels!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest (2014)
Join Maurice, the beloved penguin-tiger, and the Jungle Bunch on their exciting quest for hidden pirate treasure! Hold on to your seats, because the wacky treasure hunt includes all sorts of new adventures and silly surprises, including booby traps, a village of crazy rabbits, and a mysterious "Yellow Dragon." Can the Jungle Bunch outsmart Captain Grubby Beard, his evil gang of Pirates, and an outrageous heap of obstacles to find the precious hidden treasure?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
A Butler's Job (2026)
A devoted butler tries to save his detective master from a mysterious vampiric kidnapping.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Tigress (1990)
The wild and wanton Francisca, known as "The Tigress," is the eldest of three sisters, who are bosses of a farm in Ecuador. A medicine man tells Francisca and Juliana that their youngest sister Sara must remain a virgin to protect their land. A travelling salesman, engaged to Sara, tells the police that she is being kept locked up by her older sisters.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Close Shave (1996)
Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDans les pas du Groupe (2019)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Wild Heart?
The closest matches to The Wild Heart are A Dog's Purpose (2017), The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975) and Blueback (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Wild Heart?
Start with A Dog's Purpose (2017), the closest match to The Wild Heart.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Wild Heart?
Princess Mononoke (1997), rated 8.3/10 by 9,460 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Wild Heart?
A Butler's Job (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Wild Heart?
Yes: A Dog's Purpose (2017), The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975) and Blueback (2022).
How are movies similar to The Wild Heart chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Wild Heart, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.