Movies like Marilak (2024)
The best movies like Marilak (2024) are The One and Only Ivan (2020), Water for Elephants (2011) and A Dog's Purpose (2017). If Marilak hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBingo: The King of the Mornings (2017)8.0/10 from 426 votes
- NewestMy Best Friend (2026)Released 2026
The One and Only Ivan (2020)
A gorilla named Ivan who’s living in a suburban shopping mall tries to piece together his past, with the help of other animals, as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWater for Elephants (2011)
In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1967)
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBingo: The King of the Mornings (2017)
1980s. Brazilian television exploding in color and auditorium programs not so politically correct. In the middle of this fervor, Augusto Mendes, a young rising actor, seeks his place in the sun. From porn studios to soap operas, he finally finds success and fame when he becomes "Bingo", a TV host clown from one of the audience leader TV shows for children. It turns out that behind the rice powder and red nose, nobody knows who he is.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFluke (1995)
Workaholic Thomas Johnson dies in an auto accident and reincarnates as a dog. Remembering some of his previous being, he returns to his wife and son to protect them from the man who caused his accident. But, as time goes by, his memories return, and Thomas realizes he wasn't such a good husband and father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Best of Me (2014)
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Best Friend (2026)
When empty nest syndrome hits, two BFFs follow their teen daughters to Portugal and find love, fun and a whole new meaning of friendship along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Greatest Showman (2017)
The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1994)
Raised by wild animals since childhood, Mowgli is drawn away from the jungle by the beautiful Kitty. But Mowgli must eventually face corrupt Capt. Boone, who wants both Kitty's hand and the treasures of Monkey City – a place only Mowgli can find.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Circus (1928)
Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Clown (2011)
The life of the owners of Circus Esperança, Puro Sangue e Pangaré, father and son, who plays two clowns. At a certain point, Pangaré starts showing tiredness and sadness for being an unhappy clown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwo Sons of Francisco (2005)
The story of Francisco, a very simple and poor man whose dream was to see his children become country music stars, and who made all the efforts to make it happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOld Yeller (1957)
Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSão Paulo, Incorporated (1965)
Carlos is a young man from the São Paulo middle class who works for a big company during a time when foreign automobile industries were settling in Brazil. Shortly after, he accepts a job at a factory that makes automobile parts, where he becomes manager. To a certain extent, he is a family man who works hard, earns well and lives unsatisfied. Without any prospects in his life to change the condition he rejects, his last resort is escaping.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLove Everlasting (2016)
Bridger is a young outsider who's always wanted more. He and his mother flee an abusive home, eventually finding a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once there, Bridger finds true acceptance with another misfit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEO (2022)
The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurphy's Romance (1985)
Emma, a divorced single mother seeking to start her life over, moves to a small town in Arizona. She befriends Murphy, the older local pharmacist, but things turn complicated when her ex-husband shows up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMacunaima (1969)
Born a fully grown black man in a village in the Brazilian jungle, Macunaíma later magically transforms into a white man before making an adventure-filled trip to the city of São Paulo. Once there, he becomes something of a dandy, falling in love with Ci, a revolutionary who dies in an accidental bombing. After robbing a ruthless industrialist, Macunaima returns to his village where he finds his newly acquired knowledge and possessions of little use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Marilak and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Marilak?
The closest matches to Marilak are The One and Only Ivan (2020), Water for Elephants (2011) and A Dog's Purpose (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Marilak?
Start with The One and Only Ivan (2020), the closest match to Marilak.
What is the highest-rated movie like Marilak?
Bingo: The King of the Mornings (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 426 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Marilak?
My Best Friend (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Marilak chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Marilak, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.