Movies like Air Bud Returns (2027)
The best movies like Air Bud Returns (2027) are Hoovey (2015), You Gotta Believe (2024) and Three Wishes (1995). If Air Bud Returns hooked you with its family and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Secret Life of Bees (2008)7.5/10 from 603 votes
- NewestThe Social Reckoning (2026)Released 2026
Hoovey (2015)
The true and inspiring story of the Elliott family, who refused to surrender, instead turning to one another and their faith in the worst of circumstances, to rebuild their lives, their boy, and their dreams... together. Step by grueling step, with faith, love, and the tireless work of a mother and father to save their family, their farm, their dream, Hoovey learns to walk again. To read again. To dribble and shoot a basketball again. And yes, to dream again himself. Then stepping out in his faith, back onto the hard court, to live that dream of playing this game once more...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou Gotta Believe (2024)
After dedicating the season to a teammate’s ailing father, a group of underestimated Ft. Worth youth baseball players takes its Cinderella run all the way to the 2002 Little League World Series—culminating in a record-breaking showdown that became an instant ESPN classic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Wishes (1995)
While Jane Holman is driving with her two sons, she accidentally runs into a drifter, Jack McCloud, who breaks his leg. Being responsible, Jane invites Jack, and his dog, to stay at her home until his leg has healed. Jack struggles to adapt their lifestyle, and finds himself loved by the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwitches Too (2007)
Reunited witch twins Camryn and Alex adjust to their new life as supernatural beings while at the same time trying to maintain a normal existence in this sequel to the magical Disney Channel original movie Twitches. But they soon find themselves going head to head with the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy their world. Luckily, their birth mother, the powerful Miranda, is on hand to help out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Finds You In Sugarcreek (2014)
Will a mysterious stranger's past wreak havoc on a quiet Amish community after they've opened their doors -- and hearts -- to him and his son?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012)
A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWWE Royal Rumble 2025 (2025)
Royal Rumble (2025) was the 38th annual Royal Rumble presented by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event took place on February 1, 2025 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Never Sang for My Father (1970)
A man living in the towering shadow of his aging father finds it difficult to start a new chapter in his life by marrying his girlfriend and moving to California.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreed II (2018)
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family's past, Adonis Creed is up against the challenge of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Social Reckoning (2026)
Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrand Upon the Brain! (2007)
After returning home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShooting Stars (2023)
The inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero, revealing how LeBron James and his childhood friends become the #1 high school team in the country, launching James's breathtaking career as a four-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoly Lands (2019)
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGigi & Nate (2022)
A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this25 Miles to Normal (2026)
Follows a doctor as he reunites with his estranged father and the rest of their family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family
Bishwas (2002)
A humble villager journeys to the city to earn money for his ailing mother’s treatment, only to find himself drawn into a dangerous world where survival demands unimaginable sacrifices.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family
65 (2023)
Grandpa Boonmee is a former retired soldier often drinks liquor, hot-tempered and quarrels with Grandmother Rabieb, who is his wife.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family
Naanobba Kalla (1979)
A boy gets separated from his parents and grows up to become a thief. When he finds his parents and tries to return to them, his father who is a police officer refuses to accept him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010)
With Maltazard now seven feet tall and Arthur still two inches small, our hero must find a way to grow back to his normal size and stop the Evil M once and for all, with the help of Selenia and Betameche.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisRangula Ratnam (2018)
Vishnu is a mama's boy, dependent on his widowed mother for everything. He falls in love with Keerthi the second he lays eyes on her. But what happens when his world is shaken apart? Can he cope and keep up with his love?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Faded Dreams (2007)
Young basketball star Dan Milano has all the makings of a pro player -- talent, skill and determination. But as he sets out to make his dream come true, Dan learns that in the world of professional basketball, talent only gets you so far. Based on a true story, this telling drama exposes the politics and corruption that run rampant in organized sports.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
You'll Only Have Each Other (2018)
After the death of her mother, a disconnected daughter, Maggie, struggles to reconnect with her twin brother, Gabe, even though he's the only family she has left. As she pushes through the day of the funeral reception, her guilt for having left Gabe alone to tend to their mother in her final months begins to tangibly manifest itself in strange and horrifying ways. Maggie must now face her demons and accept responsibility for what she’s done, or forever be haunted by her past mistakes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Better Safe Than Sorry (2021)
A date night gone wrong leads a mother and daughter to make a tough decision on how to deal with an unexpected situation involving generational trauma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Son of Kong (1933)
Beleaguered adventurer Carl Denham returns to the island where he found King Kong.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Air Bud Returns?
The closest matches to Air Bud Returns are Hoovey (2015), You Gotta Believe (2024) and Three Wishes (1995). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Air Bud Returns?
Start with Hoovey (2015), the closest match to Air Bud Returns.
What is the highest-rated movie like Air Bud Returns?
The Secret Life of Bees (2008), rated 7.5/10 by 603 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Air Bud Returns?
The Social Reckoning (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Air Bud Returns?
Yes: Hoovey (2015), You Gotta Believe (2024) and Three Wishes (1995).
How are movies similar to Air Bud Returns chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Air Bud Returns, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.