Movies like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings (2012)
The best movies like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings (2012) are Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012), The Wonderland (2019) and Crayon Shinchan the Movie: Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World (2016). If Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings hooked you with its thriller and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSpirited Away (2001)8.5/10 from 19,214 votes
- NewestForgotten Island (2026)Released 2026
- In JapanesePuella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012)Also in Japanese
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012)
As the young girls have discovered the truth about the cruel fate of a magical girl, one magical girl after another is destroyed. Throughout it all, there is one magical girl who continues to fight alone - Homura Akemi. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal is a retelling of the second half of the TV anime series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wonderland (2019)
The story follows Akane, a girl with no self-confidence. On the day before her birthday, she meets a mysterious alchemist, Hippocrates, and his student, Pipo, who both tell her they're on a mission to save the world. Together, they set out from the basement for "Wonderland," and Akane finds herself labelled Wonderland's savior.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World (2016)
One night, the Nohara family were enjoying a pleasant dream, when suddenly a big fish appeared in their dreams and ate them. The next morning, Hiroshi read in the newspaper that everybody in another town had the same nightmare as him, but it seemed to have ended. But Hiroshi also heard the same dream from Misae, Shinnosuke, Himawari and even Shiro. They were surprised and thought if the same thing is happening in Kasukabe too. In kindergarten, on telling others about his nightmare, Shinnosuke was surprised to know that everybody too had the same dream. Then a mysterious girl named Saki was transferred to Futaba Kindergarten and joined Shinnosuke's class. Everyone in the class, including the rather inactive Bo-chan, were all excited and happy on seeing her. But Saki had a cold attitude and didn't get along well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpirited Away (2001)
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPuella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Rebellion- (2013)
Following Madoka's rewriting of the universe, sacrificing herself and her happy normal days to save all magical girls from the cruel fate that awaited them by wiping witches out of existence, the despair still manifest into creatures known as nightmares. Magical girl Homura Akemi continues to fight alone in the hope that she will be able to see Madoka smile again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChildren Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
The film centers on Asuna, a young girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her late father as a memento. One day while walking home she is attacked by a fearsome monster and saved by a mysterious boy named Shun. However, Shun disappears and Asuna embarks on a journey of adventure to the land of Agartha with her teacher Mr. Morisaki to meet a Shun again. Through her journey she comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Girl from the Other Side (2023)
Once upon a time, in a far, faraway place, there were two lands. The world was divided into an inner land and an outer land. People feared the outer land, inhabited by eerie beings, the carriers of curse. One day, on the border to the inner land inhabited by humans, one such being finds a girl on heaps of abandoned dead bodies. The girl says her name is Shiva and shows affection to the "being" who found her, calling him "Teacher." This is a story of two people—one human, one inhuman—who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Oni Girl (2024)
A shy teenage boy's inability to say no is tested when a headstrong girl drags him on a mystical journey amid summer snow to find her missing mom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEpic (2013)
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world—and ours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice (1994)
As Usagi and her friends enjoy Christmas vacation, an unusual and fierce snowstorm hits town... The evil Snow Queen Kaguya has returned to claim Earth as her own. Crucial to Queen Kaguya's plan is a magical crystal from outer space, approaching Earth disguised as a comet. Once she gets hold of the crystal, she will have the power to suck away all life energy and cover the Earth in ice. Will Sailor Moon find the crystal before Queen Kaguya? Will her powers be enough to save the Earth from permanent winter? All hope lies with the Legendary Ultimate Scout Power!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOver the Sky (2020)
Mio has long hidden her feelings for her childhood friend Arata. After an argument leaves their relationship uncertain, she sets out to reconcile with him but awakens in a mysterious version of Ikebukuro following an accident. Guided by unusual new companions, Mio searches for a way home while confronting the feelings and memories she has avoided.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999)
Sakura Kinomoto, a Card Captor, wins a game of chance and is awarded a trip to Hong Kong, along with her best friend Tomoyo and her rival, Syaoran Li. It turns out that the ancient rival of Clow Reed, the creator of the mysterious and powerful Clow Cards, summoned them, and she's out for revenge. A battle ensues, and secrets are revealed about Clow Reed's shady past and Sakura's connection to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Letter to Momo (2012)
A shy 11-year-old's life takes a strange turn when she discovers three hungry goblins living in the attic of her new house. She misses her old life. She misses her father so very much. Until she makes some new ghoulish friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie Part 2 (2021)
While under the care of the Outer Sailor Guardians, Hotaru begins to age rapidly. Then, the time comes for all the Sailor Guardians to reunite!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisForgotten Island (2026)
While celebrating their last night together, high school graduates and best friends Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa must race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSuzume (2022)
Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBrave Story (2006)
Jr. High School Student Wataru and his friends like playing in an abandond building and looking for ghosts. However it seems he is not the only one. Another mysterious student Mitsuru shows Wataru that there is a magical door to another world where one can go and get the Goddess of Fortune to grant one wish! When tragedy strikes Wataru's family he decides to open the door for himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Imaginary (2023)
Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger go on thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger finds himself alone, he faces a mysterious threat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Academy of Magic (2020)
Aura is gifted with magical abilities; she and her friends have many exciting adventures at the academy, but soon Aura learns that the school hatches many dark secrets that she must uncover. Will she be able to unveil the truth?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fantastic Adventures of Unico (1981)
When Unico, a young unicorn, is banished from his family by a pantheon of manipulative gods, his powers of joy and happiness are tested as he explores the lands with his friends Beezle and Katy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Unico in the Island of Magic (1983)
A young unicorn named Unico must fight an evil magician and save everyone who's trapped under his spell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
xxxHOLiC The Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005)
Invited to a wealthy client's mansion, time-traveling witch Yuko and her companions arrive to find a group of collectors assembled to participate in a mysterious auction. And the mystery only deepens when the collectors go missing one by one. As more guests disappear and strange occurrences abound, Yuko and her friends realize they must solve the mystery before they vanish as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Forbidden Door (2009)
A successful sculptor's life is turned upside down when he starts to receive mysterious messages from someone asking for his help. As he digs deeper, he discovers a boy is being abused and has to choose between saving the boy or losing everything.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoldiver (1993)
A naïve young girl accidentally modifies her brother's secret superhero uniform and becomes the unwilling superheroine Moldiver.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
A Candy for Bobby (2024)
A father who is uncomfortable with the state of his family as he is craving perfection from them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Tomorrow's Joe The Movie (1980)
An abridged remake of the first Ashita no Joe TV series, released in 1980 to provide back-story for the second TV series to new fans who were not familiar with the first TV series or the manga.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (1990)
The evil Dr. Kochin uses the dragon balls to resurrect his mentor, Dr. Wheelo, in an effort to take over the world. Dr. Wheelo, his body having been destroyed by the avalanche that killed him fifty years before, desires the body of the strongest fighter in the world as his new vessel. Believing Roshi to be the world's strongest warrior, Dr. Kochin abducts Bulma and forces Roshi to surrender himself to save her. When Goku hears of their abduction, he goes to their rescue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990)
Goku and friends must stop a band of space pirates from consuming fruit from the Tree of Might before it's destructive powers drain Earth's energy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
A Super Namekian named Slug comes to invade Earth. But the Z Warriors do their best to stop Slug and his gang.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings?
The closest matches to Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings are Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012), The Wonderland (2019) and Crayon Shinchan the Movie: Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings?
Start with Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012), the closest match to Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings.
What is the highest-rated movie like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings?
Spirited Away (2001), rated 8.5/10 by 19,214 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings?
Forgotten Island (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings?
Yes: Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal (2012), The Wonderland (2019) and Crayon Shinchan the Movie: Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World (2016).
How are movies similar to Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.