Movies like Zaina (2025)
The best movies like Zaina (2025) are Ethel & Ernest (2016), The Swallows of Kabul (2019) and The Breadwinner (2017). If Zaina hooked you with its drama and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)8.0/10 from 1,155 votes
- NewestIron Boy (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchThe Swallows of Kabul (2019)Also in French
Ethel & Ernest (2016)
This hand drawn animated film, based on the award winning graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, is an intimate and affectionate depiction of the life and times of his parents, two ordinary Londoners living through extraordinary events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Swallows of Kabul (2019)
Summer 1998—Kabul under Taliban rule. Zunaira and Mohsen are young and in love. Despite the daily violence and misery, they hope for a better future. One day, a foolish gesture causes life to take an irrevocable turn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Breadwinner (2017)
A headstrong young girl in Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMemorable (2019)
Aging painter Louis and his wife Michelle struggle to cope with Louis' advancing dementia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNo Dogs or Italians Allowed (2023)
Early 20th century, in the Ughetto family's home village, Ughettera, Northern Italy. Life in the region had become very difficult and the Ughettos dreamed of a better life abroad. Legend has it that Luigi Ughetto crossed the Alps and started a new life in France, thus changing his beloved family's destiny forever. His grandson retraces their story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLight of the World (2025)
It's 30 AD and everyone is expectantly awaiting the coming Messiah. While Jesus isn't exactly what they imagined, there is something special about this man. Soon, John, James, Andrew, Peter, and others begin to follow Jesus on an unexpected adventure. This beautifully animated story of Jesus is told through the eyes of his beloved young friend, the Apostle John.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJosep (2020)
February 1939. Overwhelmed by the flood of Republicans fleeing Franco's dictatorship, the French government's solution consists in confining the Spanish refugees in concentration camps where they have no other choice than to build their own shelters, feed off the horses which have carried them out of their country, and die by the hundred for lack of hygiene and water... In one of these camps, two men, separated by barbwire, will become friends. One is a guard the other is Josep Bartoli (Barcelona 1910 - New York 1995), a cartoonist who fights against the Franco regime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Boy (2026)
In rural France, 10-year-old Christophe tries to live up to his rigid and distant father on the family farm. But the young boy starts to lean over and collapse without warning — on the tractor, at school, at dinner... A doctor finds the solution: Christophe must wear an iron corset to keep himself upright. Forced to reinvent his life away from the farm, Christophe discovers a new passion for music, meets a new friend, and follows her into his first mischief. But will any of this really fix what is out of balance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (2022)
Three tales, three ages, three worlds. At the time of Ancient Egypt, a young king becomes the first black pharaoh to deserve the hand of his loved one. During the French Middle Ages, a mysterious wild boy steals from the rich to give to the poor. In 18th-century Turkey, a prince of pastries and a princess of roses escape the palace to live their love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSanjay's Super Team (2015)
SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM follows the daydream of a young Indian boy, bored with his father's religious meditation, who imagines "a kind of ancient, Hindu version of The Avengers," with the gods appearing like superheros.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log (2019)
When Hiccup and Toothless begin sharing stories of their special relationship with their respective families as they prepare for the Snoggletog Festival, it quickly becomes clear that the new generation of Vikings don’t remember the bond between dragon and human.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster High: Friday Night Frights (2012)
After Monster High’s roller skating team is defeated at the Skulltimate Roller Maze tournament, the ghouls team up to face an all-boys league, with the hope of winning back the school crest and restoring school spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and his friends experience high winds, heavy rains, and a flood in Hundred Acre Wood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGnomeo & Juliet (2011)
A version of Shakespeare's play, set in the world of warring indoor and outdoor gnomes. Garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing (2020)
When a musical dragon with a beautiful voice hypnotizes the dragons and people of Huttsgalor, the Rescue Riders have to find a way to break the spell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared with his best friend. But the Vikings of New Berk were beginning to forget about their friendship with dragons. Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber know just what to do to keep the dragons in the villagers' hearts. And across the sea, the dragons have a plan of their own...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Book of Life (2014)
The journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure (2023)
When her babysitting business takes a hit, Skipper takes a summer job at the water park. Here she can quickly put her skills as a nanny to good use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMelody Time (1948)
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. You'll be sure to tap your toes and clap your hands in this witty feast for the eyes and ears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather (2012)
When did you last talk with your father? Will you ever ask him about those things that hurt you? In FATHER the reality of life is turned upside down to create an impossible dialogue - the dialogue between a child and a father that never happens.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Dukhtar (2014)
In the mountains of Pakistan, a mother and her ten-year-old daughter flee their home on the eve of the girl's marriage to a tribal leader. A deadly hunt for them begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mr. Denver (2026)
A stubborn young woman is purchased at a clandestine auction by a cold, ruthless billionaire. To pay off her debt, she is forced to serve as his personal assistant, only to discover that her employer is the head of a powerful mafia clan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dirty Angels (2024)
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Kind of Loving (1962)
As Vic Brown vacillates between infatuation and disinterest for his co-worker Ingrid Rothwell, she finds out that she is pregnant and Vic has to reconcile how he thought his life would go with what life actually has in store for him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantics (2019)
Arranged to marry a rich man, young Ada is crushed when her true love goes missing at sea during a migration attempt — until a miracle reunites them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Ruby Pasha (TBA)
Ruby Pasha, an aspiring entomologist from a village in Pakistan, disappears after killing her fiancé and his evil family who threatened to kill her for breaking off the engagement. As news of the killings spreads globally, Ruby is turned into a revolutionary icon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Once Upon a Thread (2014)
A yarn ball woman, an old woman who spends her days looking out the window and a seller of clothes that fall from the clotheslines are connected by a thread. The three women lead the actions of other characters and the inevitable fate of a woman with her husband at her back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run (2020)
A young Kyrgyz woman is kidnapped and forced to marry. A drama about the desire for freedom in the clutches of a tradition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Osama (2004)
After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a preteen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Zaina and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Zaina?
The closest matches to Zaina are Ethel & Ernest (2016), The Swallows of Kabul (2019) and The Breadwinner (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Zaina?
Start with Ethel & Ernest (2016), the closest match to Zaina.
What is the highest-rated movie like Zaina?
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 1,155 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Zaina?
Iron Boy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Zaina?
Yes: The Swallows of Kabul (2019), Memorable (2019) and No Dogs or Italians Allowed (2023).
How are movies similar to Zaina chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Zaina, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.