Movies like Grandpa and Billy (1982)
The best movies like Grandpa and Billy (1982) are Dog Gone (2023), Little Fugitive (1953) and The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013). If Grandpa and Billy hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Grandpa and Billy
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAnastasia (1997)7.6/10 from 5,744 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
Dog Gone (2023)
When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Fugitive (1953)
After a prank makes Joey Norton believe he killed his older brother, he runs away from home and spends the day at Coney Island while his brother tries to find him before their mother gets home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013)
A 10-year-old child prodigy cartographer secretly leaves his family's ranch in Montana where he lives with his cowboy father and scientist mother and travels across the country on board a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
America is in the depths of the Great Depression. Families drift apart when faraway jobs beckon. A courageous young girl confronts overwhelming odds when she embarks on a cross-country search for her father. During her odyssey, she forms a close bond with two diverse traveling companions: a magnificent, protective wolf, and a hardened drifter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnight Special (2016)
A father and son go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1936)
An American boy turns out to be the heir of a wealthy British earl. He is sent to live with the irritable and unsentimental aristocrat, his grandfather.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts (2019)
Hot on the trails of Sheath and Exile, Ghost-Spider teams up with the rest of the Secret Warriors to bring down the villains for good.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
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 thisA Monster Calls (2016)
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Good Witch's Destiny (2013)
As Cassie's birthday approaches, Lori discovers disturbing parallels between Cassie and her great aunt, who disappeared years before on her birthday. When signs of a curse appear, Cassie conjures up a little magic to make things right again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Mimzy (2007)
Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys, and soon their parents and even their teacher are drawn into a strange new world – and find a task ahead of them that is far more important than any of them could imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnd of the Spear (2005)
"End of the Spear" is the story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. When five young missionaries, among them Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series of events unfold to change the lives of not only the slain missionaries' families, but also Mincayani and his people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnastasia (1997)
Ten years after she was separated from her family, an eighteen-year-old orphan with vague memories of the past sets out to Paris in hopes of reuniting with her grandmother. She is accompanied by two con men, who intend to pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia to the Dowager Empress for a reward.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrozen: The Hit Broadway Musical (2025)
Young princess Anna of Arendelle dreams about finding true love at her sister Elsa’s coronation. Fate takes her on a dangerous journey in an attempt to end the eternal winter that has fallen over the kingdom. She's accompanied by ice delivery man Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf. On an adventure where she will find out what friendship, courage, family, and true love really means.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)
When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHouse of Anubis: The Touchstone of Ra (2013)
The students of Anubis House are on the eve of their graduation when they encounter a new group of underclassmen and a mysterious stone that leads them on a quest to save the world from evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInkheart (2008)
The adventures of a father and his young daughter, in their search for a long lost book that will help reunite a missing, close relative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisAn American Tail (1986)
A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDevil on Deck (1932)
John Moore, a young sea captain has a romance with Kay Wheeler, daughter of a trusted trader, "Pop" Wheeler, on a Pacific island. He also acquire the enmity of "Shanghai" Morgan, a notorious sea captain who shanghais his crew and his women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
August Rush (2007)
Evan, a musically gifted orphan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater. After discovering his talent, the Wizard gives Evan the name "August Rush" and devises a plan to profit from his talent. Little does Evan know that his parents, Lyla and Louis, are searching for him too.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magic Sword (1950)
Evil Bash-Chelik is terrorizing people, but only the magic sword can harm him. A young hero goes on the dangerous quest to find that sword.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Peacock Alley (1930)
Show dancer Claire finds herself in the New York hotel-suite with Stoddard Clayton, saying goodbye to him before her impending marriage the following day. When she returns to the hotel with her husband the following night, the house detective accuses her of prostitution and throws them out. Now Claire must explain everything to her unsympathetic husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Three Seasons (1999)
The residents of Ho Chi Minh City face modernization amid widespread poverty. A retired American Marine arrives on a search for his daughter, whom he abandoned at the end of the Vietnam War. Elsewhere, a cyclo driver falls for a troubled prostitute and schemes to raise money so he can spend time with her. Additionally, a young women begins harvesting lotuses for a writer suffering from leprosy, and a child trinket seller loses his traveling case.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Brave One (2007)
A woman struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Devil's Own (1997)
Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest Seller (1987)
Hit man Cleve approaches writer/cop Dennis about a story for his next book: How Cleve made a living, working for one of the most powerful politicians in the country. To get the story right, they travel around the country to gather statements and evidence, while strong forces use any means they can to keep the story untold.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaising Helen (2004)
Helen Harris has a glamorous, big-city life working for one of New York's hottest modeling agencies. But suddenly her free-spirited life gets turned upside down when she must choose between the life she's always loved, and the new loves of her life!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Grandpa and Billy?
The closest matches to Grandpa and Billy are Dog Gone (2023), Little Fugitive (1953) and The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Grandpa and Billy?
Start with Dog Gone (2023), the closest match to Grandpa and Billy.
What is the highest-rated movie like Grandpa and Billy?
Anastasia (1997), rated 7.6/10 by 5,744 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Grandpa and Billy?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Grandpa and Billy?
Yes: Dog Gone (2023), Little Fugitive (1953) and The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013).
How are movies similar to Grandpa and Billy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Grandpa and Billy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.