Movies like The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
The best movies like The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) are Son of Flubber (1963), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) and A.R.C.H.I.E. (2016). If The Absent-Minded Professor hooked you with its comedy and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Great Dictator (1940)8.3/10 from 3,872 votes
- NewestHenry Danger: The Movie (2025)Released 2025
Son of Flubber (1963)
Beleaguered professor Ned Brainard has already run into a pile of misfortunes with his discovery of the super-elastic substance "Flubber." Now he hopes to have better luck with a gravity-busting derivative he's dubbed "Flubbergas." Ned's experiments, constantly hampered by government obstruction, earn the consternation of his wife, Betsy. But a game-winning modification to a football uniform may help Ned make the case for his fantastic new invention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNow You See Him, Now You Don't (1972)
Dexter Riley is a science student at Medfield College who inadvertently invents a liquid capable of rendering objects and people invisible. Before Dexter and his friends, Debbie and Richard Schuyler, can even enjoy their spectacular discovery, corrupt businessman A.J. Arno plots to get his greedy hands on it. Slapstick hijinks ensue as Dexter and his pals try to thwart the evil Arno before he can use the invisibility spray to rob a bank.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA.R.C.H.I.E. (2016)
A recently orphaned 15-year-old who has moved to a small town to live with her uncle befriends a robotic canine with super strength, x-ray vision and the ability to talk and the pair take on a military complex, bullies, kidnappers, romance and the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJetsons: The Movie (1990)
George Jetson is forced to uproot his family when Mr. Spacely promotes him to take charge of a new factory on a distant planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHenry Danger: The Movie (2025)
Henry Hart meets a superfan—eager to fight crime with Kid Danger—who comes into possession of a device that can open up alternate realities. Facing a wild ride, Henry will need his best friend Jasper and his new superfan sidekick to find his way out or be stuck in another dimension forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSecret Headquarters (2022)
While hanging out after school, Charlie and his friends discover the headquarters of the world’s most powerful superhero hidden beneath his home. When villains attack, they must team up to defend the headquarters and save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thundermans Return (2024)
Twins Phoebe and Max are enjoying their superhero lifestyle, but when one 'save' goes awry, the Thundermans are sent back to Hiddenville. While Hank and Barb enjoy their return, and Billy and Nora look forward to a normal high school life, Max and Phoebe are determined to regain their superhero status.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMeet the Robinsons (2007)
Lewis, a brilliant young inventor, is keen on creating a time machine to find his mother, who abandoned him in an orphanage. Things take a turn when he meets Wilbur Robinson and his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cat from Outer Space (1978)
A UFO is stranded on earth and impounded by the US government. Its pilot, a cat with a collar that gives it special powers, including the ability to communicate with humans, has eluded the authorities and seeks the help of a scientist in order to reclaim and repair his ship and get back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
A hapless inventor finally finds success with a flying car, which a dictator from a foreign government sets out to take for himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
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 science fiction & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to the Future Part II (1989)
Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFreaky Friday (1976)
School girl Annabel is hassled by her mother, and Mrs. Andrews is annoyed with her daughter, Annabel. They both think that the other has an easy life. On a normal Friday morning, both complain about each other and wish they could have the easy life of their daughter/mother for just one day and their wishes come true as a bit of magic puts Annabel in Mrs. Andrews' body and vice versa. They both have a Freaky Friday.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomorrowland (2015)
Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonkey Business (1952)
Research chemist Barnaby Fulton works on a fountain of youth pill for a chemical company. One of the labs chimps gets loose in the laboratory and mixes chemicals, but then pours the mix into the water cooler. When trying one of his own samples, washed down with water from the cooler, Fulton begins to act just like a twenty-year-old and believes his potion is working. Soon his wife and boss are also behaving like children.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLEGO DC Batman: Family Matters (2019)
Suspicion is on high after Batman, Batgirl, Robin and other DC superheroes receive mysterious invitations. However, family values must remain strong when Batman and his team encounter the villainous Red Hood, who is obsessed with destroying the Bat-family and all of Gotham City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMigration (2023)
After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, the Mallard family embarks on a family road trip, from New England, to New York City, to tropical Jamaica.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man in the White Suit (1951)
The unassuming, nebbishy inventor Sidney Stratton creates a miraculous fabric that will never be dirty or worn out. Clearly he can make a fortune selling clothes made of the material, but may cause a crisis in the process. After all, once someone buys one of his suits they won't ever have to fix them or buy another one, and the clothing industry will collapse overnight. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Wheels AcceleRacers: Ignition (2005)
Two rival race teams, the Teku and the Metal Maniacs, are recruited by Dr. Peter Tezla to race in the fantastic Racing Realms and retrieve the all-powerful AcceleChargers before they fall into the hands of the deadly Racing Drones. Our drivers race through the Storm and Swamp Realms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPlanes (2013)
Dusty is a cropdusting plane who dreams of competing in a famous aerial race. The problem? He is hopelessly afraid of heights. With the support of his mentor Skipper and a host of new friends, Dusty sets off to make his dreams come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisEstrada on the Screen (1968)
A comedy from the stage troupe of Tiranë and Shkodër. A collection of sketches, songs and humorous numbers performed by well-known Albanian pop artists. With a combination of humor and satirical situations, the film aims to bring entertainment to the audience, reflecting diverse characters of everyday life and addressing social themes of the time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
The Great Dictator (1940)
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
An alien and a robot land on Earth after World War II and tell mankind to be peaceful or face destruction.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe General (1926)
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Gold Rush (1925)
A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance hall girl.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEraserhead (1977)
First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChimes at Midnight (1965)
Henry IV usurps the English throne, sets in motion the factious War of the Roses and now faces a rebellion led by Northumberland scion Hotspur. Henry's heir, Prince Hal, is a ne'er-do-well carouser who drinks and causes mischief with his low-class friends, especially his rotund father figure, John Falstaff. To redeem his title, Hal may have to choose between allegiance to his real father and loyalty to his friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBringing Up Baby (1938)
David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCity Lights (1931)
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStranger Than Fiction (2006)
Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Absent-Minded Professor?
The closest matches to The Absent-Minded Professor are Son of Flubber (1963), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) and A.R.C.H.I.E. (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Absent-Minded Professor?
Start with Son of Flubber (1963), the closest match to The Absent-Minded Professor.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Absent-Minded Professor?
The Great Dictator (1940), rated 8.3/10 by 3,872 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Absent-Minded Professor?
Henry Danger: The Movie (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Absent-Minded Professor?
Yes: Son of Flubber (1963), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) and A.R.C.H.I.E. (2016).
How are movies similar to The Absent-Minded Professor chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Absent-Minded Professor, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.