Movies like The Pirates of Penzance (1980)
The best movies like The Pirates of Penzance (1980) are Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952), The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) and Teen Beach Movie (2013). If The Pirates of Penzance hooked you with its music and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSing 2 (2021)7.8/10 from 4,966 votes
- NewestProm Party Massacre (2025)Released 2025
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Two hapless waiters in a tavern on the Spanish Main play cupid between aristocratic Lady Jane and tavern co-worker Bruce Martindale, but the two bumpkins mix-up a love letter with Captain Kidd's treasure map of Skull Island, leading to them being kidnapped and taken off to the notorious pirate's island.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & adventure
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeen Beach Movie (2013)
Life's a beach for surfers Brady and McKenzie – until a rogue wave magically transports them inside the classic '60s beach party flick, "Wet Side Story," where a full-blown rivalry between bikers and surfers threatens to erupt. There, amidst a sea of surfing, singing and dancing, Brady and Mack accidentally change the storyline, and the film’s dreamy hero and heroine fall for them instead of for each other!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEasy Come, Easy Go (1967)
Navy frogman Ted Jackson balances his time between twin careers as a deep-sea diver and nightclub singer. During a dive, Ted spots sunken treasure and returns with the hope to retrieve it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue's Big City Adventure (2022)
When Josh gets the opportunity of a lifetime to audition for Rainbow Puppy’s Broadway musical, Josh and Blue skidoo to NYC for the very first time where they meet new friends and discover the magic of music, dance, and following one’s dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisiParty with Victorious (2011)
Carly discovers her boyfriend Steven Carson has been cheating on her with Tori Vega, so the gang flies out to Los Angeles where they meet Tori and the gang from Hollywood Arts. They attend a party hosted by Kenan Thompson where Carly and Tori realize Steven was dating them both and therefore cheating on them at the same time, so they plot payback on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoad to Utopia (1946)
While on a ship to Skagway, Alaska, Duke and Chester find a map to a secret gold mine, which had been 'stolen' by thugs. In Alaska to recover her father's map, Sal Van Hoyden falls in with Ace Larson, who secretly wants to steal the gold mine for himself. Duke, Chester, the thugs, Ace and his henchman chase each other all over the countryside—for the map.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrolls Band Together (2023)
When Branch's brother, Floyd, is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains, Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBuck Privates (1941)
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnimal Crackers (1930)
The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuppet Treasure Island (1996)
Young Jim Hawkins and his two best friends, Gonzo and Rizzo, embark on a voyage across the high seas in search of buried treasure, but soon find that not everyone onboard can be trusted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMulan II (2004)
Fa Mulan gets the surprise of her young life when her love, Captain Li Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before the two can have their happily ever after, the Emperor assigns them a secret mission, to escort three princesses to Chang'an, China. Mushu is determined to drive a wedge between the couple after he learns that he will lose his guardian job if Mulan marries into the Li family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUglyDolls (2019)
In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weirdness is celebrated, strangeness is special and beauty is embraced as more than meets the eye. After traveling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy and her UglyDoll friends discover Perfection -- a town where more conventional dolls receive training before entering the real world to find the love of a child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom Thumb (1958)
A boy, no bigger than a thumb, manages to outwit two thieves determined to make a fortune from him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPirates (1986)
Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor. One day Capt. Red is captured and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the niece of the governor of Maracaibo. The question is, can he keep this pace up?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwashbuckler (1976)
A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBetter Nate Than Ever (2022)
13-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams but there’s only one problem — he can’t even land a part in the school play. When his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate’s long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life’s greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuava Island (2019)
Deni Maroon, a musician and dock worker is determined to pull off a music festival against the interests of the local factory owner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSing 2 (2021)
Buster and his new cast now have their sights set on debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City. But with no connections, he and his singers must sneak into the Crystal Entertainment offices, run by the ruthless wolf mogul Jimmy Crystal, where the gang pitches the ridiculous idea of casting the lion rock legend Clay Calloway in their show. Buster must embark on a quest to find the now-isolated Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep school, Johnny springs back into action to find the mysterious hacker. For this mission to succeed, he’ll need all of his skills - what few he has - as the man with yesterday’s analogue methods faces off against tomorrow’s digital technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSneakerella (2022)
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBugsy Malone (1976)
New York, 1929, a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Dan is in possession of a new and deadly weapon, the dreaded "splurge gun". As the custard pies fly, Bugsy Malone, an all-round nice guy, falls for Blousey Brown, a singer at Fat Sam's speakeasy. His designs on her are disrupted by the seductive songstress Tallulah who wants Bugsy for herself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo One Called Ahead (2019)
Ben seeks a weekend getaway but gets more than he bargained for when he begins to receive a series of visits from several astonishing women from the great beyond. Each encounter further rocks his world view. Will this night forever change the way he lives, loves and creates? Or will he make it to daybreak at all?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & comedy
Grease 2 (1982)
It's 1961, two years after the original Grease gang graduated, and there's a new crop of seniors and new members of the coolest cliques on campus, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Michael Carrington is the new kid in school - but he's been branded a brainiac. Can he fix up an old motorcycle, don a leather jacket, avoid a rumble with the leader of the T-Birds, and win the heart of Pink Lady Stephanie?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisProm Party Massacre (2025)
A gay high school student throws a swinging prom party in the hopes of finally wooing the football captain - but when popular kids start turning up dead, the partygoers discover a slasher killer amongst the student body!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & comedy
Meet the Feebles (1989)
Heidi the Hippo, star of 'The Feebles Variety Hour', discovers her lover Bletch the Walrus is cheating on her. And with all the world waiting for the big show, the assorted co-stars must contend with drug addiction, extortion, robbery, disease, Vietnam flashbacks, drug dealing, and murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Pan (2000)
The stage musical Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby has toured the world to great acclaim. An adaptation of the famous 1954 musical directed by Jerome Robbins and starring Mary Martin, this new version is lasting proof that J.M. Barrie's tale of the boy who would never grow up is one of the kingpins of family entertainment. All the elements are in good form for this video production shot at the Mirada Theater in 2000 for the A&E Network. Some new songs have been added to the fabulous Moose Charlap-Carolyn Leigh score (which includes "Tender Shepherd," "I Gotta Crow," "I'm Flying," and "I Won't Grow Up"). But the biggest asset to this production are the spectacular flying sequences: Peter even soars over the audience at times. Martin was a stronger actress in a close-up, but Rigby is magical with her athleticism and spark, most notably in a percussion-filled song and dance number "Ugh-a-Wug.".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Air: The Musical (2010)
AIR follows three stories of people who feel out of place in the world, and their longing to find a connection with someone else. A middle-aged African American sings to a new love as they both cope with secret pasts in a country western bar. A young goth girl sings a 50s style ballad as she wanders the streets with a broken heart. A punk croons a modern doo wop at a punk rock show. Featuring all original music, AIR is a heartwarming drama, a romantic comedy, and an exciting musical.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Shucked (2023)
Film adaptation of Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Robert Horn's Tony Award-winning stage musical, set in fictional Cob County, whose residents search for a solution to the problem of their dying corn.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & comedy
Sammy Stops the World (1978)
A man who sells coffee for a living gets his boss's daughter pregnant. This changes his life and eventually leads to his becoming a powerful business tycoon with no moral center. (TCM)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Pirates of Penzance?
The closest matches to The Pirates of Penzance are Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952), The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) and Teen Beach Movie (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Pirates of Penzance?
People who watched The Pirates of Penzance most often go on to Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Pirates of Penzance?
Sing 2 (2021), rated 7.8/10 by 4,966 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Pirates of Penzance?
Prom Party Massacre (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Pirates of Penzance?
Yes: Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952), The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) and Teen Beach Movie (2013).
How are movies similar to The Pirates of Penzance chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Pirates of Penzance, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.