Movies like The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
The best movies like The Little Drummer Boy (1968) are Stick Man (2015), Anne of Green Gables (2016) and The Point (1971). If The Little Drummer Boy hooked you with its animation and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Lion King (1994)8.3/10 from 20,400 votes
- NewestLight of the World (2025)Released 2025
Stick Man (2015)
Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three, and he's heading on an epic adventure across the seasons. Will he get back to his family in time for Christmas?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (2016)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Point (1971)
A father reads his son a bedtime story about young Oblio, who is banished from the fantastical kingdom of pointed heads and things for having no point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lion King (1994)
Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for himself. Amid betrayal and tragedy, Simba must confront his past and find his rightful place in the Circle of Life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to see to where all the season's cheer has disappeared. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children's hearts and put Santa back in action.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
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 thisSanta Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970)
A postman, S.D. Kluger, decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a baby named Kris who is raised by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Mayor is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, the Winter Warlock lives between the Kringles and Sombertown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Lion King (2019)
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022)
The unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse traveling together in the boy's search for home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1967)
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus (2022)
Christmas Eve takes a twisty turn when the Boss Baby accidentally swaps places with one of Santa's elves and gets stranded at the North Pole.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnnabelle's Wish (1997)
Annabelle - a calf who has a special wish for Christmas - wants to be a reindeer and help Santa Claus drive his sleigh as he delivers his presents! Annabelle's friends tell her not to get her hopes up, but to everyone's surprise, Santa does indeed meet up with Annabelle, and the calf gets to help Santa make the holiday special for one young boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys (2001)
When the mysterious Toy Taker grabs all of Santa's toys, it looks like the children will miss out on Christmas. But everyone's favorite reindeer, Rudolph, comes to the rescue with his lovable friends: Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius the grizzly prospector, the abominable snow monster Bumbles and Rudolph's very special friend Clarice. Together, they promise Santa they'll track down Toy Taker and rescue Santa's toy. Their incredible quest takes them on a wild adventure with Rudolph's red nose leading the way!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Wishmas Tree (2020)
A young possum's misguided wish for a white Wishmas not only freezes her entire hometown of Sanctuary City, but also threatens the lives of all who live there. Before the magical Wishmas Tree dies, she must undertake a perilous journey into the WILD; battling self-doubt, ghostly predators and ultimately, Extinction itself, to reverse the damage she has caused and save her city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Shoes (2002)
Two separate stories mesh - in the first, a young music teacher, Maggie Andrews, begins dying of a heart condition and her son Nathan tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for her before she dies. In the second, lawyer Robert Layton and his wife Kate are slowly drifting apart and the matter comes to a head during Christmas when Kate takes over for Maggie for the school choir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKhumba (2013)
A half-striped zebra is blamed for the drought and leaves his herd in search of his missing stripes. He is joined on his quest by an overprotective wildebeest and a flamboyant ostrich; they defeat the tyrannical leopard and save his herd.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrolls Holiday (2017)
When the eternally optimistic Poppy, queen of the Trolls, learns that the Bergens no longer have any holidays on their calendar, she enlists the help of Branch and the rest of the gang on a delightfully quirky mission to fix something that the Bergens don't think is broken.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderbirds Are GO (1966)
When the launch of a mission to Mars goes awry due to sabotage, International Rescue is requested to assist in the mission's second attempt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry Madagascar (2009)
While trapped on the island of Madagascar, the Central Park Zoo escapees receive a visit from Santa--crash landing on their territory and getting amnesia to boot! The animals must help Santa assume his rightful place in the universe, while King Julian laps up the opportunity for his subjects.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobin Robin (2021)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSaurus City (2025)
In a fantastical world where dinosaurs roam alongside humans, a grizzled retired knight is pulled back into action to help a young woman in distress, only to uncover a threat to the entire kingdom. Hunted by the vengeful Shrouded Knight and his monstrous creations, the aging warrior must risk everything to deliver the one thing that can save them all—a baby.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Willy McBean & His Magic Machine (1965)
Little Willy McBean joins up with a Mexican monkey named Pablo to travel back in time and stop the evil Prof. von Rotten from changing history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969)
Over the Christmas holidays in a small New England college town, a man and a woman share a brief interlude. He is there to visit his wife, who is a mental patient at the university, and she is there visiting her son, who is a student, after discovering her husband's infidelity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Motor Tour (1982)
Animated hijinks of a man whose car just will not start, no matter what he does.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Joker (2020)
A student film, expressionist adaptation of Joker (2019, dir. Todd Phillips) in stop motion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Alice in Not So Wonderland (2007)
The story of Alice in Wonderland, explored in the stop-motion world of the Quay brothers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
All I Didn't Want for Christmas (2022)
Emily Harris is not doing great. In a desperate attempt to improve her life and make this Christmas not totally suck, Emily writes a letter to Santa. Fortunately, and unfortunately, her wine-soaked wishes start coming true.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
COMBO (2009)
Street artist Blu animates large-scale creatures as they crawl across an abandoned Argentine cityscape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Jem and the Holograms (2015)
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. Four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisRaajakumara (2017)
Siddharth, a devoted son and a prince in his father's eyes, encounters numerous challenges while maintaining his pure character. Upon losing his family, he uncovers the hardships they faced and resolves to look after the elderly at an old age home. However, Jagannath attempts to thwart his noble endeavors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Little Drummer Boy?
The closest matches to The Little Drummer Boy are Stick Man (2015), Anne of Green Gables (2016) and The Point (1971). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Little Drummer Boy?
Start with Stick Man (2015), the closest match to The Little Drummer Boy.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Little Drummer Boy?
The Lion King (1994), rated 8.3/10 by 20,400 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Little Drummer Boy?
Light of the World (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Little Drummer Boy?
Yes: Stick Man (2015), Anne of Green Gables (2016) and The Point (1971).
How are movies similar to The Little Drummer Boy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Little Drummer Boy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.