Movies like The Legend of Hillbilly John (1974)
The best movies like The Legend of Hillbilly John (1974) are Tom Thumb (1958), The Witches (1990) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). If The Legend of Hillbilly John hooked you with its adventure and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCoraline (2009)7.9/10 from 9,761 votes
- NewestWeapons (2025)Released 2025
Tom 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 & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Witches (1990)
While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, a young boy named Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice via a magical formula. When they discover the eavesdropper, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and hotel manager Mr Stringer, Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wizard of Oz (1939)
Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrange Magic (2015)
A love potion works its devious charms on fairies, elves and the swamp-dwelling Bog King as they all try to possess the potion for themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbigail (2019)
A young girl Abigail lives in a city whose borders were closed many years ago because of an epidemic of a mysterious disease. Abby's father was one of the sick - and he was taken when she was six years old. Going against the authorities to find his father, Abby learns that her city is actually full of magic. And she discovers in herself extraordinary magical abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak and his new friends fight to defend FernGully from lumberjacks — and the vengeful spirit they accidentally unleash after chopping down a magic tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCarnival of Souls (1962)
Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town. The strangely alluring carnival may hold the secret to her tragic past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
An all-star cast highlights this vibrant musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's immortal tale. One day, plucky young Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and discovers a world of bizarre characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWish Upon a Unicorn (2020)
Two children discover that their mother is gone. The youngest of the pair, adventurer and upcomming singer, Long Johnson forces his older sister, Lily Johnson, to hunt down a unicorn with magical blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInterstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
Four talented alien musicians are kidnapped by a record producer who disguises them as humans. Shep, a space pilot in love with bass player Stella, follows them to Earth. Reprogrammed to forget their real identities and renamed The Crescendolls, the group quickly becomes a huge success playing soulless corporate pop. At a concert, Shep manages to free all the musicians except Stella, and the band sets out to rediscover who they really are — and to rescue Stella.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Captain Jack Sparrow’s got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. To escape eternal servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, ever-crafty Jack must track down the still-beating heart of Jones. But he won’t do it alone: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are drawn back into another one of his perilous quests—assuming they can evade execution for aiding a pirate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unhealer (2021)
A botched faith healing bestows supernatural Shaman powers on a bullied teenager. When his lifelong tormentors pull a prank that kills someone he loves, he uses his powers for revenge and goes on a bloody rampage to settle the score.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
SnoozefestMovies 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 adventure & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCoraline (2009)
Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Black Cauldron (1985)
Taran is an assistant pigkeeper with boyish dreams of becoming a great warrior. However, he has to put the daydreaming aside when his charge, an oracular pig named Hen Wen, is kidnapped by an evil lord known as the Horned King. The villain hopes Hen will show him the way to The Black Cauldron, which has the power to create a giant army of unstoppable soldiers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChupa (2023)
While visiting family in Mexico, a lonely boy befriends a mythical creature hiding on his grandfather's ranch and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Climax (1944)
Dr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & horror
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
When the lovely Princess Parisa is shrunken by wicked Sokurah the Magician, Sinbad must embark on a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbara ou ma plus belle histoire d'amour (1973)
In the early 70s, Barbara discovered herself backstage on her French tour. The artist plays with intimacy and camera glances. Between concerts, she talks to herself and the men in her life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
The Witches Hammer (2006)
On the day of her death a normal woman is transformed into a genetically engineered vampire and trained to kill. She is sent on a mission to stop the Souls of the Damned being unleashed into our dimension.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Judy (2019)
Thirty years after starring in 'The Wizard of Oz', beloved actress and singer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and fans and begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
Pandora Reynolds is a woman who has never fallen in love – but one who men kill and die for. When she meets dashing and mysterious ship's captain Hendrik van der Zee, he pushes her to commit the ultimate act of love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerror (1979)
The descendants of a witch-hunting family and their close friends are stalked and killed by a mysterious entity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisWeapons (2025)
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZan Orangutan (TBA)
The year is 2030 and Zan is believed to be the last living Orangutan. His "human parents" have been tasked to save the species using Zan's DNA, however they have only managed to produce a Simian Translator that allows Zan to talk to humans and more. Zan sings and dances.... making him a global superstar through his hit song "Lil' Bit Crazy". Zan's life gets even "crazier" when he is kidnapped , falls from a plane and is trapped in a jungle... where he soon discovers that he is not so special after all... as there are a few living Orangutans who believe that he is the "Awaited One" to save them from the evil Komodo Dragon, Naga. As a total misfit with an unfit body, the pampered Zan has to learn to become a true Orangutan fast... to survive in a jungle full of predators.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (2008)
Johannes Felsenstein’s production of HANSEL AND GRETEL presents it with every sinister element removed. The children remain in a home setting with their own bed central to the scene and the barest hint of a forest behind, while their father plays the witch as an amiable, totally benevolent figure, not sinister at all, even joining them in the final joyful ensemble. When they sing that the witch is dead, you find that the production contradicts that completely. Taking that unsinister stance means that the opera loses much of its bite. No doubt Felsenstein felt that it would make the piece more accessible for very young children, though many of them relish the sinister element. That said, it is a strong and capable performance, very well conducted and with a cast of good if not outstanding singers. One wonders what Felsenstein meant to convey, just as it is not clear why the central characters should regularly be carrying dolls. A highly individual version of a much-loved opera.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Legend of Hillbilly John?
The closest matches to The Legend of Hillbilly John are Tom Thumb (1958), The Witches (1990) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Legend of Hillbilly John?
Start with Tom Thumb (1958), the closest match to The Legend of Hillbilly John.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Legend of Hillbilly John?
Coraline (2009), rated 7.9/10 by 9,761 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Legend of Hillbilly John?
Weapons (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Legend of Hillbilly John?
Yes: Tom Thumb (1958), The Witches (1990) and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
How are movies similar to The Legend of Hillbilly John chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Legend of Hillbilly John, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.