Movies like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story (2005)
The best movies like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story (2005) are The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997). If Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSwapped (2026)8.8/10 from 2,299 votes
- NewestSwapped (2026)Released 2026
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)
The story of a modern family bored with the hassles of the city life in Los Angeles. They head for the wilderness never to return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisFar from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997)
Jack London's classic story from 1903 about Buck, a dog kidnapped from his home in California and taken to the Yukon where he is mistreated until a prospector discovers him and relates to his situation. Although the two are bonded, Buck yearns to run free with the wild dogs in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPride (2004)
The story of Suki, a lioness cub, who rebels against her mother and her Pride to mate with an unsuitable lion from the other side of the river.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlabama Moon (2009)
After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, an eleven year old boy raised in the Alabama wilderness must learn how to make a home in the modern world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1994)
Raised by wild animals since childhood, Mowgli is drawn away from the jungle by the beautiful Kitty. But Mowgli must eventually face corrupt Capt. Boone, who wants both Kitty's hand and the treasures of Monkey City – a place only Mowgli can find.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost on a Mountain in Maine (2024)
When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't count on a fast-moving fog that obscures the path. He doesn't count on falling down an embankment that hides him from sight. And he doesn't count on taking a turn that leaves him alone to wander aimlessly for nearly two weeks in the empty mountain wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995)
Two teen girls, one from the city, one from the country, try to find the hidden gold of Bear Mountain learning about friendship, loyalty and courage on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwapped (2026)
A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOnce Upon a Forest (1993)
A young mouse, mole and hedgehog risk their lives to find a cure for their badger friend, who's been poisoned by men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Am David (2003)
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCare Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986)
True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse touch down on Earth to boost the spirits of some unhappy kids at summer camp. But the evil Dark Heart has other plans, and convinces one of the campers to help him capture the Care Bears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrother Bear 2 (2006)
Kenai finds his childhood human friend Nita and the two embark on a journey to burn the amulet he gave to her before he was a bear, much to Koda's dismay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnight Sun (2014)
In northern Canada, a young boy sets a goal for himself to to reunite an abandoned polar bear cub with its mother. Goran Visnjic joins the cast as Muktuk, a half Inuit and half Canadian, who knows the terrain where the polar bears live and who agrees to help the boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Revenant (2015)
In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies 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 family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnow Queen (2002)
Since a bitter winter storm stole the life of Gerda's mother, she and her father have sadly continued to run the remote hotel they call home. Lonely and isolated, Gerda's only joy is Kai, the handsome bellboy. A mysterious guest with an icy stare arrives at the hotel one night, wrapped in fur and diamonds. By daybreak, the "Snow Queen" has vanished with Kai! Gerda embarks on a journey of morphing seasons, fantastical creatures, and long-frozen mysteries in a desperate quest to find her stolen love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrother Bear (2003)
When an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths and rambunctious rams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue! (2019)
It’s the Adventure Bay 500! The pups have built an awesome race track and are ready to be the pit crew for their race hero, The Whoosh! But when the legendary racer is unable to drive in the championship race, he calls on his biggest fan-pup Marshall to take the wheel and race in his place! Marshall has to overcome his lack of confidence and his dastardly competition, The Cheetah, to fulfill his dream of becoming the fastest race-pup ever!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Edge (1997)
The plane carrying wealthy Charles Morse crashes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Together with the two other passengers, photographer Robert and assistant Stephen, Charles devises a plan to help them reach civilization. However, his biggest obstacle might not be the elements, or even the Kodiak bear stalking them -- it could be Robert, whom Charles suspects is having an affair with his wife and would not mind seeing him dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuddy (1997)
In the 1930s, eccentric animal lover Trudy adopts a sickly baby gorilla named Buddy and raises him alongside chimpanzees as if they were her human children. As Buddy grows into an 800-pound adult, his immense strength and unpredictable behavior lead to trouble, culminating in a chaotic incident at an exhibition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisBorn Free (1966)
At a national park in Kenya, English game warden George Adamson and his wife, Joy, care for three orphaned lion cubs. After the two larger lions are shipped off to a zoo in the Netherlands, the smallest of the three, Elsa, stays with the couple. When Elsa is blamed for causing an elephant stampede in the nearby village, head warden John Kendall demands the young lion either be trained to survive in the wilds of the Serengeti or be sent to a zoo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYellow Fangs (1990)
Based on actual events that occurred in Hokkaido, Japan, 1915. Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki yuusha-tachi tells the story of a group of bear hunters that are tracking a 900 pound brown bear nicknamed Red Spots that is terrorising the area. It attacks and kills men, but it feasts only on women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & adventure
Robin Hood (1973)
With King Richard off to the Crusades, Prince John and his slithering minion, Sir Hiss, set about taxing Nottingham's citizens with support from the corrupt sheriff - and staunch opposition by the wily Robin Hood and his band of merry men.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInto the Wild (2007)
After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTroop Beverly Hills (1989)
A Beverly Hills housewife in the middle of a divorce tries to find focus in her life by taking over her daughter's Wilderness Girls troop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisBenji the Hunted (1987)
Benji has become stranded on a remote island after a boating accident. He finds himself struggling to survive in the wilderness, avoiding close encounters with a wolf, a bear, and a territorial female cougar with her cub.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMs. Bear (1997)
Four paws for this wonderful family film. Cute 7-year-old rescues a helpless and bumbling bear cub as the two set off on an adventure to reunite the cub with its mommy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
The Snow Walker (2003)
A bush pilot in nothern Canada who with the aid of modernity thinks he can handle it all & knows it all. After reluctantly agreeing to transport a local indian girl to a medical facility his light plane crashes & they have to survive whilst finding their way back to civilization. Along the journey the man finds a new respect for the native ways as they battle to survive the elements.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Stranger in My Forest (1976)
Orphaned by a tragic car crash, young Robbie and his older sister Susie come to live with their grandmother. A full-grown bear named Luke (after St. Luke), who steals hearts (and food) all over town, soon befriends the lonely boy. As a bitter old man plots Luke’s death, a mysterious stranger appears thrusting all into a hair-raising adventure
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story?
The closest matches to Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story are The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story?
Start with The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), the closest match to Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story.
What is the highest-rated movie like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story?
Swapped (2026), rated 8.8/10 by 2,299 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story?
Swapped (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story?
Yes: The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997).
How are movies similar to Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.