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Movies like Rasmus and the Vagabond (1981)

The best movies like Rasmus and the Vagabond (1981) are Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995), A Dog's Purpose (2017) and The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997). If Rasmus and the Vagabond hooked you with its adventure and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Far 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

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  2. A Dog's Purpose (2017)

    A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

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  3. The 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

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  4. 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

  5. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)

    America is in the depths of the Great Depression. Families drift apart when faraway jobs beckon. A courageous young girl confronts overwhelming odds when she embarks on a cross-country search for her father. During her odyssey, she forms a close bond with two diverse traveling companions: a magnificent, protective wolf, and a hardened drifter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

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  6. I 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

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  7. Anastasia: 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 family & adventure

  8. Marvel Rising: Playing with Fire (2019)

    Inferno’s powers are stolen by a young and powerful villain and it’s up to the Secret Warriors to defeat their new foe and help their friend. But does Inferno even WANT his powers back? Meanwhile, America Chavez learns a lesson about friendship and family from teammate Ms. Marvel.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

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  9. House of Anubis: The Touchstone of Ra (2013)

    The students of Anubis House are on the eve of their graduation when they encounter a new group of underclassmen and a mysterious stone that leads them on a quest to save the world from evil.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

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  10. Wish 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 & family

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  11. Iron Will (1994)

    When Will Stoneman's father dies, he is left alone to take care of his mother and their land. Needing money to maintain it, he decides to join a cross country dogsled race. This race will require days of racing for long hours, through harsh weather and terrain. This young man will need a lot of courage and a strong will to complete this race.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

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  12. PAW 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

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  13. PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)

    When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)

    Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

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  15. SlugTerra: Return of the Elementals (2014)

    A new member has joined Eli and the Shane Gang! Junjie, once the protector of the Eastern Caverns, is a master of the slugslinging art of Slug Fu! But even with the power of five slingers, the Shane Gang find themselves in over their heads as they race across The 99 Caverns in search of the Legendary Elemental Slugs. The five Elementals are ancient slugs of great power, and the forbearers of all slugs found in SlugTerra today. In the wrong hands, they could bring Slugterra to the brink of destruction. So when an evil alliance starts hunting down the Elementals, Eli and his friends — old and new — take off in pursuit of the greatest threat their world has ever faced!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Skater Girl (2021)

    Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)

    Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family

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  18. Welcome to Smelliville (2021)

    The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family

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  19. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2017)

    Can twelve 12-year-olds escape from the most ridiculously brilliant library ever created? Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library plunks a dozen sixth-graders into the middle of a futuristic library for a night of nonstop fun and adventure.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure

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  20. Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015)

    When Curious George is offered a special space mission, Ted (The Man in the Yellow Hat) can't deny his little friend this exciting journey, especially after Curious George completes the training. But when he crash-lands in Africa, a worried Ted goes searching, expecting the worst, only to have it turn out to be the best.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure

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  21. How to Steal a Dog (2014)

    Ji-so is a young girl who doesn't have a house because of her bankrupted dad. In order to get money to buy a house she plans to steal a wealthy person's dogs to earn reward money when she returns them.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama

  22. Curly Sue (1991)

    Bill is a penniless drifter who scams strangers out of just enough money to feed himself and his partner in crime, an orphan girl known as Curly Sue. Bill and Curly Sue target Grey, a yuppie lawyer, but their con takes an unexpected turn when the successful woman begins to like the ramshackle duo. But there's one problem—Grey's jealous, conniving boyfriend, Walker.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family

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  23. Rasmus and the Tramp (1979)

    The film takes place in Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century. Rasmus is a boy who lives in a shelter. Unwilling to stay in the orphanage, he escapes and joins a tramp nicknamed Oscar Tumbleweed.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family

  24. Night Shapes (1999)

    The Pope is in town and the night of his stay is anything but heavenly for some of Berlin′s inhabitants. Rich and poor, down-and-outs and policemen, street kids and taxi drivers - in their search for a little bit of happiness, they all end up on an amusing and at times harrowing odyssey through the labyrinth of the big city.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. Love Your Female Neighbor! (1998)

    Two young and attractive social workers/nuns bring fresh air into a city missionary station, but are also challenged by lust and money, offered by a millionaire.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Shelter (2014)

    Hannah and Tahir fall in love while homeless on the streets of New York. Shelter explores how they got there, and as we learn about their pasts we realize they need each other to build a future.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. God's Army 2: States of Grace (2005)

    A drive-by shooting in Venice, California, changes the lives of five people forever. States of Grace tells the story of a homeless street preacher, Louis, a gang banger, Carl, an aspiring actress, Holly, and two young missionaries, Lozano and Farrell, in what critics have hailed as one of the finest films of the year and one of the best Christian-themed films ever made.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. The Good Heart (2009)

    Jacques is the curmudgeonly owner of a gritty New York dive bar that serves as home to a motley assortment of professional drinkers. Jacques is determinedly drinking and smoking himself to death when he meets Lucas, a homeless young man who has already given up on life. Determined to keep his legacy alive, Jacques deems Lucas is a fitting heir and takes him under his wing.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  29. It's Winter (2006)

    Unemotional, restrained cinematographic poem, situated in a wintry and poor suburb of Tehran. A man is dismissed and his lack of prospects for the future make him decide to seek his happiness abroad. He leaves his wife and child behind and for a long time nothing is heard of him. Then a stranger turns up, a car mechanic looking for a job. The attractive single mother can’t resist his attentions. Very subtly, a struggle ensues that reflects that of a whole generation of young doubting Iranians who may want to leave the country, but hardly know how to start.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story (1986)

    Outraged by the treatment of New York City’s unhoused residents, an activist brings national attention to the issue by taking their case to Congress.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like Rasmus and the Vagabond and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Rasmus and the Vagabond?

The closest matches to Rasmus and the Vagabond are Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995), A Dog's Purpose (2017) 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 Rasmus and the Vagabond?

Start with Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995), the closest match to Rasmus and the Vagabond.

What is the highest-rated movie like Rasmus and the Vagabond?

A Dog's Purpose (2017), rated 7.6/10 by 3,634 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Rasmus and the Vagabond?

Skater Girl (2021) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to Rasmus and the Vagabond chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Rasmus and the Vagabond, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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