Movies like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)
The best movies like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) are The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004). If The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water hooked you with its adventure and animation, 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 20,405 votes
- NewestThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)Released 2025
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoana 2 (2024)
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Croods: A New Age (2020)
Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans -- a family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)
When his best friend Gary is suddenly snatched away, SpongeBob takes Patrick on a madcap mission far beyond Bikini Bottom to save their pink-shelled pal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrolls (2016)
After the monstrous Bergens invade Troll Village, Princess Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and overly-cautious, curmudgeonly outcast Branch set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)
When Van Helsing's mysterious invention, the "Monsterfication Ray," goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac and Johnny must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
The enthusiastic Pirate Captain, along with his rag-tag crew, sets out to beat his bitter rivals. The chaotic adventure takes them from exotic shores to Victorian London, and from a haplessly smitten scientist to a diabolical queen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Twits (2025)
When the meanest, nastiest villains pull a trick to take over their town, two brave children team up with a family of magical animals to bring them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHome (2015)
When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh. The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIce Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDC League of Super-Pets (2022)
When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto the Super-Dog must convince a rag-tag shelter pack - Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel - to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Angry Birds Movie (2016)
An island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red, a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck, and the volatile Bomb have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDespicable Me 3 (2017)
Gru and his wife Lucy must stop former '80s child star Balthazar Bratt from achieving world domination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoana (2016)
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bad Guys (2022)
When the Bad Guys, a crew of criminal animals, are finally caught after years of heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal to save them all from prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDespicable Me 4 (2024)
Gru and Lucy and their girls—Margo, Edith and Agnes—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru also faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, forcing the family to go on the run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them, with the backup of his followers, the Minions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonsters vs Aliens (2009)
When Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches. The military jumps into action and captures Susan, secreting her away to a covert government compound. She is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy (2014)
Zarina, a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities, flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship. Tinker Bell and her friends must embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina, and together they go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James, who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsterix vs. Caesar (1985)
Obelix falls for a new arrival in his home village in Gaul, but is heartbroken when her true love arrives to visit her. However, the lovers are kidnapped by Romans; Asterix and Obelix set out to rescue them on a dangerous journey that will involve gladiators, slavers and beauracracy - and a personal encounter with the Emperor himself, Julius Caesar...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 2 (2022)
This collection of 11 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Mower Minions (2016); Yellow Is the New Black (2018); Competition (2015); Cro Minion (2015); Binky Nelson Unpacified (2015); Panic in the Mailroom (2013). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Super Gidget (2019). From the "Sing" franchise: Eddie's Life Coach (2017); Gunter Babysits (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Serenade (2012); Wagon Ho! (2012).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShanghai Noon (2000)
Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
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: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDick Tracy (1990)
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shadow (1994)
Based on the 1930s comic strip, The Shadow is put up against his archenemy Shiwan Khan, who plans to take over the world by holding a city to ransom using an atom bomb. Using his powers of invisibility and "the power to cloud men's minds", The Shadow comes blazing to the rescue with explosive results.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Action Pack Saves Christmas (2022)
The Action Pack teams up with Santa Claus to save the day when greedy Teddy Von Taker plots to steal all of the Christmas cheer from Hope Springs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Garfield (2004)
Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna lover, has everything a cat could want. But when Jon, in an effort to impress the Liz - the vet and an old high-school crush - adopts a dog named Odie and brings him home, Garfield gets the one thing he doesn't want. Competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisDrillbit Taylor (2008)
Dealing with a sociopathic school bully, three high school freshmen hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them, not realizing he is just a homeless beggar and petty thief looking for some easy cash.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water?
The closest matches to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water are The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water?
Start with The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025), the closest match to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
What is the highest-rated movie like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water?
The Lion King (1994), rated 8.3/10 by 20,405 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water?
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water?
Yes: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025), Moana 2 (2024) and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004).
How are movies similar to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.