Movies like One Small Hero (1999)
The best movies like One Small Hero (1999) are Thunderstruck (2012), Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011) and Mixtape (2021). If One Small Hero hooked you with its comedy and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedInvader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019)7.4/10 from 265 votes
- NewestAtropia (2025)Released 2025
Thunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents Papi and Chloe upside down when their rambunctious, mischievous puppies present one challenge after another. But when their human owners end up in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them - because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. So Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisMixtape (2021)
On the eve of Y2K, orphaned 12-year-old Beverly discovers a broken mixtape crafted by her teen parents. Raised by her grandmother – who struggles talking about her late daughter – Beverly sees the mixtape as a chance to finally learn more about her parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDennis the Menace (1993)
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCadet Kelly (2002)
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRookie of the Year (1993)
When the cast comes off his once broken arm, a 12-year-old boy can throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, and the Chicago Cubs want him as their new pitcher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (2024)
After getting kicked out of the forest, Woody thinks he's found a forever home at Camp Woo Hoo — until an inspector threatens to shut down the camp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Eat Fried Worms (2006)
During the first day of his new school year, a fifth grade boy squares off against a bully and winds up accepting a dare that could change the balance of power within the class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: All Growed Down (2003)
T.J. and The Recess Gang are kidnapped by the Third Street School's kindergartners, who are in turn being bullied by a new kid in their class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwitched (2020)
Tired of being bullied, Cassandra Evans prays that her nemesis, Katie Sharp, the queen bee of social media, would know what it’s like to walk a day in her shoes. Her prayer is answered in an unexpected way when they get switched.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Air Up There (1994)
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Big League (1994)
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organization that struggles to take orders from a 12-year-old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Loud House Christmas (2021)
Lincoln Loud gears up for the ultimate Christmas, until he finds out that most of his sisters have plans to be elsewhere for the big day. Determined to remind his family that they all need to be together, Lincoln and his best friend Clyde McBride embark on a mission to preserve the family’s holiday traditions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNativity! (2009)
Paul, charged with directing his school's Nativity play, falsely boasts that his ex-girlfriend plans to turn the production into a film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Main Event (2020)
An 11-year-old aspiring wrestler enters a competition to become the next WWE superstar by using special powers from a magical mask.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaying with Fire (2019)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPups Alone (2021)
After receiving an exciting new job opportunity at a cutting edge Pet Invention company, Robert, his teenage daughter Jenna and their trusty and special border collie Charlie make the move to the new neighborhood, right before Christmas. Upon arriving, Robert meets his gorgeous next door neighbor Holly, and her sassy and spunky border collie Gidget. Before the sparks can fly, they are set upon my Robert’s conniving and obnoxious next door neighbor and project manager Victor, his neighborhood bully bulldog “Vinnie P” and the sycophantic sidekick Chihuahua “Jose”.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWoody Woodpecker (2017)
Woody Woodpecker enters a turf war with a big city lawyer wanting to tear down his home in an effort to build a house to flip.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019)
ZIM discovers his almighty leaders never had any intention of coming to Earth and he loses confidence in himself for the first time in his life, which is the big break his human nemesis, Dib has been waiting for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Very Brady Sequel (1996)
A man claiming to be Carol Brady's long-lost first husband, Roy Martin, shows up at the suburban Brady residence one evening. An impostor, the man is actually determined to steal the Bradys' familiar horse statue, a $20-million ancient Asian artifact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Gift with a Character (2014)
Being a panda is fun! But not Misha, who is forced to work in a panda costume at children's parties. He is thirty years old, lives in a tiny one-room apartment on the outskirts of Moscow, and has no serious job. Everything was like that until he was invited to the birthday party of the son of an oligarch. Artyom is nine years old, and he has a secret plan that only Misha can help implement. The boy and the panda go on a journey across the country, constantly getting into incredible situations.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005)
Three generations of women in a Mexican American family experience sexual awakenings over the course of a summer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Cut in Half (2017)
Two Muslim sisters and their family must cope with the eldest daughter's leukemia diagnosis and her decisions about life and death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Atropia (2025)
When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Last Supper (1995)
A group of idealistic but frustrated liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering right-wing pundits for their political beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSenseless (1998)
A student gets his senses enhanced by an experimental drug. But abuse is not an option.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNew York, I Love You (2008)
New York, I Love You delves into the intimate lives of New Yorkers as they grapple with, delight in and search for love. Journey from the Diamond District in the heart of Manhattan, through Chinatown and the Upper East Side, towards the Village, into Tribeca, and Brooklyn as lovers of all ages try to find romance in the Big Apple.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmandino e il Madre (2010)
An italian short comedy
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like One Small Hero and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like One Small Hero?
The closest matches to One Small Hero are Thunderstruck (2012), Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011) and Mixtape (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after One Small Hero?
Start with Thunderstruck (2012), the closest match to One Small Hero.
What is the highest-rated movie like One Small Hero?
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019), rated 7.4/10 by 265 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like One Small Hero?
Atropia (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like One Small Hero?
Yes: Thunderstruck (2012), Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011) and Mixtape (2021).
How are movies similar to One Small Hero chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside One Small Hero, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.