Movies like The Secret of Kells (2009)
The best movies like The Secret of Kells (2009) are Song of the Sea (2014), The Princess and the Goblin (1991) and A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025). If The Secret of Kells hooked you with its animation and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWolfwalkers (2020)8.2/10 from 1,490 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
Song of the Sea (2014)
The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Princess and the Goblin (1991)
The story is about the Princess Irene and a young warrior boy named Curty. Irene must use her magic power to fight off goblins and save the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Tooth Fairy Tale (2025)
Van, the brave son of a tooth fairy leader, meets the goblins girl Gemma on his first mission. Despite the myths about ancient disputes between fairies and goblins, they share common values. When the greedy Spider Queen threatens both tribes, they must work together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Five years after uniting the dragons and Vikings of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless soar beyond their homeland, charting the vast unknown. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons—and a mysterious dragon rider with a startling connection to Hiccup. And as the ruthless conqueror Drago Bludvist rises to seize control of both dragons and people alike, Hiccup must step into his role as a true leader and, alongside his friends and Toothless, protect Berk from a devastating war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
The sailor of legend is framed by the goddess Eris for the theft of the Book of Peace, and must travel to her realm at the end of the world to retrieve it and save the life of his childhood friend Prince Proteus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantis: Milo's Return (2003)
Milo and Kida reunite with their friends to investigate strange occurances around the world that seem to have links to the secrets of Atlantis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWolfwalkers (2020)
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Sea Beast (2022)
When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster High: Frights, Camera, Action! (2014)
When Draculaura is led to believe she's the rightful heir to the vampire throne, she and her best ghoulfriends are whisked away to Transylvania for a royal coronation to die for. But they soon discover the hunt for the queen is not over yet. The Ghouls must locate an ancient artifact known as the Vampire's Heart in order to discover the identity of the true Vampire Queen. It's a fangtastic adventure that will lead them from the Tower of Londoom, to a haunted river boat in New Goreleans and finally to the glamorous boo-vie lots of Hauntlywood. Could this be the moment when Draculara finally receives her vampire powers and discovers screams really can come true?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Princess Farah refuses to marry Sinbad until Prince Kassim, her brother, is able to give his consent. However, the Prince's wicked stepmother, Queen Zenobia, has changed Kassim into a baboon in order to have her own son crowned as caliph. Sinbad, his crew, the Princess and the transformed Prince travel to a distant land, fighting every obstacle Zenobia places in their path, to seek the advice of a legendary wise man who can possibly tell how to end the spell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Island at the Top of the World (1974)
A Victorian gentleman hopes to find his long-lost son, who vanished while searching for a mysterious Viking community in a volcanic valley somewhere in uncharted Arctic regions. The gentleman puts together an expedition team to go on the search, but when they reach their destination they must escape from some Viking descendants who will kill to keep their existence a secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Dragon (2014)
After receiving a magic crystal from a dying elf and a message to save the North and the fading spirit of Christmas, Ayden, an orphaned girl, sets out along with her friends to fulfil his last wish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Crystal (1982)
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use the crystal for evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFairyTale: A True Story (1997)
In 1917, two children take a photograph, which is soon believed by some to be the first scientific evidence of the existence of fairies. Based on the true story of the Cottingley Fairies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Water Horse (2007)
A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Bird (1940)
Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're accompanied by the anthropomorphized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, and Bread, among other entities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies 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 family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Care Bears Movie (1985)
The Care Bears team up with a troubled brother and sister who just moved to a new town to help a neglected young magician's apprentice whose evil spell book causes sinister things to happen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSon of the Mask (2005)
Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist, finds himself in a predicament when his dog stumbles upon the mask of Loki. Then after conceiving an infant son "born of the mask", he discovers just how looney child raising can be.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisAtlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (2004)
After the conclusion of the Battle City Tournament, deep below the sands of Egypt, an ancient evil has awakened. Anubis, who was defeated centuries ago by Yugi’s mysterious alter ego – the ancient Pharaoh – has returned for revenge. Wielding the power of the Eighth Millennium Item, Anubis is determined to destroy Yugi and take over the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMake Me Psychic (1978)
Anita the duck buys a psychic device at a novelty store in an alternate universe and creates mayhem at a crazy party.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
The Secret Garden (1993)
A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWonder Woman 1984 (2020)
A botched store robbery places Wonder Woman in a global battle against a powerful and mysterious ancient force that puts her powers in jeopardy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaspberry Magic (2010)
An eleven-year-old science enthusiast turns her raspberry-growing project into an emotional mission to reunite her family after her father leaves and her mother falls into depression.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut (2008)
Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
She Collage (2015)
She Collage is part response to the work of Southern California–based collage artist Terry Braunstein, part reflection on the practice of art-making. Like Braunstein's art, the film is itself a collage—in this case, frame-by-frame hand-manipulated images of Braunstein, paper cutout stopmotion animation, archival footage, and an assemblage of sounds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Secret of Kells?
The closest matches to The Secret of Kells are Song of the Sea (2014), The Princess and the Goblin (1991) and A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Secret of Kells?
Start with Song of the Sea (2014), the closest match to The Secret of Kells.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Secret of Kells?
Wolfwalkers (2020), rated 8.2/10 by 1,490 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Secret of Kells?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Secret of Kells?
Yes: Song of the Sea (2014), The Princess and the Goblin (1991) and A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025).
How are movies similar to The Secret of Kells chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secret of Kells, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.