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Movies like The Design (1981)

The best movies like The Design (1981) are The Big Bad Wolf (1934), The House (2022) and Ferdinand the Bull (1938). If The Design hooked you with its animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Big Bad Wolf (1934)

    The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. The House (2022)

    Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Ferdinand the Bull (1938)

    This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

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  4. The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)

    As Tom and Jerry stage their typical fight sequences, the patriotic soldier theme of the title is evidenced by such things as a carton of eggs labeled "Hen Grenades"; Jerry dropping light bulbs from an airplane like bombs; and Jerry sending a telegram with the message "Sighted Cat - Sank Same." Musical phrasings from various patriotic war songs are heard throughout. The cut scene after Jerry hitting Tom with the board 4 times was cut from the 1950 reissue print for a war bond joke, and the original footage is currently considered "lost" due to the negatives destroyed in the 1978 George Eastman House fire.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Solid Serenade (1946)

    Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. Welcome to the Club (2022)

    Heart set on becoming a princess, Lisa Simpson is surprised to learn being bad might be more fun.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. The Bodyguard (1944)

    Spike the bulldog, grateful to Jerry for getting him out of the dogcatcher's van, offers to help the little mouse any time he whistles. Tom, Jerry's feline tormentor, seeks to overcome this new disadvantage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Sea Scouts (1939)

    Donald is an admiral on a seagoing voyage with his nephews in which they encounter a ravenous shark.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Thru the Mirror (1936)

    Mickey has been reading Alice in Wonderland, and falls asleep. He finds himself on the other side of the mirror, where the furniture is alive.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Yellow Is the New Black (2018)

    An adventure about two Minions who make a daring (though temporary) escape from jail. As they navigate the chaos of their breakout, their antics showcase the Minions' signature blend of resourcefulness and mischief, resulting in a short filled with hilariously unpredictable moments.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. His Mouse Friday (1951)

    Tom is shipwrecked on an island, which is inhabited by at least one mouse - Jerry. To thwart the hungry cat, Jerry disguises himself as a cannibal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. A Knight for a Day (1946)

    By accident, Cedric (Goofy), replaces his master, Sir Loinsteak, in the armor just before the joust with champion Sir Cumference.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. For the Birds (2000)

    One by one, a flock of small birds perches on a telephone wire. Sitting close together has problems enough, and then comes along a large dopey bird that tries to join them. The birds of a feather can't help but make fun of him—and their clique mentality proves embarrassing in the end.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Day & Night (2010)

    When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world-the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Panic in the Mailroom (2013)

    Two Minions are busy at work in the mailroom. One of them, bored, decides to throw a box of expired PX-41 samples into its designated chute.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Baseball Bugs (1946)

    Bugs Bunny single handedly takes on the “Gas-House Gorillas,” a baseball team of hulking, cigar-chomping bullies.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. How to Play Football (1944)

    Taking all the places on both teams, Goofy demonstrates the game of football with varying results, having problems with the coach and the goal post.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Mickey and the Seal (1948)

    Mickey accidentally takes a seal home, after it sneaks into his picnic basket. When Mickey takes a bath, the seal is discovered and Mickey returns him to the park. Later, however, Mickey and Pluto discover that the bathroom is filled with seals!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Donald's Lucky Day (1939)

    Donald Duck, delivery boy, is hired to deliver a mysterious package on Friday the Thirteenth. He is hindered by a bothersome black cat -- and by the fact that the package contains a live bomb.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Cars Toon Mater's Tall Tales (2008)

    Mater the tow truck travels from country to country as he retells his infamous but unbelievable stories.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. The Amphibian (1991)

    In a dark subterranean landscape, the Amphibian has lost its way.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  22. Surface Tension (1986)

    Intercutting live action footage with animation, a depiction of the possible memories, repressions and fears of the leading character. The animated sections are monologues by a male figure drawn to highlight the tension between rigid and fluid body structures, skeleton and flesh.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  23. Anywhere You Are (2021)

    A young woman Perdita is searching for a place she could call home when a small red ball crosses her path.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  24. Batik Girl (2019)

    Struggling to cope after a recent tragedy, a young girl finds herself drawn into a magical world within a batik painting.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  25. Tailor (2017)

    Tailor is a transgender cartoonist that shares in his web page other trans people’s experiences and their challenges in society. Film about transgender, made by transgender crew.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  26. Devin (2019)

    A typical day gets turned on its head for your average ghost when 4 unexpected visitors decide to barge in to his decaying home. See how Devin deals with his company in a freakishly funny way!

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  27. Australian History (1971)

    Short directed by Bruce Petty.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  28. Canada Vignettes: Newfoundland (1978)

    An examination of the Viking explorers who were the first Europeans to discover Canada.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  29. Canada Vignettes: The Maple Leaf (1978)

    The maple leaf on the Canadian flag turns into two profiles that illustrate the many relationships between people.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

  30. Leviathan (2006)

    Jerky but smiling characters from this short film will take the audience through this animated pageant inspired by a book by Thomas Hobbes called 'The Leviathan', written in 1651.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation

Like The Design and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Design?

The closest matches to The Design are The Big Bad Wolf (1934), The House (2022) and Ferdinand the Bull (1938). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Design?

Start with The Big Bad Wolf (1934), the closest match to The Design.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Design?

Day & Night (2010), rated 7.7/10 by 984 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Design?

Welcome to the Club (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to The Design chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Design, 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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