Movies like Once Upon a Time (1957)
The best movies like Once Upon a Time (1957) are Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), Jimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004) and Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide (2006). If Once Upon a Time hooked you with its animation, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRegular Show: The Movie (2015)7.9/10 from 454 votes
- NewestThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)Released 2025
Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004)
Mayhem reigns supreme in the animated kingdom as whiz kid Jimmy Neutron and Timmy from "The Fairly Oddparents" swap places in each other's worlds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide (2006)
Cartoon worlds collide in this hourlong adventure starring whiz kid Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner from "The Fairly OddParents." When the boys duel over Cindy Vortex, it draws the attention of Jimmy's archenemy, Prof. Calamitous, who teams with Wanda and Cosmo, forcing Jimmy and Timmy to work together to save the world from the all-powerful villain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRegular Show: The Movie (2015)
After a high school lab experiment goes horribly wrong, Mordecai and Rigby must go back in time to battle an evil volleyball coach in order to save the universe — and their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHeavy Traffic (1973)
A white dropout struggles to become a cartoonist and filmmaker, drawing inspiration from the harsh, gritty world around him. Still sharing his rundown apartment with his middle-aged parents, an oafish slob of an Italian father and a ditzy nutcase of a Jewish mother, he's ridiculed and looked down upon by his friends, hypocrites who run with violent gangs and the Italian Mafia, and a shallow Black girl who makes her living downtown with the pimps and pushers. The cartoonist gets a chance to pitch a film idea to a movie mogul, but the story proves too outrageous: a far-future Earth, depleted by war and pollution, where a mutant antihero challenges and kills God.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisChickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022)
A brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)
Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
The maniacal baby of the Griffin family, Stewie, meets his future self. In doing this he discovers that his future image is not what he has anticipated because of a near death experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArctic Dogs (2019)
Animals band together to save the day when the evil Otto Von Walrus hatches a sinister scheme to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeathstroke: Knights & Dragons - The Movie (2020)
The assassin Deathstroke tries to save his family from the wrath of H.I.V.E. and the murderous Jackal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJustice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part Two (2023)
On the heels of successfully escaping a deadly digital trap, the members of the Justice League emerge in their own world to discover that Grimm, ravenous creatures from Remnant, have overtaken Earth! In order to defeat the monsters, they must call on their new friends – Team RWBY – for help!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)
When human sailors are attacked by mysterious creatures of the deep, only one person can stop the war between land and sea: the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInception: The Cobol Job (2010)
Cobb, Arthur and Nash are enlisted by Cobol Engineering.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRocko's Modern Life: Static Cling (2019)
After 20 years in space, Rocko returns to a technologically advanced O-Town and makes it his mission to get his favorite show back on the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDay & 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 thisDaredevil vs. Spider-Man (2003)
Spider-Man is transported to an alien world by the Beyonder. He must lead a force of Earth's greatest heroes against their greatest foes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLou (2017)
A lost-and-found box holds a mysterious and unseen monster within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTransylvania 6-5000 (1963)
Bugs is given a room for the night at the castle of Count Bloodcount in Transylvania.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Time are Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), Jimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004) and Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide (2006). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Time?
Start with Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020), the closest match to Once Upon a Time.
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Time?
Regular Show: The Movie (2015), rated 7.9/10 by 454 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Time?
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Time chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Time, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.