Movies like Once Upon a Time (2008)
The best movies like Once Upon a Time (2008) are Swashbuckler (1976), Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) and Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020). If Once Upon a Time hooked you with its adventure and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Chaser (2008)7.8/10 from 1,680 votes
- NewestHi-Five (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanHi-Five (2025)Also in Korean
Swashbuckler (1976)
A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep school, Johnny springs back into action to find the mysterious hacker. For this mission to succeed, he’ll need all of his skills - what few he has - as the man with yesterday’s analogue methods faces off against tomorrow’s digital technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020)
A rebellious teenage princess discovers she has superhuman abilities and joins a secret society of extraordinary second-born royals tasked with protecting the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding ʻOhana (2021)
Two Brooklyn siblings' summer in a rural Oahu town takes an exciting turn when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an adventure, leading them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHi-Five (2025)
After receiving organs from a mysterious donor, five ordinary people gain incredible powers and team up as "HI-FIVE" to stop a power-hungry cult leader from absorbing their abilities for godlike domination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWoochi: The Demon Slayer (2009)
Spanning four centuries in Korea, this epic action-adventure concerns a powerful pipe and a trio of wizards who will do anything to protect it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
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 adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisShorts (2009)
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisPets United (2019)
When Roger (a Robin Hood-esque, stray dog) and Belle (an elegant yet spoilt pet cat) are thrown together amidst the chaos of a robot take-over of their home city, they must push all their preconceptions aside in order to survive, as they embark on a high-stakes, action-packed adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964)
Following a misunderstanding about Yogi Bear’s whereabouts, Cindy Bear ends up in captivity at a Missouri circus. It’s now up to Yogi and his friend, Boo-Boo, to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dude in Me (2019)
Dong-hyun is a high school student. One day, he falls from the rooftop and bumps into Pan-soo who is a passerby. Pan-soo is a member of a criminal organization. When the two men wake up in the hospital, they discover that they have switched bodies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Worth the HypeMovies 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 adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010)
Scooby-Doo and the gang are on the case when a mysterious lake monster starts scaring the guests at a summer resort in Erie Point, where Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy have taken on seasonal jobs to pay for a barn they accidentally burned down. But in addition to sneaking suspicions, there's some romance in the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoing by the Book (2007)
The chief of Sampo City Police Office, Seung-u, organizes a simulation of a bank robbery, but a by-the-book cop gets too caught up in the role playing in which the simulation doesn't go the way he had anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwo by Two: Overboard! (2020)
Two misfit castaways struggle to reunite an unorthodox family, out-run a volcano, and negotiate a peace deal on a creaking Ark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996)
When Littlefoot's grandfather falls ill, the only way to cure him is with a flower from the forbidding land of the mists, which holds unexpected perils and danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 1 (2022)
This collection of 10 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Puppy (2013); Minion Scouts (2019); Training Wheels (2013); The Secret Life of Kyle (2017); Santa's Little Helpers (2019). From the "Grinch" franchise: The Dog Days of Winter (2019). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Norman Television (2016); Weenie (2016). From the "Sing" franchise: Love at First Sight (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Forces of Nature (2012).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)
When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on a roll to super-save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeoul Raiders (2005)
Agent Lam (Tony Leung) sets out to track a pair of plates used to make fake American dollars. When he discovers the plates, they are conned out of him by enigmatic US Embassy workers Owen (Richie Ren) and JJ (Shu Qi). With the trail now leading to Korea, Lam sets off in hot pursuit. There, amidst the dangerous and glamorous urban landscape of Seoul, Lam finds himself confronting an underworld crime boss known as the Polar Bear, head of the biggest counterfeiting organisation in Asia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDachimawa Lee (2008)
Under Japanese imperialism, Korean national treasure Golden Buddha is stolen. More important to national security, the statue contains vital information concerning Korean freedom fighters and their whereabouts as well as their true identities. The interim Korean government appoints legendary Korean spy Agent Dachimawa Lee to recover the fabled statue and reveal the dark plot behind the theft.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Fighter in the Wind (2004)
An account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui who went to Japan after World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIllang: The Wolf Brigade (2018)
In 2029, an elite police squad combats an anti-reunification terrorist group while another enemy lurks nearby.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Chaser (2008)
Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp, who's in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by the same client, whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnder the Sky in Seoul (1961)
An oriental doctor Kim Hak-gyu is a cantankerous man who is the longest-term householder in a small village in Seoul. He often causes domestic trouble by being nasty to his wife and his children. Kim Hyeon-ok, a daughter of a young widow who runs Nahana Beauty Shop, is in love with Choi Du-yeol, an obstetrician across the street. Kim Hak-gyu has great distaste for western medicine, and at the same time, is jealous of the obstetrician. He always gets in the way of Choi Du-yeol. Kim's son, Hyeon-gu, dates Jeom-ryae, a daughter of a bar owner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Bell Tower (1958)
An elderly bell maker reminisces about his life filled with tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Bridge of Death (1974)
Park Cheol-ho, a Korean who stole Japanese military funds, is captured by Pang, a Chinese who captures independence fighters. Pang hands Park over to Japanese officer Akasaka, who tortures him to find out the location of the stolen military funds. When Park refuses to open up, Akasaka devises a plan to capture his younger sister, Yeong-ran.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this2009: Lost Memories (2002)
A failed assassination attempt in Harbin, China in 1909 changes the course of history. Now two JBI agents must find the connections between it and an ancient Korean artifact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 Swashbuckler (1976), Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) and Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Time?
Start with Swashbuckler (1976), the closest match to Once Upon a Time.
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Time?
The Chaser (2008), rated 7.8/10 by 1,680 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Time?
Hi-Five (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Once Upon a Time?
Yes: Hi-Five (2025), Woochi: The Demon Slayer (2009) and The Dude in Me (2019).
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.