Movies like Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)
The best movies like Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015) are The Monkey King (2023), My Father's Dragon (2022) and The Star (2017). If Monkey King: Hero Is Back hooked you with its fantasy and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)9.0/10 from 1,431 votes
- NewestAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseNew Gods: Yang Jian (2022)Also in Chinese
The Monkey King (2023)
A stick-wielding monkey teams with a young girl on an epic quest for immortality, battling demons, dragons, gods — and his own ego — along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Father's Dragon (2022)
Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Star (2017)
A small but brave donkey and his animal friends become the unsung heroes of the greatest story ever told: the first Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShrek (2001)
It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz (2011)
After a deadly storm, Tom and Jerry find themselves stranded on an unknown island ruled by the evil Wizard of Oz. As they try to find their way back home, they worry for their master Dorothy's safety.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNew Gods: Yang Jian (2022)
Fifteen hundred years after the war of gods, the heaven declined. Yang Jian, the God of Erlang, made a living by working as a catcher. One day, Yang Jian was ordered to hunt down a young man, his own nephew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
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 & comedy
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 animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
With his nephews and niece, everyone's favorite rich uncle, Scrooge McDuck, treks from his mansion home in Duckburg in search of the long-lost loot of the thief Collie Baba. But finding the goods isn't quite what it's "quacked" up to be! Their thrilling adventure leads to comical chaos, magical mayhem, and a lesson about what is far more valuable than money, gold and jewels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJourney to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)
In a world plagued by demons who cause great human suffering, young demon hunter Tang Sanzang must fight against monstrous demons, as well as contend with a beautiful demon hunting woman on his path to enlightenment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)
While living as an ordinary deliveryman and motor racing fan, Nezha encounters old nemeses and must rediscover his powers to protect his loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNe Zha (2019)
A young boy is born as the reincarnation of a demonic power, into a society that hates and fears him. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, Nezha must choose between good and evil to see if he can change his fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Monkey King: Reborn (2021)
When the irritable monkey king visits a temple together with his master Tang Monk, he feels offended because of a trifle and thereupon accidentally destroys a magic tree growing on the sacred ground. This brings an ancient demon king back to life, who promptly kidnaps Tang Monk to take revenge for his long imprisonment. The monkey king and his followers have only three days to not only save their master but also to prevent the demon king from regaining his full powers and destroying the world…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWelcome to Smelliville (2021)
The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Hei 2 (2025)
When an attack shatters the fragile peace between the spirit world and humanity, Hei teams up with Luye, the last disciple of his Shifu Wuxian, to expose a conspiracy that threatens both realms - and the bond they've sworn to protect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNe Zha 2 (2025)
After a catastrophic event leaves their bodies destroyed, Ne Zha and Ao Bing are granted a fragile second chance at life. As tensions rise between the dragon clans and celestial forces, the two must undergo a series of perilous trials that will test their bond, challenge their identities, and decide the fate of both mortals and immortals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisGreen Snake (2021)
While trying to free her sister from Fahai's clutches, Xiao Qing winds up in a dystopian city and meets a mysterious man who can't recall his past life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)
Avatar Aang, the world's last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Little Vampire (2000)
Based on the popular books, the story tells of Tony who wants a friend to add some adventure to his life. What he gets is Rudolph, a vampire kid with a good appetite. The two end up inseparable, but their fun is cut short when all the hopes of the vampire race could be gone forever in single night. With Tony's access to the daytime world, he helps them to find what they've always wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGulliver's Travels (1939)
Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDevil's Island (1996)
Devil's Island is a bitter sweet tale of Iceland in the fifties. Life is rough in Reykjavik's post-war slum of Camp Thule, where the abandoned US military barracks have been turned into makeshift homes. Struggling wives and their hard-working husbands try to make ends meet. The younger generation dreams of dollars, Rock'n'Roll and the American way of life. To celebrate or to drown their misery - they're never short of a good reason to booze. Devil's Island vividly depicts the everyday life of a wacky family, their neighbours and friends and shows how some of their dreams come true and others don't.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Taste of Freedom (2024)
An aspiring chef Varia learns the importance of staying true to her Ukrainian roots when she stumbles upon a legendary cookbook from 1929 — and its author's ghost, the legendary chef Olha Franko.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Ein Mord liegt auf der Hand (1983)
What good is having a title of nobility if you're practically broke? Count Carl-Enno zu Wutzbach therefore comes up with the idea of marrying off his daughter Sylvia. He has chosen brewery owner Oscar Betzel as her husband. But then a fortune teller makes him an eerie prediction: he will commit murder!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
El capitán Veneno (1950)
In Madrid, under Queen Isabel II reign, rebellions are frequent events. During one of them Captain Jorge de Córdoba, nicknamed Veneno (poison) for his quarrelsome disposition, bad temper and outright misogyny, is hurt and taken to a house where two women, a widow and her daughter, are to take care of him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Cinderella (1997)
Cinderella chafes under the cruelty of her wicked stepmother and her evil stepsisters, until her Fairy Godmother steps in to change her life for one unforgettable night. At the ball, she falls for handsome Prince Christopher, whose parents, King Maximillian and Queen Constantina, are anxious for him to find a suitable paramour.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Boys Are (1960)
Good girls Merritt, Melanie, Tuggle and Angie - all students at mid-western Penmore University - are planning on going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for spring break to get away from the mid-western snow despite not having much money to spend once there. On the drive down, they admit their real purpose is to go where the boys are.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962)
Professor Fergusson plans to make aviation history by making his way across Africa by balloon. He plans to claim uncharted territories in West Africa as proof of his inventions worth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Getting Straight (1970)
Graduate student Harry Bailey was once one of the most visible undergraduate activists on campus, but now that he's back studying for his master's, he's trying to fly right. Trouble is, the campus is exploding with various student movements, and Harry's girlfriend, Jan, is caught up in most of them. As Harry gets closer to finishing his degree, he finds his iconoclastic attitude increasingly aligned with the students rather than the faculty.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Monkey King: Hero Is Back?
The closest matches to Monkey King: Hero Is Back are The Monkey King (2023), My Father's Dragon (2022) and The Star (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Monkey King: Hero Is Back?
Start with The Monkey King (2023), the closest match to Monkey King: Hero Is Back.
What is the highest-rated movie like Monkey King: Hero Is Back?
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026), rated 9.0/10 by 1,431 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Monkey King: Hero Is Back?
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Monkey King: Hero Is Back?
Yes: New Gods: Yang Jian (2022), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) and New Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021).
How are movies similar to Monkey King: Hero Is Back chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Monkey King: Hero Is Back, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.