Movies like Willy the Sparrow (1989)
The best movies like Willy the Sparrow (1989) are The Secret of NIMH (1982), A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025) and The Twits (2025). If Willy the Sparrow hooked you with its family and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)7.7/10 from 360 votes
- NewestThe Twits (2025)Released 2025
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe Twits (2025)
When the meanest, nastiest villains pull a trick to take over their town, two brave children team up with a family of magical animals to bring them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Little Prince (2015)
Based on the best-seller book 'The Little Prince', the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCinderella and the Secret Prince (2018)
Cinderella discovers a secret that could shake their world: an evil witch turned the prince into a mouse and replaced him with a look-alike. Cinderella and her friends must save the real prince and help him defeat the evil witch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997)
When Toaster and the gang spark friendships with the playful animals at the veterinary hospital, they soon discover their new pals are about to be sent to a testing laboratory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPooh's Heffalump Movie (2005)
Who or what exactly is a Heffalump? The lovable residents of the Hundred Acre Wood -- Winnie the Pooh, Rabbit, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and the rest of the pack -- embark on a journey of discovery in search of the elusive Heffalump. But as is always the case, this unusual road trip opens their eyes to so much more than just the creature they're seeking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boxtrolls (2014)
An orphaned boy raised by underground creatures called Boxtrolls comes up from the sewers and out of his box to save his family and the town from the evil exterminator, Archibald Snatcher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)
Equestria's divided. But a bright-eyed hero believes Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns should be pals — and, hoof to heart, she’s determined to prove it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like this100% Wolf (2020)
Freddy Lupin, heir to a proud family line of werewolves, is in for a shock when on his 14th birthday his first 'warfing' goes awry, turning him into a ferocious poodle. The pack elders give Freddy until the next moonrise to prove he has the heart of a wolf, or risk being cast out forever. With the help of an unlikely ally in a streetwise stray named Batty, Freddy must prove he's 100% Wolf.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmallfoot (2018)
A bright young yeti finds something he thought didn't exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Flight of Dragons (1982)
The realm of magic is being threatened by the realm of logic, so the green wizard, Carolinus, decides to shield it for all time. Ommadon, the evil red wizard, stands in his way. Carolinus then calls for a quest that is to be led by a man named Peter Dickinson, who is the first man of both the realms of science and magic. It is Peter's job to defeat Ommadon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
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 thisMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Forgotten Friendship (2018)
The story follows Sunset Shimmer, who (using her powers) finds out that her friends' memories of her have been mysteriously erased, resulting in them getting amnesia. Determined to set things straight, she'll need Princess Twilight's help from Equestria in order to find out the source of what caused her friends' memory loss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOnce Upon a Forest (1993)
A young mouse, mole and hedgehog risk their lives to find a cure for their badger friend, who's been poisoned by men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Wimpy Kid (2021)
Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous – he just has to survive middle school first.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarold and the Purple Crayon (2024)
Inside of his book, adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlotte's Web (2006)
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTangled (2010)
Feisty teenager Rapunzel, who has long and magical hair, wants to go and see sky lanterns on her eighteenth birthday, but she's bound to a tower by her overprotective mother. She strikes a deal with Flynn Rider, a charming wanted thief, and the duo set off on an action-packed escapade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharlotte's Web (1973)
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHercules (1997)
Bestowed with superhuman strength, a young mortal named Hercules sets out to prove himself a hero in the eyes of his father, the great god Zeus. Along with his friends Pegasus, a flying horse, and Phil, a personal trainer, Hercules is tricked by the hilarious, hotheaded villain Hades, who's plotting to take over Mount Olympus!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlice in Wonderland (1951)
On a golden afternoon, wildly curious young Alice tumbles into the burrow and enters the merry, madcap world of Wonderland full of whimsical escapades.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPokémon the Movie 2000 (1999)
When Lawrence III's scheme to capture the Legendary Pokémon Lugia upsets the balance of nature, it is up to Ash Ketchum and his friends to save the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobin Hood (1973)
With King Richard off to the Crusades, Prince John and his slithering minion, Sir Hiss, set about taxing Nottingham's citizens with support from the corrupt sheriff - and staunch opposition by the wily Robin Hood and his band of merry men.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnchanted (2007)
The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWatership Down (1978)
When the warren belonging to a community of rabbits is threatened, a brave group led by Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry and Hazel leave their homeland in a search of a safe new haven.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnimal Kingdom: Let's Go Ape (2015)
Based on the novel 'Evolution Man' by Roy Lewis, this tells the story about the first man - young Edward - to descend from apes. Edward is ejected by his tribe, but is very resourceful. He learns to walk, discovers fire, manages to hunt - and we follow him as he evolves. He has a generous nature, and search for true humanity - a world where we don't eat our fathers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisExtinguished (2017)
In a world where flames represent love, it's easy to get your heart burned.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Aura (2014)
Four kids, Tokyo, Pete, Adam and Esther wake up in their stranded car in an abandoned field only to find that the Sun did not rise. What's more, they discover that a strange, 30 foot diameter, almost invisible, bionic "aura" is covering their surroundings. It reacts to their touch, and soon mysterious things start to happen. Our heroes find seashells in and around their car, the smell and the sound of the ocean fill the air, and long lost memories start to materialize in front of their very eyes. Rainfall from nowhere, unexplainable noises, mysterious messages and clues hidden all around force them to go along on an investigation that reveals much more than they would have ever hoped for: they unearth long forgotten secrets rooted deep in the very beginning of mankind's existence. And these secrets have direct consequences not only on their lives; but also on the survival of our planet as we know it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Like Willy the Sparrow and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Willy the Sparrow?
The closest matches to Willy the Sparrow are The Secret of NIMH (1982), A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025) and The Twits (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Willy the Sparrow?
Start with The Secret of NIMH (1982), the closest match to Willy the Sparrow.
What is the highest-rated movie like Willy the Sparrow?
My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021), rated 7.7/10 by 360 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Willy the Sparrow?
The Twits (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Willy the Sparrow chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Willy the Sparrow, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.