Movies like The Sea Children (1973)
The best movies like The Sea Children (1973) are Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and Sketch (2025). If The Sea Children hooked you with its family, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)7.1/10 from 746 votes
- NewestSketch (2025)Released 2025
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: All Growed Down (2003)
T.J. and The Recess Gang are kidnapped by the Third Street School's kindergartners, who are in turn being bullied by a new kid in their class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSketch (2025)
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
Mickey, Minnie, and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto gather together to reminisce about the love, magic and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (2020)
Faced with a holiday cheer crisis, the North Pole knows there's only one person who can save the day: Santa's great friend Mariah Carey. The Queen of Christmas creates a fabulous and star-studded spectacular to make the whole world merry!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Scooby-Doo! Christmas (2002)
On the way to Daphne's relatives' condominium, the Mystery Inc. gang detours through the town of Winter Hollow, where the vengeful Headless Snowman has destroyed the town's Christmas spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTo Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
When precocious twins Sarah and Julie feel like Mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to their grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Note (2015)
Having just moved back to her hometown without her serviceman husband but with her young son, Gretchen Daniels finds her life in disarray as Christmas approaches. But she discovers new purpose when she helps to deliver a message to her neighbor, Melissa, which makes her an ally in the quest to find the neighbor's sibling she never knew she had. The women become bonded not only by the search, but by the understanding that being there for each other means they're no longer alone. This friendship becomes the greatest Christmas gift of their lives. Based on a bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Moon-Spinners (1964)
Young English girl Nikky and her aunt arrive at the Moon-Spinners, a hotel on Crete, to a less than enthusiastic welcome. The coolness of the owner is only out-done by the surliness of her brother Stratos, recently back from London. But then there is nice English lad Mark to make friends with, at least until Stratos and his pal take a shot at him one night. When Nikky helps him hide she finds the Greeks are after her too.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Sea Monsters (2012)
The scares start in Hawaii, where Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are scarfing down the surf-and-turf menu until a giant serpent tries to swallow them faster than you can say She Sees Sea Monsters by the Seashore. In Uncle Scooby and Antarctica, a friendly penguin invites the Mystery, Inc. crew to visit his polar home, which happens to be haunted by an ice ghost! Then, the gang meets music group Smash Mouth while visiting Australia's Great Barrier Reef to watch Shaggy and Scooby compete in a sand castle contest in Reef Grief! Just when they think it's safe to go back in the water... it isn't.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Meets the Harlem Globetrotters (1973)
In yet another hilarious caper, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and, of course, Scooby-Doo team up with the talented Harlem Globetrotters to solve a haunting that, apparently, involves the ghosts of Paul Revere and other Revolutionary War soldiers. A second episode features the gang and the Globetrotters heading to a deserted island for some relaxation, but they realize they are in for trouble when their ship sets sail with nobody at the wheel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnnabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket (2016)
Vacationing on historic Nantucket Island, a teenage mystery writer and her friends must outwit two scheming thieves to solve the secret behind a legendary ghost story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPopeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy (2004)
After a wild dream, Popeye, along with Bluto, Olive, Wimpy, and Swee'pea, takes to the seas to rescue his long-lost absent father for the holidays, while the dastardly Sea Hag tries to stop the rag-tag crew from breaking a mysterious and fateful prophecy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPloey: You Never Fly Alone (2018)
A plover chick has not learned to fly when his family migrates in the fall. He must survive the arctic winter, vicious enemies and himself in order to be reunited with his beloved one next spring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Winter WonderDog (2002)
Celebrate the season Scooby-Doo style as Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang face off festive frights, frosty nights and - jeepers - the ghost of Christmas, who wants to wish everyone a scary Christmas! In this collection of cold-weather capers, Scooby-Doo and the gang unwrap a series of mysteries in order to stop a group of chilling crooks from stealing the spirits of the season!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBalto: Wolf Quest (2002)
Balto and his daughter Aleu embark on a journey of adventure and self discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeal Team (2021)
After his best friend is killed in a shark attack, Quinn, a lovable yet tenacious seal assembles a SEAL TEAM to fight back against a gang of sharks overtaking the neighborhood. But this merry band of international seals are not at all trained for such a mission. They seek the help of a much more skillful combatant, Claggart, but even his tricks and flips can’t whip these guys into shape. However, with a little bit of ingenuity, intelligence and a lot of heart, our SEAL TEAM may actually be able to bring peace back to their undersea community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobin Robin (2021)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
Follows Ralphie, now adult, who returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Sea Children?
The closest matches to The Sea Children are Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and Sketch (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Sea Children?
Start with Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019), the closest match to The Sea Children.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Sea Children?
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999), rated 7.1/10 by 746 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Sea Children?
Sketch (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Sea Children?
Yes: Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and Sketch (2025).
How are movies similar to The Sea Children chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Sea Children, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.