Movies like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness (1985)
The best movies like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness (1985) are The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006) and Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020). If Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness hooked you with its animation and war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAttack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024)8.7/10 from 282 votes
- NewestScarlet (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseOrigin: Spirits of the Past (2006)Also in Japanese
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrigin: Spirits of the Past (2006)
It is 300 years into the future. Earth's environment had been devastated by mankind's own foolish plans and humankind is beleaguered by the sentient forests which they have awoken. The world balance is tipped when a young boy named Agito stumbles across a machine that glowed in a strange blue hue inside a forbidden sanctuary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJosee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020)
With dreams of diving abroad, Tsuneo gets a job assisting Josee, an artist whose imagination takes her far beyond her wheelchair. But when the tide turns against them, they push each other to places they never thought possible, and inspire a love fit for a storybook.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisClannad: The Motion Picture (2007)
Plagued by a seemingly endless stream of haunting dreams, Tomoya drifts through life with an almost overwhelming sense of anger and emptiness. Then, one fateful day, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Nagisa, and his world begins to change. While helping Nagisa revive the defunct Drama Club at their high school, Tomoya discovers that she has the same dreams. Their story starts beneath the cherry blossoms, but where will fate lead them?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Stranger by the Shore (2020)
Abandoned after coming out, Shun befriends Mio just before he has to move. Years later, Mio returns with a confession. How will Shun feel?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFireworks (2017)
Moshimo, Japan. The annual fireworks festival is about to take place and a group of schoolboys, arguing over whether they are round or flat when viewed from different angles, set out to find it out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScarlet (2025)
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend of the Galactic Heroes: My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars (1988)
For the past 150 years, humanity’s two greatest nations have been deadlocked in a meaningless war. In what is hoped to be a miraculous victory, the Alliance embarks on a battle to break through the Empire’s frontline. Like many other “decisive” battles, this can only end in disaster; a sentiment shared by Imperial nobleman Reinhard von Lohengramm and Alliance Commodore Yang Wen Li, both of whom realize how to turn the fight in their favor. And while the tides of war may never change, these two men must rise to the occasion, solidifying their place in history as heroes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGenocidal Organ (2017)
The war on terror exploded, literally, the day Sarajevo was destroyed by a homemade nuclear device. The leading democracies transformed into total surveillance states, and the developing world has drowned under a wave of genocides. The mysterious American John Paul seems to be behind the collapse of the world system, and it's up to intelligence agent Clavis Shepherd to track John Paul across the wreckage of civilizations and to find the true heart of darkness—a genocidal organ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War (1993)
Reinhard von Müsel and Yang Wen-li return to their respective homes, one victorious and the other defeated. While Reinhard earns the new name Lohengramm, Yang and his friends celebrate some welcome news.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008)
A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram (2011)
The Kingdom of the People of the Earth once ruled over the land, but now all that remains is the Sword of the Earth. in the city of Eindoak. Satoshi, Iris, and Dent arrive in Eindoak during a harvest festival's Pokémon Tournament and meet the legendary Pokémon Victini who wishes to share its powers of victory to someone. Elsewhere in the city, a descendant of the People of the Earth named Dred Grangil has arrived who seeks to revive the kingdom's power with the Sword of the Earth, bringing them back into power over the land, and Satoshi and his friends must stop him before he destroys the land along with Victini.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom (2011)
The Kingdom of the People of the Earth once ruled over the land, but now all that remains is the Sword of the Earth. in the city of Eindoak. Satoshi, Iris, and Dent arrive in Eindoak during a harvest festival's Pokémon Tournament and meet the legendary Pokémon Victini who wishes to share its powers of victory to someone. Elsewhere in the city, a descendant of the People of the Earth named Dred Grangil has arrived who seeks to revive the kingdom's power with the Sword of the Earth, bringing them back into power over the land, and Satoshi and his friends must stop him before he destroys the land along with Victini.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGiovanni's Island (2014)
In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast... and on the unhealed border in this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Inspired by true events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Me, the One Who Loved You (2022)
Koyomi Hidaka and Shiori Sato meet at his father’s research center and begin to fall in love, but so do their parents, who eventually marry. To avoid becoming stepsiblings, they decide to run away to a parallel universe. Traveling between dimensions is common in their world, but not without repercussions. Does a universe exist for the young couple, and what will it cost them to find it?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnimal Crossing: The Movie (2006)
Ai, a self-reliant girl who moves to Animal Village and works at Nook's Cranny, gradually becomes part of the community with guidance from its residents and embarks on a quest to plant pine trees for a Winter Festival miracle after finding a message in a bottle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisModest Heroes (2018)
Two tiny, aquatic humanoids search for their missing father, a boy battles a lethal allergy to eggs, and an invisible salaryman tries to become a hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPokémon: Mewtwo Returns (2001)
The Team Rocket leader, Giovanni, has found Mewtwo in a remote area of the Johto region. As Giovanni tries to re-capture Mewtwo, Ash and his friends are kidnapped by Domino, a new Team Rocket member, while trying to rescue Pikachu from Jessie and James. The Clone Pokemon are also captured and are then used as bait for Mewtwo. The situation then becomes a battle between the wills of Mewtwo and Giovanni; and Mewtwo also tries to discover if it and the clones have a purpose in life, even though they are products of science.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalo Legends (2010)
The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAttack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024)
A colossal-sized omnibus film bringing together the last two episodes of Attack on Titan in the franchise's first-ever theatrical experience. After venturing beyond the walls and separated from his comrades, Eren finds himself inspired by this new truth and plots the "Rumbling," a terrifying plan to eradicate every living thing in the world. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, a motley crew of Eren's former comrades and enemies scramble to halt his deadly mission. The only question is, can they stop him?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDEEMO Memorial Keys (2022)
Deemo is a lonely individual who lives in solitude, playing the piano in a castle. One day, a girl who has lost her memory falls from the sky. Wanting to help her recover her memories and return to her world, Deemo discovers that a tree kept atop the piano will grow whenever the piano is played.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
I Fall in Love With You Through a Robot (TBA)
Set in the year 2060, it follows a love story as Tokyo's third Olympics draws near. Takeru Oosawa, who works for the AI Robot Technology Research Lab, is chosen as a member of the national secret project using humanoid robots. With the help of childhood friend and co-worker Youichirou Amano and his sister Saki, Takeru tries his best to reach his objectives. However, the situation changes when Saki's office receives a warning note for terrorism.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Stop-Loss (2008)
A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaikyu!! The Movie: Talent and Sense (2017)
A compilation film depicting the match against Aoba Johsai High School in the second season of the anime series. It will also include new scenes portraying what happened after the match.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts (2017)
A recap film depicting the match against Shiratorizawa Academy in the third season of the anime series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRain in the Sunshine (2013)
Schoolboy Hinata has a big crush on his classmate Shigure, but is too shy to tell her. On the day Shigure is leaving, Hinata flies off on the wings of a bird chasing after her to tell how he feels!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & romance
I Want to Deliver Your Voice (2017)
The story focuses on high school girl Nagisa Yukiai who lives in a seaside town. She has believed her grandmother's story that spirits dwell in words and they are called "kotodama" (word spirit). One day, she strays into a mini FM station that has not been used for years. As an impulse of the moment, she tries to talk like a DJ using the facility. But her voice accidentally broadcasted reaches someone she has never expected.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya: Vow in the Snow (2017)
Despite his adoptive father's warnings that the girl found in the remnants of a destroyed city is too dangerous to be considered anything other than a tool or weapon, Shirou Emiya comes to treat Miyu as a younger sister. But when Shirou relaxes his guard and Miyu starts normal school, the Ainsworth family and their agents swoop in, kidnapping the girl with the goal of sacrificing her! Faced with the realization that Miyu's ability to do good will always be equaled by her capacity for destruction, Shirou must attempt to both rescue his adopted sister, and decide how to confront the threat that her powers will always pose.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Joe's War (2017)
After two tours of duty, Joe's life unravels as he waits for PTSD treatment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & war
given the Movie: Hiiragi Mix (2024)
given gains buzz after a failed audition, but things get complicated when Ritsuka is asked to play for Mafuyu’s old friends’ debut show.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness?
The closest matches to Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness are The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006) and Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness?
Start with The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), the closest match to Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness.
What is the highest-rated movie like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness?
Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024), rated 8.7/10 by 282 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness?
Scarlet (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness?
Yes: Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006), Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020) and Clannad: The Motion Picture (2007).
How are movies similar to Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Penguin's Memory: A Tale of Happiness, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.