Movies like Scales (2017)
The best movies like Scales (2017) are Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020), The Secret Kingdom (2023) and Snow Queen (2002). If Scales hooked you with its fantasy and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPonyo (2008)7.8/10 from 5,058 votes
- NewestCandy Cane Lane (2023)Released 2023
Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020)
Two children discover that their mother is gone. The youngest of the pair, adventurer and upcomming singer, Long Johnson forces his older sister, Lily Johnson, to hunt down a unicorn with magical blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Kingdom (2023)
Verity and Peter’s trip to the old family mansion takes a turn when the floor of their room suddenly gives way and they fall into an underground chamber where they are met by a civilization of creatures. The leader tells them that Peter's arrival was foretold as he’s the one who can use Great Clock of the Citadel to restart time and destroy the Shroud, a malevolent creature who feeds on fear itself...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnow Queen (2002)
Since a bitter winter storm stole the life of Gerda's mother, she and her father have sadly continued to run the remote hotel they call home. Lonely and isolated, Gerda's only joy is Kai, the handsome bellboy. A mysterious guest with an icy stare arrives at the hotel one night, wrapped in fur and diamonds. By daybreak, the "Snow Queen" has vanished with Kai! Gerda embarks on a journey of morphing seasons, fantastical creatures, and long-frozen mysteries in a desperate quest to find her stolen love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe King's Daughter (2022)
King Louis XIV's quest for immortality leads him to capture and steal a mermaid's life force, a move that is further complicated by his illegitimate daughter's discovery of the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStardust (2007)
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
Doctor Gulliver is poor, so nothing - not even his charming fiancée Elisabeth - keeps him in the town he lives. He signs on to a ship to India, but in a storm he's washed off the ship and ends up on an island, which is inhibitated by very tiny people. After he managed to convince them he's harmless and is accepted as one of their citizens, their king wants to use him in war against a people of giants. Compared to them, even Gulliver is a gnome.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPercy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)
In their quest to confront the ultimate evil, Percy and his friends battle swarms of mythical creatures to find the mythical Golden Fleece and to stop an ancient evil from rising.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Monster Calls (2016)
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbigail (2019)
A young girl Abigail lives in a city whose borders were closed many years ago because of an epidemic of a mysterious disease. Abby's father was one of the sick - and he was taken when she was six years old. Going against the authorities to find his father, Abby learns that her city is actually full of magic. And she discovers in herself extraordinary magical abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrince Charming (2001)
After an extramarital indiscretion, a fairy-tale prince and his sidekick are turned into frogs for all eternity or until the prince can convince a maiden to kiss and then marry him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJack the Giant Slayer (2013)
The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Witch (2008)
A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCandy Cane Lane (2023)
Determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, family man Chris makes a pact with an elf to help him out-do the competition. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, unleashing chaos on the small unsuspecting town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui (2004)
In the time before time, six unlikely Matoran find themselves transformed into mighty Toa. The new Toa Metru must prove themselves as true heroes, find the missing Toa Lhikan, and uncover a plot that threatens the heart of Metru Nui.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisPinocchio (2009)
The enchanted story of Pinocchio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017)
When the King Gareth dies, his potential heirs, twin grandchildren who possess the dragon’s unique strengths, use their inherited powers against each other to vie for the throne. When Drago’s source of power – known as the Heartfire – is stolen, more than the throne is at stake; the siblings must end their rivalry with swords and sorcery or the kingdom may fall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Rising: Playing with Fire (2019)
Inferno’s powers are stolen by a young and powerful villain and it’s up to the Secret Warriors to defeat their new foe and help their friend. But does Inferno even WANT his powers back? Meanwhile, America Chavez learns a lesson about friendship and family from teammate Ms. Marvel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWillow (1988)
The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDave Made a Maze (2017)
Dave, an artist who has yet to complete anything significant in his career, builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave’s girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission. Once inside, they find themselves trapped in an ever-changing supernatural world, threatened by booby traps and pursued by a bloodthirsty Minotaur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpymate (2006)
Amelia, a young genius and daughter of a top secret agent, unknowingly invents a contraption that makes her the target of an evil scientist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006)
In this animated follow-up to Fairytopia, Elina enlists the help of a mermaid, Nori, to save her friend Nalu, a merman prince who has been captured by the wicked Laverna.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid (1989)
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFishtales (2007)
A Greek History Professor & his daughter travel to a Greek Island for one last chance to finish his thesis on ancient love spells before he loses his research grant. His daughter attempts to match her father with the local women without success until she meets a beautiful Mermaid with whose help the Professor might finally find true love for himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Ponyo (2008)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAquamarine (2006)
Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past, he's not sure if it's love...or if she's a ruthless con artist using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mermaid Princess (2015)
The adventures of a kind-hearted mermaid who saves a captain's daughter from the stormy ocean, despite the Sea-God's warning not to intervene in the affairs of mortals. However when the captain needs her help again, the mermaid princess must choose between following the laws of the ocean and saving her new human friends from a band of pirates and a dangerous island giant.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Scales?
The closest matches to Scales are Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020), The Secret Kingdom (2023) and Snow Queen (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Scales?
Start with Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020), the closest match to Scales.
What is the highest-rated movie like Scales?
Ponyo (2008), rated 7.8/10 by 5,058 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Scales?
Candy Cane Lane (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Scales?
Yes: Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020), The Secret Kingdom (2023) and Snow Queen (2002).
How are movies similar to Scales chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Scales, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.