Movies like Hands Up! (1981)
The best movies like Hands Up! (1981) are The Wizard of the Emerald City, Part I (2025), Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020) and Shorts (2009). If Hands Up! hooked you with its adventure and family, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedUpon the Magic Roads (2021)6.8/10 from 317 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
The Wizard of the Emerald City, Part I (2025)
Ellie lives in a distant city. One day, the evil witch Gingema conjured a hurricane that took Ellie and her dog Totoshka to the country of the Munchkins. To return home, Ellie and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion will set off along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City in search of the Wizard who will grant their cherished wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWish 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 thisShorts (2009)
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Fairy Tale After All (2022)
A stubborn teenage girl finds herself confronted by whimsical characters when she is transported into a world of fantasy and fairy tales while attending a school marionette show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wish of the Fairy Fish (2023)
If you go fishing, be prepared to draw the fish of your dreams, the magical Pike, which can grant any three wishes. Only Emelya let two wishes down the drain, and decided to save the third. Therefore, in order to achieve the hand of the royal daughter Anfisa, he will have to act without magical power, on his own. And Pike will help him, who without her skin will appear as an ordinary girl Vasilisa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOld Man Khottabych (1957)
A boy named Volka discovers an ancient vessel on the bottom of a river. When he opens it, a genie emerges from there. He calls himself Hassan Abdurrahman ibn Khottab, or in Russian style Khottabych. Grateful Khottabych is ready to fulfill any of Volka's wishes. But it appears that Volka should use the powers of the genie carefully, for they can have undesirable results.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Adventures of Buratino (1959)
A wooden boy Buratino tries to find his place in life. He befriends toys from a toy theater owned by evil Karabas-Barabas, gets tricked by Alice the Fox and Basilio the Cat and finally discovers the mystery of a golden key given to him by kind Tortila the Tortoise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Princess and the Goblin (1991)
The story is about the Princess Irene and a young warrior boy named Curty. Irene must use her magic power to fight off goblins and save the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisPan (2015)
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInkheart (2008)
The adventures of a father and his young daughter, in their search for a long lost book that will help reunite a missing, close relative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Pan (1924)
Peter Pan enters the nursery of the Darling children and, with the help of fairy dust, leads them off to Never Never Land, where they meet the nefarious Captain Hook.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 fantasy & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Last Warrior: Root of Evil (2020)
Peace and tranquility have set in Belogorie. The evil was defeated and Ivan is now enjoying his well-deserved fame. He is surrounded by his family, friends and small wonders from the modern world that help him lead a comfortable life. Luckily, he has his Magic Sword to cut a gap between the worlds to get some supplies quite regularly. But when an ancient evil rises and the existence of the magic world is put to danger, Ivan has to team up with his old friends and his new rivals. They will set out on a long journey beyond the known world to find a way to defeat the enemies and to return peace to Belogorie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Luck of the Irish (2001)
A teenager must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: The Godslayer (2016)
As the Lich King's zombie legions ravage the world, a cursed young sorceress embarks on a quest to obtain a weapon from the gods. But when she joins her sworn enemy in a desperate attempt to save the world, she must recover the good in herself before her friends are all dead, and defeat the Lich King before the gods are destroyed and the world forever enslaved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisUpon the Magic Roads (2021)
Romantic John the Fool and his friend Foal set out on a series of unpredictable adventures in different magical worlds. The two buddies will have to outsmart an evil tyrant king, catch the firebird, and find John’s true love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisDragonheart: Vengeance (2021)
Lukas, a young farmer whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside, sets out on an epic quest for revenge, forming an unlikely trio with a majestic dragon and a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary, Darius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hands Up!?
The closest matches to Hands Up! are The Wizard of the Emerald City, Part I (2025), Wish Upon a Unicorn (2020) and Shorts (2009). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hands Up!?
Start with The Wizard of the Emerald City, Part I (2025), the closest match to Hands Up!.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hands Up!?
Upon the Magic Roads (2021), rated 6.8/10 by 317 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hands Up!?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Hands Up! chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hands Up!, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.