Movies like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer (1985)
The best movies like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer (1985) are Strange World (2022), My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021) and The Monkey King (2023). If Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer hooked you with its animation and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Lion King (1994)8.3/10 from 20,403 votes
- NewestLEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026)Released 2026
Strange World (2022)
A journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades—a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.
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 thisThe Monkey King (2023)
A stick-wielding monkey teams with a young girl on an epic quest for immortality, battling demons, dragons, gods — and his own ego — along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWish Dragon (2021)
Determined teen Din is longing to reconnect with his childhood best friend when he meets a wish-granting dragon who shows him the magic of possibilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026)
The Mandalorian and Grogu join their misfit allies for an epic party, celebrating their heroism. As friends regale the crowd with tales of their adventures, a pirate threat looms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlankton: The Movie (2025)
Plankton's tangled love story with his sentient computer wife goes sideways when she takes a stand — and decides to destroy the world without him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHey Arnold! The Jungle Movie (2018)
When their trip to San Lorenzo takes a turn for the worst, Arnold and his classmate’s only hope of getting home is retracing the dangerous path that led to Arnold's parents' disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpellbound (2024)
When a powerful spell turns her parents into giant monsters, a teenage princess must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Rider (2020)
An unlikely trio of heroes – a dragon, a boy and a forest brownie – embark on an epic adventure to find the “Rim of Heaven” - the mythological safe haven for all dragons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnimal Crackers (2018)
A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a rundown circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShrek (2001)
It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magician's Elephant (2023)
Peter is searching for his long-lost sister when he crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square. His only question is: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
A new dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 – Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity – embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship and save their home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Father's Dragon (2022)
Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPhineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020)
Phineas and Ferb travel across the galaxy to rescue their older sister Candace, who has been abducted by aliens and taken to a utopia in a far-off planet, free of her pesky little brothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisTom and Jerry's Giant Adventure (2013)
Tom And Jerry are among the last animals living in Storybook Town, a fairy tale-inspired theme park "where dreams come true, if you believe."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisRevolting Rhymes (2017)
Two half-hour animated films based on the much-loved rhymes written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Loud House Movie (2021)
The Loud family travel to Scotland and discover they are descendants of Scottish royalty as they move into their giant ancestral castle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantis: Milo's Return (2003)
Milo and Kida reunite with their friends to investigate strange occurances around the world that seem to have links to the secrets of Atlantis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & adventure
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Stowing away after a failed con, a pair of swindlers end up on El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold", where they quickly get in over their heads when they are mistaken as gods by the inhabitants.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsterix vs. Caesar (1985)
Obelix falls for a new arrival in his home village in Gaul, but is heartbroken when her true love arrives to visit her. However, the lovers are kidnapped by Romans; Asterix and Obelix set out to rescue them on a dangerous journey that will involve gladiators, slavers and beauracracy - and a personal encounter with the Emperor himself, Julius Caesar...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPocahontas (1995)
Pocahontas, daughter of a Native American tribe chief, falls in love with an English soldier as colonists invade 17th century Virginia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Toys Room (1996)
There is jealousy brewing in the toy chest. A new toy has taken all of the little boy's attention. When Pino the Toy decides to run away the others become worried he might never return. Will the other toys be able to find their friend and save the day?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
VeggieTales: Lyle the Kindly Viking (2001)
Oh, my! Determined to present something "classy" for a change, Archibald Asparagus has taken over VeggieTales! Assisted by those rascally French Peas, Archibald aims for new heights in veggie programming by attempting to produce "the world's first all-vegetable staging of Shakespeare's Hamlet," the first-ever "Classy Songs with Larry," and for the grand finale, the world premiere of what he believes to be Gilbert and Sullivan's lost musical: Lyle the Kindly Viking! Of course, working with the French Peas as assistants is a recipe for disaster and in the chaos - and hilarity - that ensues, Bob, Larry, and Junior all learn a great lesson about sharing. Archibald, on the other hand, mostly just learns to never again work with the French Peas. Don't miss Junior Asparagus as "Lyle the Kindly Viking" in this hilarious VeggieTales musical adventure! Your whole family will sing - and laugh - along as they learn that "sharing gets us more of what we really want - friends!"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
The Lion King (1994)
Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for himself. Amid betrayal and tragedy, Simba must confront his past and find his rightful place in the Circle of Life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer?
The closest matches to Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer are Strange World (2022), My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021) and The Monkey King (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer?
Start with Strange World (2022), the closest match to Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer.
What is the highest-rated movie like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer?
The Lion King (1994), rated 8.3/10 by 20,403 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer?
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer?
Yes: Strange World (2022), My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021) and The Monkey King (2023).
How are movies similar to Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.