Movies like The Railway Children (2016)
The best movies like The Railway Children (2016) are The Railway Children (1970), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003) and Black Beauty (1994). If The Railway Children hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWonder (2017)8.1/10 from 8,466 votes
- NewestThe Velveteen Rabbit (2023)Released 2023
The Railway Children (1970)
At the dawn of the 20th century, following their father's arrest on suspicion of betraying state secrets, the three Waterbury children—Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter—move with their mother to Yorkshire, where they find themselves involved in unexpected dramas along the railway by their new home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Beauty (1994)
The fates of horses, and the people who own and command them, are revealed as Black Beauty narrates the circle of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBallet Shoes (2008)
An unusual explorer named Gum and his kindly niece adopt three orphans -- Pauline, Petrova and Posy -- and raise them as sisters in 1930s London. But the girls must fend for themselves when Gum doesn't return from one of his adventures. Together, they nurture their passions for acting, aviation and ballet in this charming TV adaptation of Noel Streatfield's novel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSo Dear to My Heart (1948)
The tale of Jeremiah Kincaid and his quest to raise his 'champion' lamb, Danny. Jeremiah's dream of showing Danny at the Pike County Fair must overcome the obstinate objections of his loving, yet strict, grandmother Granny. Jeremiah's confidant, Uncle Hiram, is the boy's steady ally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkater Girl (2021)
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWonder (2017)
The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Railway Children Return (2022)
Follow a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013)
A 10-year-old child prodigy cartographer secretly leaves his family's ranch in Montana where he lives with his cowboy father and scientist mother and travels across the country on board a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Princess (1939)
A little girl goes in search of her father who is reported missing by the military during the Second Boer War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Game (2009)
Based on a true story, a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who become the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (2016)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreyfriars Bobby (1961)
In Scotland 1865, An old shepherd and his little Skye terrier go to Edinburgh. But when the shepherd dies of pneumonia, the dog remains faithful to his master, refuses to be adopted by anyone, and takes to sleeping on his master's grave in the Greyfriars kirkyard, despite a caretaker with a "no dogs" rule. And when Bobby is taken up for being unlicensed, it's up to the children of Edinburgh and the Lord Provost to decide what's to be done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Velveteen Rabbit (2023)
When seven-year-old William receives a new favorite toy for Christmas, he discovers a lifelong friend and unlocks a world of magic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pagemaster (1994)
Rich knows a lot about accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While in an old library, he is mystically transported into the unknown world of books, and he has to try and get home again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPinocchio (2022)
A wooden puppet embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014)
Dorothy wakes in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man, and Glinda, from a devious new villain, the Jester. New comrades Wiser the Owl, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, and Tugg the Tugboat join Dorothy on her latest magical journey through the colorful landscape of Oz to restore order and happiness to Emerald City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
After her father's ship is carried off by a sudden storm, the spunky Pippi Longstocking is stranded with her horse, Alfonso,and her pet monkey, Mr. Neilson, and takes up residence in the old family home, which is thought by neighborhood children to be haunted. Soon, two children, Tommy and his sister Anika, venture into the house only to meet up with Pippi. The three soon become friends and get into various adventures together, including cleaning the floor with scrubbing shoes, dodging the "splunks", going down a waterfall in barrels, and helping Pippi with the problem of having to go to an orphanage. Older children will probably get the most out of this movie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Tiger Rising (2022)
When 12-year-old Rob Horton discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May and the stubborn new girl in school, he must navigate through childhood memories, heartache, and wondrous adventures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
The One We Left Behind (TBA)
In the 1990s, a group of seventh graders grapple with friendship, bullying and the consequences of the choices they make. At its center is 13-year-old Evan, whose carefully cultivated reputation as one of the 'cool kids' is challenged when he is assigned to spend lunch with William, a new student with severe food allergies who has become the target of his classmates' ridicule. What begins as resentment gradually develops into an unexpected friendship, forcing Evan to confront the pressures of fitting in and the increasingly serious bullying directed at someone he has come to care about.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family
The Unicorn That Said No (2027)
In the Forest of Hearts, a little, sweepity, swoopity, swappity, sweet unicorn is born. But even though everyone is very lilacly-loving to it and constantly feeds it with sweet lucky clover, the little critter does not behave unicorn-like at all. It just keeps saying no, so soon its family just calls it uNOcorn. One day, the uNOcorn breaks out of its cotton candy world and sets off to NOWHERE. On the way, he unexpectedly meets a raccoon that refuses to listen (HUHcoon), a watchdog that doesn‘t seem to care about anything (SOWHATchdog), and princess that always talks back (PrinceYES). The four of them make a pretty good team. Because even being stubborn is much more fun together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Coming SoonMovies like thisRicky Rapper and the Strongman (2019)
Ricky and Nelly decide to take part in arm wrestling competition during their summer holiday.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Blinky Bill (1992)
The peace and charm of koala Blinky Bill and his friends' existence is shattered by the destruction of their homes by humans. Bill rallies his friends, in a series of exciting adventures, as they battle to protect their homes from destruction and as he rescues his mother from captivity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Road to Life (1931)
The first Russian talking picture which won a prize at the 1st Venice IFF. The action is set in 1923. The USSR is struggling with hunger and economic ruin. It is a story of homeless teenagers for whom a work commune is set up with the idea of uniting and reforming them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
National Theatre Live: I Want My Hat Back (2015)
Bear's hat is gone. He loves his hat. He wants it back. He asks all the animals in the forest, but no one has seen it. WAIT. He has seen it somewhere.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Like The Railway Children and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Railway Children?
The closest matches to The Railway Children are The Railway Children (1970), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003) and Black Beauty (1994). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Railway Children?
Start with The Railway Children (1970), the closest match to The Railway Children.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Railway Children?
Wonder (2017), rated 8.1/10 by 8,466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Railway Children?
The Velveteen Rabbit (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Railway Children?
Yes: The Railway Children (1970), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003) and Black Beauty (1994).
How are movies similar to The Railway Children chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Railway Children, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.