Movies like Once Upon a Time... (1990)
The best movies like Once Upon a Time... (1990) are Blush (2021), Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020) and No Time for Nuts (2006). If Once Upon a Time... hooked you with its animation and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)8.0/10 from 1,155 votes
- NewestDolphin Boy (2022)Released 2022
Blush (2021)
When a horticulturalist-astronaut crashes onto a desolate planet, he encounters an ethereal visitor and discovers the joy of building a new life—realizing the universe has delivered something astonishing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020)
An intelligent 15-year-old high school student is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Time for Nuts (2006)
Scrat comes across a time machine and is transported to various times all in pursuit of his beloved acorn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012)
After a hurricane levels his city, a young man wanders into a mysterious library where books literally come to life. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2012.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022)
A brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThru the Mirror (1936)
Mickey has been reading Alice in Wonderland, and falls asleep. He finds himself on the other side of the mirror, where the furniture is alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLou (2017)
A lost-and-found box holds a mysterious and unseen monster within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDolphin Boy (2022)
When a plane crashes at sea, dolphins rescue a little boy and raise him as family. He lives a carefree life beneath the waves until an evil monster seizes power over the underwater world. Banished to dry land, the boy is taken in by a kind-hearted captain. With his new companion's help, the boy embarks on a journey to solve the mystery of his true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPixie Hollow Bake Off (2013)
Tink challenges Gelata to see who can bake the best cake for the queen's party. Plus 10 Disney Fairies Mini-Shorts: - Just Desserts - If The Hue Fits - Dust Up - Scents And Sensibility - Just One Of The Girls - Volleybug - Hide And Tink - Rainbow's Ends - Fawn And Games - Magic Tricks
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared with his best friend. But the Vikings of New Berk were beginning to forget about their friendship with dragons. Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber know just what to do to keep the dragons in the villagers' hearts. And across the sea, the dragons have a plan of their own...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisChips Ahoy (1956)
Chip and Dale are starving in their tree home when they notice a plentiful supply of acorns on an island in a lake. To get to the island, they borrow a miniature model ship of Donald's to sail on. The irate Donald, however, doesn't appreciate them stealing his ship and makes several attempts to get it back and thwart their scheme to get to their acorn paradise. Chip and Dale are, of course, always one step ahead of Donald.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSintel (2010)
A wandering warrior finds an unlikely friend in the form of a young dragon. The two develop a close bond, until one day the dragon is snatched away. She then sets out on a relentless quest to reclaim her friend, finding in the end that her quest exacts a far greater price than she had ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScrat: Spaced Out (2016)
In the main events of Ice Age: Collision Course, Scrat is captured by Scratazons who take away his acorn. Now, Scrat must rescue his Acorn and escape before the aliens can catch him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStrings (2004)
The story of Prince Hal who sets out to avenge his dead father against the city's rivals, the Zeriths, little knowing it was his wicked uncle Nezo who is the real killer, with his own designs on the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDay & Night (2010)
When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world-the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (2020)
Jess joins her friends at a party in a dilapidated mansion hosted by the mysterious Seth. When odd things begin to happen to Jess and her friends, the Phantom Stranger intervenes to save her from a dreary fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParty Central (2014)
Mike and Sulley are back at Monsters University for a fun-filled weekend with their Oozma Kappa fraternity brothers. The gang is throwing their first party, but no one’s showing up. Luckily for them, Mike and Sulley have come up with a plan to make sure “Party Central” is the most epic party the school has ever seen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWolfman vs. Baragon (1972)
Wolfman instantly appears from behind some trees where he is reputedly abused by armed Japanese army tanks, he allegedly flees and later battles Baragon at a burning construction site.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & fantasy
Ki or Breathing (1980)
'Ki or Breathing' is a spare concoction assembled from slow motion shots of nature and set to a score by the much-acclaimed Tohru Takemitsu.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
The Amphibian (1991)
In a dark subterranean landscape, the Amphibian has lost its way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Surface Tension (1986)
Intercutting live action footage with animation, a depiction of the possible memories, repressions and fears of the leading character. The animated sections are monologues by a male figure drawn to highlight the tension between rigid and fluid body structures, skeleton and flesh.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Anywhere You Are (2021)
A young woman Perdita is searching for a place she could call home when a small red ball crosses her path.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Eddie (2016)
Deep underground, a lone scientist mans a discarded research facility struggling to deal with extreme boredom, a desperate voiceless companion and a mystery he'd really rather not have to solve.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Origin (2019)
An astronaut from an interstellar colony returns to Earth to determine why they lost contact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Batik Girl (2019)
Struggling to cope after a recent tragedy, a young girl finds herself drawn into a magical world within a batik painting.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Tailor (2017)
Tailor is a transgender cartoonist that shares in his web page other trans people’s experiences and their challenges in society. Film about transgender, made by transgender crew.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time...?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Time... are Blush (2021), Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020) and No Time for Nuts (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Time...?
Start with Blush (2021), the closest match to Once Upon a Time....
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Time...?
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 1,155 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Time...?
Dolphin Boy (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Time... chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Time..., then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.