Movies like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 (2013)
The best movies like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 (2013) are The House (2022), The Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023) and Minions & More Volume 2 (2022). If Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 hooked you with its animation, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedWaking Life (2001)7.5/10 from 996 votes
- NewestThe Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023)Released 2023
- In FrenchMFKZ (2018)Also in French
The House (2022)
Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023)
GrandPat travels through alternate dimensions and timelines to get home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 2 (2022)
This collection of 11 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Mower Minions (2016); Yellow Is the New Black (2018); Competition (2015); Cro Minion (2015); Binky Nelson Unpacified (2015); Panic in the Mailroom (2013). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Super Gidget (2019). From the "Sing" franchise: Eddie's Life Coach (2017); Gunter Babysits (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Serenade (2012); Wagon Ho! (2012).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 1 (2022)
This collection of 10 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Puppy (2013); Minion Scouts (2019); Training Wheels (2013); The Secret Life of Kyle (2017); Santa's Little Helpers (2019). From the "Grinch" franchise: The Dog Days of Winter (2019). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Norman Television (2016); Weenie (2016). From the "Sing" franchise: Love at First Sight (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Forces of Nature (2012).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWalt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (2015)
INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING SHORTS: "John Henry," "Lorenzo," "The Little Matchgirl," "How To Hook Up Your Home Theater," "Tick Tock Tale," "Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa," "The Ballad Of Nessie," "Tangled Ever After," "Paperman," "Get A Horse!", "Feast," "Frozen Fever"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981)
Bugs Bunny hosts an award show featuring several classic Looney Tunes shorts and characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWaking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982)
If Bugs Bunny were to direct his signature inquiry--"What's up, doc?"--toward the modern-day Warner Bros. creative team, he wouldn't be far off. For 1001 Rabbit Tales, they've doctored up a batch of classic cartoons featuring the carrot muncher and his bumbling comrades and bundled them, near seamlessly, into a feature-length film. Here's the premise: Bugs and Daffy, both book salesmen, are competing to sell the most copies of a kids' book. Instead of burrowing a beeline to his sales territory (he should have made a left at Albuquerque), Bugs ends up in the castle of Yosemite Sam, here a harem-leading honcho. Sam's pain-in-the-spurs son, Prince Abalaba, needs somebody to read him stories; Bugs, who'd sooner take the job than suffer the alternative, that involving being boiled in oil, signs on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNight of the Animated Dead (2021)
An animated retelling of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, in which a group of people in a rural farmhouse struggle to survive the threat of bloodthirsty zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Animatrix (2003)
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArctic Dogs (2019)
Animals band together to save the day when the evil Otto Von Walrus hatches a sinister scheme to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisMFKZ (2018)
Angelino is just one of thousands of deadbeats living in Dark Meat City. But an otherwise unremarkable scooter accident caused by a beautiful, mysterious stranger is about to transform his life... into a waking nightmare! He starts seeing monstrous forms prowling around all over the city... Is Angelino losing his mind, or could an alien invasion really be happening this quietly...?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKoati (2021)
Three unlikely heroes - Nachi, a free-spirited coati; Xochi, a fearless monarch butterfly and Pako, a hyperactive glass frog - embark on an adventure to stop wicked coral snake Zaina from destroying their rain forest homeland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeathstroke: Knights & Dragons - The Movie (2020)
The assassin Deathstroke tries to save his family from the wrath of H.I.V.E. and the murderous Jackal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAstro Kid (2019)
Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet — Upon the destruction of their ship, Willy is separated from his parents. He lands on a wild and unexplored planet and with the help of Buck, a survival robot, he will have to hold until the arrival of a rescue mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (2019)
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 (2007)
Experience these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many more. With revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and characters you love, these dazzling short films have changed the face of animation and entertainment and are sure to delight people of all ages for years to come.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004)
Mayhem reigns supreme in the animated kingdom as whiz kid Jimmy Neutron and Timmy from "The Fairly Oddparents" swap places in each other's worlds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1?
The closest matches to Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 are The House (2022), The Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023) and Minions & More Volume 2 (2022). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1?
Start with The House (2022), the closest match to Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1.
What is the highest-rated movie like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1?
Waking Life (2001), rated 7.5/10 by 996 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1?
The Tidal Zone: SpongeBob Universe Special (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1?
Yes: MFKZ (2018) and Astro Kid (2019).
How are movies similar to Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Japanese Independent Animation, Volume 1, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















