Movies like When The Ocean Is Blue (1988)
The best movies like When The Ocean Is Blue (1988) are Cinderfella (1960), Mary Poppins (1964) and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010). If When The Ocean Is Blue hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMary Poppins (1964)7.5/10 from 5,171 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
Cinderfella (1960)
When his father dies, poor Fella is left at the mercy of his snobbish stepmother and her two no-good sons Maximilian and Rupert. As he slaves away for his nasty step-family, Maximilian and Rupert attempt to find a treasure Fella's father has supposedly hidden on the estate. Hoping to restore her dwindling fortunes, the stepmother plans a fancy ball in honor of the visiting Princess Charmein whom she hopes will marry Rupert. Eventually, Fella's Fairy Godfather shows up to convince him that he has a shot at winning the Princess himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMary Poppins (1964)
In turn of the century London, a magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)
During a summer stay on the mainland, Tinker Bell is accidentally discovered while investigating a little girl's fairy house. As the other fairies, led by the brash Vidia, launch a daring rescue in the middle of a fierce storm, Tink develops a special bond with the lonely, little girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNothing in Common (1986)
A successful advertising executive finds his freewheeling life crashing to a halt when his parents end their longtime marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDon't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPenelope (2006)
Forlorn heiress Penelope Wilhern is cursed, and the only way out is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she find her soulmate when she's sequestered inside her family's estate with only her parents to keep her company? This untraditional fairy tale is about a girl who bucks convention to create her own happy ending.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
In 1900, young widow Lucy Muir learns that her seaside cottage is haunted and forms a unique relationship with the ghost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
In a rural Utah town, David, a father of four, grapples with his separation from wife Nikki as she pursues a new relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
When Clara’s mother leaves her a mysterious gift, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms—where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Monster Calls (2016)
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvelyn (2002)
Desmond Doyle is devastated when his wife abandons their family on the day after Christmas. His unemployment, and the fact that there is no woman in the house to care for the children—Evelyn, Dermot and Maurice—make it clear to the authorities this is an untenable situation. The Catholic Church and the Irish courts decide to put the Doyle children into Church-run orphanages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWilson (2017)
Middle-aged and divorced, Wilson finds himself lonely, smug, and obsessed with his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boy in the Dress (2014)
Dennis feels different - an ordinary boy in an ordinary house in an ordinary street, playing football with his mates and living with his dad and brother, but frustrated by the boring grey world he inhabits. Life has never really been the same since his mum left. However, transformation can happen in the most unexpected places. Aided by Lisa, the coolest girl in school, Dennis creates a whole new persona and puts it to the ultimate test - but can a boy wear a dress, and what will the headmaster, his dad and his friends on the football team think if they find out?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInteriors (1978)
When Eve, an interior designer, is deserted by her husband of many years, Arthur, the emotionally glacial relationships of the three grown-up daughters are laid bare. Twisted by jealousy, insecurity and resentment, Renata, a successful writer; Joey, a woman crippled by indecision; and Flyn, a budding actress; struggle to communicate for the sake of their shattered mother. But when their father unexpectedly falls for another woman, his decision to remarry sets in motion a terrible twist of fate…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBecause of Winn-Dixie (2005)
A girl, abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father. There, she adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie. The bond between the girl and her special companion brings together the people in a small Florida town and heals her own troubled relationship with her father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beach House (2018)
Cara Rudland thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind, but returns to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers after losing her job in Chicago. There, she reconnects with her mother Lovie, who has been caring for her young, pregnant friend Toy in her charming beach house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thing with Feathers (2025)
Following the death of his wife, a young father's hold on reality crumbles, and a strange presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
Banker Roger Hobbs wants to spend his vacation alone with his wife, Peggy, but she insists on a family vacation at a California beach house that turns out to be ugly and broken down. Daughter Katey, embarrassed by her braces, refuses to go to the beach, as does TV-addicted son Danny. When the family is joined by Hobbs' two unhappily married daughters and their husbands, he must help everyone with their problems to get some peace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like When The Ocean Is Blue?
The closest matches to When The Ocean Is Blue are Cinderfella (1960), Mary Poppins (1964) and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after When The Ocean Is Blue?
Start with Cinderfella (1960), the closest match to When The Ocean Is Blue.
What is the highest-rated movie like When The Ocean Is Blue?
Mary Poppins (1964), rated 7.5/10 by 5,171 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like When The Ocean Is Blue?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like When The Ocean Is Blue?
Yes: Cinderfella (1960), Mary Poppins (1964) and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010).
How are movies similar to When The Ocean Is Blue chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside When The Ocean Is Blue, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.