Movies like The Nutcracker (1968)
The best movies like The Nutcracker (1968) are Brigadoon (1954), Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) and Prince Charming (2001). If The Nutcracker hooked you with its fantasy and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMonster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? (2012)8.0/10 from 208 votes
- NewestThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)Released 2025
Brigadoon (1954)
Americans Jeff and Tommy, hunting in Scotland, stumble upon a village - Brigadoon. They soon learn that the town appears once every 100 years in order to preserve its peace and special beauty. The citizens go to bed at night and when they wake up, it's 100 years later. Tommy falls in love with a beautiful young woman, Fiona, and is torn between staying or going back to his hectic life in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022)
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the animated classic, this animated and live-action blended special showcases the fan-favorite movie, along with new musical performances, sets and costumes inspired by the classic story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrince Charming (2001)
After an extramarital indiscretion, a fairy-tale prince and his sidekick are turned into frogs for all eternity or until the prince can convince a maiden to kiss and then marry him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (2012)
An original story featuring performances by Cirque du Soleil. A young woman is entranced by an Aerialist. When they fall into the dreamlike world of Cirque du Soleil and are separated, they travel through the different tent worlds trying to find each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSofia the First: Once Upon a Princess (2012)
Set in the storybook world of Enchancia, the music-filled movie follows Sofia, an average girl whose life suddenly changes when her mother marries the king and she is whisked off to live in a castle with her mom, new step-father, King Roland II, and step-siblings, Amber and James. Along the way this ordinary girl learns to navigate the extraordinary life of royalty, and in the process makes everyone around her feel special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrancer: A Christmas Tale (2022)
Ten-year-old Gloria and her recently widowed grandfather Bud befriend a mysterious reindeer when the family gather for Christmas. Bud comes to believe that Prancer may actually be magical, but Gloria fears his theory will send him straight to a retirement home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025)
When human sailors are attacked by mysterious creatures of the deep, only one person can stop the war between land and sea: the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
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 fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMirrorMask (2005)
In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Away (2020)
Before Alice went to Wonderland, and before Peter became Pan, they were brother and sister. When their eldest brother dies in a tragic accident, they each seek to save their parents from their downward spirals of despair until finally they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)
A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast Chance for Christmas (2015)
When Prancer injures his hoof Santa’s stable hand, John, must find a fill in to ensure Christmas deliveries go off without a hitch. His mission gets complicated when he discovers that Frankie, the perfect substitute reindeer, belongs to a precocious 8-year-old girl and her mother Annie. As he races to get Frankie up to the North Pole, he realizes that he’s actually falling in love with Annie and has to find a way to win her over and save Christmas at the same time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisHansel and Gretel (1988)
Hansel and Gretel tells the tale of two young children driven from home by their scolding mother. Losing their way in the dark forest they stumble upon the cottage of a kindly old woman. But is this kindly old woman everything she seems...?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnow Queen (2002)
Since a bitter winter storm stole the life of Gerda's mother, she and her father have sadly continued to run the remote hotel they call home. Lonely and isolated, Gerda's only joy is Kai, the handsome bellboy. A mysterious guest with an icy stare arrives at the hotel one night, wrapped in fur and diamonds. By daybreak, the "Snow Queen" has vanished with Kai! Gerda embarks on a journey of morphing seasons, fantastical creatures, and long-frozen mysteries in a desperate quest to find her stolen love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? (2012)
Draculaura’s Sweet 1600th birthday is an extra special occasion to party at Monster High! But her high expectations lead to deadly results when she’s faced with the choice between practical boyfriend Clawd, and new vampire heartthrob, Valentine, a romantic blast from her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHappily Ever After (1989)
In the aftermath of her more famous adventure, Snow White must team up with the dwarves' seven female cousins to battle the late Evil Queen's warlock brother and rescue the captured Prince.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMasters of Georgian Ballet (1955)
A pair of short ballets, written for the screen, filmed and performed by artists of the Georgian SSR. In color, with narration.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & fantasy
Practise Makes (2022)
A ballet dancer moves and shifts in a space unknown.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
When rebellious street dancer Andie West lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer, Chase Collins, to form a crew of fellow outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle The Streets.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (2016)
The young Clara creeps downstairs on Christmas Eve to play with her favourite present – a Nutcracker. But the mysterious magician Drosselmeyer is waiting to sweep her off on a magical adventure. After defeating the Mouse King, the Nutcracker and Clara travel through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy treats them to a wonderful display of dances. Back home, Clara thinks she must have been dreaming – but doesn’t she recognize Drosselmeyer’s nephew?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Nutcracker (2010)
On Christmas Eve in 1920s Vienna, a young girl named Mary and her brother are visited by their eccentric uncle Albert, who gifts a magical wooden nutcracker that comes to life and takes her to a fantasy world to fight the evil Rat King.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Turning Point (1977)
As young dancers, they were best friends and fierce rivals. Deedee left the stage for marriage and motherhood, while Emma would become an international ballet icon. But when Deedee's teenage daughter is invited to join Emma's dance company and begins an affair with a young Russian star, the two women are forced to confront the choices they've made, the resentments they've hidden and the emotional truths they must face at the turning point.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDance, Subaru! (2009)
Subaru and her twin brother Kazuma share a dream in becoming ballet dancers, but their passion is discouraged by their father. After Kazuma's death from a hereditary illness, dancing became Subaru's only happiness and she yearns to lose herself in dance. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she runs into cabaret owner Isuzu, who recognizes the talent in Subaru and trains her in her nightspot. But to become a professional ballerina, Subaru has to overcome harsher challenges than merely satisfying the cabaret drunkards. Spurred on by her rivaling dance companions, Subaru enters an international dance competition, to vie for recognition and a scholarship to any top ballet company in the world. Subaru and her companions soon discover that there are more to compete than the championship, and tests of friendship, betrayal and self-worth come one after another. Gradually the youngsters learn about themselves as dancers, as persons and as friends.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Never Let Me Go (1953)
An American reporter falls in love with a Russian ballet dancer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971)
The Royal Ballet Company brings Squirrel Nutkin, Tom Thumb, Hunca Munca, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Jeremy Fisher, Pigling Bland, and Pigwig to the screen doing pirouettes and pas de deux in this filmed ballet production directed by Reginald Mills. The film more properly belongs, however, to choreographer Frederick Ashmore, composer John Lanchbery, and costume designer Rostislav Douboujinsky. This literal adaptation concerns the shy Beatrix Potter and how, when all of the toy animals in her room come to life, she emerges from her shell and begins to enjoy life. Sequences include a rowdy dance with Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca destroying a collection of plaster food, a midnight pas de deux between Pigling Bland and Pigwig, and a corps de ballet of dancing mice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Summer Interlude (1951)
During a brief summer vacation, a lonely woman recalls her first love thirteen years earlier.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Nutcracker?
The closest matches to The Nutcracker are Brigadoon (1954), Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) and Prince Charming (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Nutcracker?
Start with Brigadoon (1954), the closest match to The Nutcracker.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Nutcracker?
Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? (2012), rated 8.0/10 by 208 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Nutcracker?
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Nutcracker?
Yes: Brigadoon (1954), Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) and Prince Charming (2001).
How are movies similar to The Nutcracker chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Nutcracker, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.