Movies like The House Elf (2019)
The best movies like The House Elf (2019) are Ella Enchanted (2004), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and Candy Cane Lane (2023). If The House Elf hooked you with its fantasy and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)6.7/10 from 2,996 votes
- NewestSwapped! (2026)Released 2026
Ella Enchanted (2004)
Ella lives in a magical world in which each child, at the moment of their birth, is given a virtuous "gift" from a fairy godmother. Ella's so-called gift, however, is obedience. This birthright proves itself to be quite the curse once Ella finds herself in the hands of several unscrupulous characters whom she quite literally cannot disobey. Determined to gain control of her life and decisions, Ella sets off on a journey to find her fairy godmother who she hopes will lift the curse. The path, however, isn't easy -- Ella must outwit a slew of unpleasant obstacles including ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, elves and Prince Charmont's evil uncle, who wants to take over the crown and rule the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSanta Claus: The Movie (1985)
In ancient times, a man named Claus, who delivers toys in his small village, fulfils his destiny to become Santa Claus after meeting an expert toy-making elf, Patch, in the North Pole. In the present day, Santa Claus has become overwhelmed by his workload, and the disgruntled Patch flees the workshop to New York City. There, Patch unknowingly threatens the fate of Christmas by taking a job at a failing toy company run by a scheming businessman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCandy Cane Lane (2023)
Determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, family man Chris makes a pact with an elf to help him out-do the competition. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, unleashing chaos on the small unsuspecting town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDashing Through the Snow (2023)
Eddie Garrick is a good-hearted man who has lost his belief in the wonder of Christmas. While spending time with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on Christmas Eve, he befriends a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFour Kids and It (2020)
A group of kids on holiday in Cornwall meet a magical creature on the beach with the power to grant wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wish of the Fairy Fish (2023)
If you go fishing, be prepared to draw the fish of your dreams, the magical Pike, which can grant any three wishes. Only Emelya let two wishes down the drain, and decided to save the third. Therefore, in order to achieve the hand of the royal daughter Anfisa, he will have to act without magical power, on his own. And Pike will help him, who without her skin will appear as an ordinary girl Vasilisa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Fairy Tale After All (2022)
A stubborn teenage girl finds herself confronted by whimsical characters when she is transported into a world of fantasy and fairy tales while attending a school marionette show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
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 family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Santa Clause 2 (2002)
Better watch out! The big guy in red is coming to town once again. This time, Scott Calvin -- also known as Santa Claus -- finds out there's an obscure clause in his contract requiring him to take on a wife. He has to leave the North Pole to fulfill his obligations, or else he'll be forced to give up his Yuletide gig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Legend of Ochi (2025)
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Witch (2008)
A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wizard of the Emerald City, Part I (2025)
Ellie lives in a distant city. One day, the evil witch Gingema conjured a hurricane that took Ellie and her dog Totoshka to the country of the Munchkins. To return home, Ellie and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion will set off along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City in search of the Wizard who will grant their cherished wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNico the Unicorn (1998)
As an 11-year-old boy struggles to cope with a disability, he finds a pony who gives birth to a unicorn which he takes care of.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlice in Wonderland (1999)
Alice follows a white rabbit down a rabbit-hole into a whimsical Wonderland, where she meets characters like the delightful Cheshire Cat, the clumsy White Knight, a rude caterpillar, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts and can grow ten feet tall or shrink to three inches. But will she ever be able to return home?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Tooth Fairy Tale (2025)
Van, the brave son of a tooth fairy leader, meets the goblins girl Gemma on his first mission. Despite the myths about ancient disputes between fairies and goblins, they share common values. When the greedy Spider Queen threatens both tribes, they must work together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Borrowers (1997)
The four-inch-tall Clock family secretly share a house with the normal-sized Lender family, "borrowing" such items as thread, safety pins, batteries and scraps of food. However, their peaceful co-existence is disturbed when evil lawyer Ocious P. Potter steals the will granting title to the house, which he plans to demolish in order to build apartments. The Lenders are forced to move, and the Clocks face the risk of being exposed to the normal-sized world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFairyTale: A True Story (1997)
In 1917, two children take a photograph, which is soon believed by some to be the first scientific evidence of the existence of fairies. Based on the true story of the Cottingley Fairies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Global Fan Screening (2022)
An edited version of the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, shown exclusively to fans in cinemas around the world in August 2022. In a time of relative peace, an ensemble cast of characters confronts the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElfette Saves Christmas (2019)
Elfette has to save the day when Santa Claus is kidnapped by the mafia, who try to take over Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
The Santa Clause (1994)
On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElf Me (2023)
A bumbling Christmas elf whose Santa's helper job is jeopardized by a complete inability in building toys teams up with a kid harassed by bullies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPrep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol (2025)
Christmas elves Lanny and Wayne panic when their holiday missions go awry, leaving Wayne thinking he's in BIG trouble with Santa and accidentally revealing other merry mishaps.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCorreveidiles Teatro: Christmas is here (2025)
Music video for the song by Correveidiles Teatro: "Christmas is here".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & family
Warlord (2025)
Revolt is on the horizon in the ancient city of Lloris, ruled with an iron fist by the merciless Sheriff and The Brute. Believing their mystical powers could help free the oppressed citizens from tyranny, a young human seeks out the aid of the reclusive elves and their legendary Warlord. However, with both sides harbouring secrets, and hiding their true motives, this tentative alliance between the humans and elves may bring about the downfall of them all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)
An oil company is exploring two Arctic sites for oil. The needed blasting at the first site rocks Santa Claus' North Pole village. He realizes that any blasting at the second site will destroy his home. He enlists the aid of a woman and her children to convince her husband (who works for the company) that the first site is where the oil they want is. Along the way, Santa explains all his secrets in delivering presents all around the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Devils (TBA)
An adaptation of Joe Abercrombie's best-selling 2025 novel, a dark fantasy epic centering on a special force of monsters enlisted to save Europe from a scourge of flesh-eating elves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Swapped! (2026)
When TTRPGS go... wrong? An Elf in our world, a modern human in theirs. What could possiblly go wrong?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Duende (TBA)
Inspired by Flamenco, our love of Japan and the music of Rosalía
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The House Elf?
The closest matches to The House Elf are Ella Enchanted (2004), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and Candy Cane Lane (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The House Elf?
Start with Ella Enchanted (2004), the closest match to The House Elf.
What is the highest-rated movie like The House Elf?
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), rated 6.7/10 by 2,996 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The House Elf?
Swapped! (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The House Elf chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The House Elf, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.