Movies like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean (2008)
The best movies like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean (2008) are Deep Blue (2003), Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021) and Dolphin Reef (2018). If IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Cove (2009)8.0/10 from 705 votes
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
Deep Blue (2003)
Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinematic rollercoaster ride for all ages, Deep Blue uses amazing footage to tell us the story of our oceans and the life they support.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPuff: Wonders of the Reef (2021)
A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDolphin Reef (2018)
Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEarth (2007)
An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShark Whisperer (2025)
Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Sea 3D (2006)
Sea life in a whole new way. Deep Sea 3D, an underwater adventure from the filmmakers behind the successful IMAX® 3D film Into the Deep, transports audiences deep below the ocean surface. Through the magic of IMAX®; and IMAX 3D, moviegoers will swim with some of the planets most unique, dangerous and colorful creatures, and understand this inspiring underworld.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlackfish (2013)
Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeepsea Challenge 3D (2014)
Described as being a film about determination, danger and the ocean’s greatest depths, James Cameron's "Deepsea Challenge 3D" tells the story of Cameron’s journey to fulfill his boyhood dream of becoming an explorer. The movie offers a unique insight into Cameron's world as he makes that dream reality – and makes history – by becoming the first person to travel solo to the deepest point on the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOcean with David Attenborough (2025)
David Attenborough takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisChasing Coral (2017)
Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called "coral bleaching" -- a sign of mass coral death -- has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Octopus Teacher (2020)
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Deepest Breath (2023)
Bonded by their love of freediving, a record-setting champion and a heroic safety diver try to make history with a remarkable feat, ready to risk it all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDancing with the Birds (2019)
Some of the world's most majestic birds display delightfully captivating mating rituals, from flashy dancing to flaunting their colorful feathers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008)
In the remote and forgotten wilderness of Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, one of nature's last great mysteries unfolds: the birth, life and death of a million crimson-winged flamingos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cove (2009)
The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBorn to Be Wild (2011)
Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSea of Shadows (2019)
The vaquita, the world’s smallest whale, is nearing extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican cartels and the Chinese Mafia, who harvest the totoaba fish, the “cocaine of the sea.” Environmental activists, the Mexican navy, and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multimillion-dollar business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Life (2011)
One Life captures unprecedented and beautiful sequences of animal behaviour guaranteed to bring you closer to nature than ever before, as well as a second disc packed full of never before seen extras including an exclusive making of featurette narrated by Daniel Craig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Plastic Ocean (2016)
A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Private Life of Plants (1995)
David Attenborough takes us on a guided tour through the secret world of plants, to see things no unaided eye could witness. Each episode in this six-part series focuses on one of the critical stages through which every plant must pass if it is to survive:- travelling, growing, and flowering; struggling with one another; creating alliances with other organisms both plant and animal; and evolving complex ways of surviving in the earth's most ferociously hostile environments.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Beavers (1988)
A story about several beaver families in their wild surroundings. The interesting process of building a dam can be watched as well as the dangers arising from hungry bears and other influences on the new-built home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Ama'ara - the Song of the Whales (2021)
One woman's journey to save - and love - the whales. Enter a world of transcendence in AMA'ARA – The SONG of the WHALES. Spiritual singer and healer Marina Trost follows her calling to cross oceans to save the whales and create a new, loving relationship between humans and these majestic beings. Through channeled music and mesmerizing cinematography, we feel Marina's passion and how she connects intuitively to the whales’ beauty and majesty. Spirituality, sacred song, and healing flow beyond time and space. In this cinematic meditation, we uncover song as a vehicle to our own transcendence. This film is a powerfully poetic love song for our troubled times. (ILLUMINATE Film Festival 2021)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Préhistoire en Asie : L'Aventure humaine (2024)
In the docudrama "Les Derniers Secrets de l'humanité" (The Last Secrets of Humanity), author and director Jacques Malaterre and paleoanthropologist and professor at the Collège de France Yves Coppens reveal the incredible adventure of Asian prehistory. How does science help to reconstruct these bygone times in images? Thanks to discoveries made at excavation sites and in analysis and genetics laboratories, researchers are now revealing this distant, vanished past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
NASCAR: The IMAX Experience (2004)
A big-screen look into one of America's most successful entertainment industries, NASCAR racing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea (2003)
12,000 feet down, life is erupting. Alvin, a deep-sea mechanized probe, makes a voyage some 12,000 feet underwater to explore the Azores, a constantly-erupting volcanic rift between Europe and North America.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Most Wanted Sharks (2020)
Whether it's the biggest great white, the most photographed tiger shark, or the shark known for jumping 100 feet up out of the water, we're diving into the stories of the greatest shark stars of all time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Mystery of the Nile (2005)
Filmed in IMAX, a team of explorers led by Pasquale Scaturro and Gordon Brown face seemingly insurmountable challenges as they make their way along all 3,260 miles of the world's longest and deadliest river to become the first in history to complete a full descent of the Blue Nile from source to sea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Wild Boar: The Comeback (2020)
For centuries, wild boars were hunted to near extinction. But today, thanks to their resilience and smarts, their numbers are increasing across Europe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Tibet: Roof of the World (2020)
Join us as we explore life on the highest mountain plateau on Earth. This beautiful and other worldly place is also one of the harshest on the planet. We follow the lives of some of the iconic creatures that call it home. From Tibetan wolves struggling to raise pups in the rugged peaks, and rare snub nosed monkeys facing family dramas on the forest slopes to chiru antelopes that travel hundreds of miles to give birth while facing death, and hardy pika who tough out the elements all year, whilst under constant attack. Discover how these extraordinary animals manage to not only survive, but also thrive on the roof of the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean?
The closest matches to IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean are Deep Blue (2003), Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021) and Dolphin Reef (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean?
Start with Deep Blue (2003), the closest match to IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean.
What is the highest-rated movie like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean?
The Cove (2009), rated 8.0/10 by 705 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean?
Yes: Deep Blue (2003), Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021) and Dolphin Reef (2018).
How are movies similar to IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.