Movies like The Water Phoenix (2017)
The best movies like The Water Phoenix (2017) are Aquamarine (2006), Mermaid Down (2019) and Splash (1984). If The Water Phoenix hooked you with its fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBig Fish (2003)7.7/10 from 8,042 votes
- NewestWicker (2026)Released 2026
Aquamarine (2006)
Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMermaid Down (2019)
A mermaid is ripped from the ocean by a fishing crew only to be tortured and to have her tail cut off. A seemingly helpful stranger intervenes, but then locks her away in an institution for mentally disturbed young women, where no one believes she is a mermaid. With no way out, she is forced to count on her survival instincts, and fight for her life at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplash (1984)
A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a mermaid.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPan (2015)
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe King's Daughter (2022)
King Louis XIV's quest for immortality leads him to capture and steal a mermaid's life force, a move that is further complicated by his illegitimate daughter's discovery of the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie: Dolphin Magic (2017)
Barbie and her sisters take off on another exciting, global adventure to visit their friend Ken at his summer internship at a beautiful and exotic coral reef.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid (2023)
The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSabrina, Down Under (1999)
Sabrina travels to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with her best friend Gwen, a fellow witch from England, for a week-long vacation where they try to help protect a hidden mermaid colony whose habitat is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist determined to find the colony as his claim to fame. While Sabrina finds romance with a "merman" from the mermaid colony, Salem the cat finds a possible romance with another witch-turned-into-a-cat, named Hilary, but finds Sabrina's problems interfering with his plans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006)
In this animated follow-up to Fairytopia, Elina enlists the help of a mermaid, Nori, to save her friend Nalu, a merman prince who has been captured by the wicked Laverna.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWicker (2026)
On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman; smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbours, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker. In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKermit's Swamp Years (2002)
At 12 years old, Kermit the Frog and best friends Goggles and Croaker travel outside their homes in the swamps of the Deep South to do something extraordinary with their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010)
Barbie stars as Merliah, a surfer who learns a shocking secret: she's a mermaid! She and her dolphin friend set out for an undersea adventure to rescue her mother, the queen of Oceana.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrincess (2008)
A reclusive princess and a directionless young man embark on a quest to save the world's mythical creatures from becoming extinct.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Fish (2003)
Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like this40 Acres (2025)
Hailey Freeman and her family are the last descendants of African American farmers who settled in rural Canada after the Civil War. In a famine-decimated near future, they now struggle to safeguard their farm, as they make one last stand against a vicious militia hell-bent on taking their 40 Acres.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShorts (2009)
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Sea Beast (2022)
When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mermaids: The Secret of the Medallion (2025)
Three teenage friends struggle with the challenges of school while trying to keep a well-hidden secret: they are mermaids. When their secret is exposed on social media, they embark on a journey to a secret island, where they hope to give up their magical powers. Their adventure is full of surprises and the unexpected, and the girls discover what truly matters in life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Salt Skin (2024)
After being sexually assaulted, 16 year old Mae finds her body transforming in overwhelming ways. Struggling to control her new mermaid tail and losing her grip on reality, she attempts to manage her emotions. When faced with an opportunity to take revenge, she must choose how to heal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Mermaids (2003)
Mermaid sisters hunt down their father's human killer... and deal with their own personal relationships with the humans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Water Will Carry Us Home (2018)
Through living ritual and stop motion animation, this short tells the story of stolen Africans who are thrown off a slave ship whilst sailing through the Middle Passage. Upon falling into the sea, the unimaginable happens when mermaids, who dwell in these waters, save their spirits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Mermaid (1904)
A magician conjures up a mermaid while fishing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPeter Pan (2003)
In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeter Pan (1953)
Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil his attempts to get rid of Peter for good.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisReptilia (TBA)
A dental hygienist is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
A Sirens Call (2021)
Tells the mythical tale of a woman driven by power who is willing to do anything to get it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Mermaid (2021)
A story of Yang Fan who fell into the sea when chasing a mermaid, Xiaoyu. Yang Fan fell in love with a half fish, half girl. But the mermaid have to say bye bye because she want a half fish half human boyfriend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Water Phoenix?
The closest matches to The Water Phoenix are Aquamarine (2006), Mermaid Down (2019) and Splash (1984). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Water Phoenix?
Start with Aquamarine (2006), the closest match to The Water Phoenix.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Water Phoenix?
Big Fish (2003), rated 7.7/10 by 8,042 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Water Phoenix?
Wicker (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Water Phoenix?
Yes: Aquamarine (2006), Mermaid Down (2019) and Splash (1984).
How are movies similar to The Water Phoenix chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Water Phoenix, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.