Movies like My Dear Elephant (2019)
The best movies like My Dear Elephant (2019) are 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), Dumbo (2019) and Water for Elephants (2011). If My Dear Elephant hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGreen Snake (2021)8.1/10 from 399 votes
- NewestAnimal Farm (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseThe Monkey King: Reborn (2021)Also in Chinese
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)
An old Chinese man rides into the town of Abalone, Arizona and changes it forever, as the citizens see themselves reflected in the mirror of Lao's mysterious circus of mythical beasts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDumbo (2019)
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWater for Elephants (2011)
In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaving Flora (2019)
Flora is a circus elephant who can no longer perform her tricks. The night before she's scheduled to be euthanized, the circus owner's 14-year old daughter, Dawn, sneaks Flora from the circus. All that stands between them and the safety of the elephant preserve is two hundred kilometers of woods, one raging river, two elephant hunters and the fear of not making it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Valley of Gwangi (1969)
A turn of the century wild west show struggling to make a living in Mexico comes into the possession of a tiny prehistoric horse. This leads to an expedition to the Forbidden Valley where they discover living dinosaurs. They capture one and take it back to be put on display, leading to inevitable mayhem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Monkey King: Reborn (2021)
When the irritable monkey king visits a temple together with his master Tang Monk, he feels offended because of a trifle and thereupon accidentally destroys a magic tree growing on the sacred ground. This brings an ancient demon king back to life, who promptly kidnaps Tang Monk to take revenge for his long imprisonment. The monkey king and his followers have only three days to not only save their master but also to prevent the demon king from regaining his full powers and destroying the world…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Greatest Showman (2017)
The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnimal Farm (2026)
A group of farm animals rise up against their neglectful owner, dreaming of equality and freedom. But as the pigs take control, the revolution turns into tyranny, with truth rewritten and dissent crushed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie of Swan Lake (2003)
Barbie as Odette, the young daughter of a baker, follows a unicorn into the Enchanted Forest and is transformed into a swan by an evil wizard intent on defeating the Fairy Queen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magician's Elephant (2023)
Peter is searching for his long-lost sister when he crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square. His only question is: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLili (1953)
Members of a circus troupe "adopt" Lili Daurier when she finds herself stranded in a strange town. The magician who first comes to her rescue already has romantic entanglements and thinks of her as a little girl. Who can she turn to but the puppets, singing to them her troubles, forgetting that there are puppeteers? A crowd gathers around Lili as she sings. The circus has a new act. She now has a job. Will she get her heart's desire?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDumbo (1941)
Dumbo is a baby elephant born with over-sized ears and a supreme lack of confidence. But thanks to his even more diminutive buddy Timothy the Mouse, the pint-sized pachyderm learns to surmount all obstacles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Myth (2005)
When a fellow scientist asks for Jack's help in locating the mausoleum of China's first emperor, the past collides violently with the present as Jack discovers his amazing visions are based in fact.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Snake (2019)
One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. As they set off an a journey to discover her real identity, the pair develop feelings for each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHorton Hears a Who! (2008)
An imaginative elephant named Horton hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Horton suspects there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community, who thinks he has lost his mind, he is determined to save the tiny particle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Unicorn (1982)
A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreen Snake (2021)
While trying to free her sister from Fahai's clutches, Xiao Qing winds up in a dystopian city and meets a mysterious man who can't recall his past life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnimal Farm (1954)
Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisConquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNew Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)
While living as an ordinary deliveryman and motor racing fan, Nezha encounters old nemeses and must rediscover his powers to protect his loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like this
Like My Dear Elephant and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like My Dear Elephant?
The closest matches to My Dear Elephant are 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), Dumbo (2019) and Water for Elephants (2011). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after My Dear Elephant?
Start with 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), the closest match to My Dear Elephant.
What is the highest-rated movie like My Dear Elephant?
Green Snake (2021), rated 8.1/10 by 399 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like My Dear Elephant?
Animal Farm (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like My Dear Elephant?
Yes: The Monkey King: Reborn (2021), The Myth (2005) and White Snake (2019).
How are movies similar to My Dear Elephant chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside My Dear Elephant, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.