Movies like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib (2015)
The best movies like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib (2015) are African Cats (2011), The Last Lions (2011) and Living with Leopards (2024). If Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAfrican Cats (2011)7.4/10 from 268 votes
- NewestWolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)Released 2026
African Cats (2011)
African Cats captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Lions (2011)
In Botswana's Okavango Delta, an ostracized lioness and her two cubs must fight alone to survive - overcoming all manner of hazards. Their only defense is to escape to Duba Island -- and with that, an unknown future. The setting for this epic tale is one of the last regions where lions can live in the wild. Faced with dwindling land and increasing pressure from hunting, lions - like our lone lioness and her cubs - are approaching the brink of extinction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLiving with Leopards (2024)
A film crew follows two leopard cubs as they make the fascinating journey from infancy into adulthood in this up-close-and-personal nature documentary.
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 thisOur Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost Elephants (2026)
In Angola's mist-shrouded highlands, three KhoiSan master trackers embark on a spiritual quest to rediscover the legendary "ghost elephants" of Lisima, creatures presumed lost but remembered in ancestral trance, ritual, and memory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElephant (2020)
Disneynature’s Elephant follows African elephant Shani and her spirited son Jomo as their herd make an epic journey hundreds of miles across the vast Kalahari Desert. Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family faces brutal heat, dwindling resources and persistent predators, as they follow in their ancestors’ footsteps on a quest to reach a lush, green paradise.
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 thisChimpanzee (2012)
A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. Through Oscar, a little chimpanzee, we discover learning about life in the heart of the African tropical forest and follow his first steps in this world with humor, emotion and anguish. Following a tragedy, he finds himself separated from his mother and left alone to face the hostility of the jungle. Until he is picked up by an older chimpanzee, who will take him under her protection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)
Reconnecting with a pack of wolves he has followed for seven years, Bertie sets out to capture one of the Arctic's most dangerous and rarely filmed hunts: wolves taking on a bull moose, prey roughly ten times their size. Led by Kona, a striking white breeding male, the pack faces a critical winter as dwindling food supplies, an encroaching rival wolf and an aging leader threaten its survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Meerkats (2008)
A coming of age story following a young meerkat pup, Kolo, growing up in the Kalahari desert; and an inspiring look at how one family's connection to each other and their surroundings is a model of resilience and fortitude for us all. Shot using ground-breaking techniques, this dramatised documentary is a one-of-a-kind presentation from The Weinstein Company and the BBC, featuring narration by Paul Newman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCapital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)
Errol Morris interweaves the stories of four men, each driven to create eccentric worlds from their unique obsessions, all of which involve animals: a lion tamer shares his theories on the mental processes of wild animals; a topiary gardener devotes a lifetime to shaping bears and giraffes out of hedges and trees; a man fascinated with hairless mole rats; and an MIT scientist who has designed complex, autonomous robots that can crawl like bugs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Living Desert (1953)
Although first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between desert creatures of every shape, size and description.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Elephant Queen (2019)
Embark on an epic journey of family, courage, and coming home in this feature-length documentary. Join Athena, the majestic matriarch, as she leads her elephant herd across an unforgiving African landscape filled with vibrant wildlife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBirth of the Living Dead (2013)
A behind the scenes look into George Romero's groundbreaking horror classic Night of the Living Dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Changing Forest (1958)
A brief essay on the ecology of a forest along the Laurentian Shield, in Quebec.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Namibia: Independence Now! (1985)
A revolutionary political moment is captured firsthand by two independent women filmmakers shooting inside refugee settlements in Zambia and Angola in 1985. Depicting the significant role of women in this struggle for independence, this film explores the lives of exiled women workers attempting to free their country from illegal exploitation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Shark vs. Tuna (2018)
A clash of true oceanic titans sees fights in the remote battlefields of Ascension Island. Tuna are often faster, fitter and bigger than the sharks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Shark Vs. Whale (2020)
A routine drone survey turns deadly when Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist based in South Africa, films a humpback whale being attacked and strategically drowned by a Great white shark. This is a total perspective shift for the creature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Air Jaws: Going for Gold (2021)
The Air Jaws team, Chris Fallows, Alison Towner, Dickie Chivell and Enrico Gennari record the breaching behavior of multiple great white sharks off the coast of South Africa, looking to learn which animal is the best hunter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Woodpeckers: The Hole Story (2022)
Go deep into the woods to explore the lives of a unique avian family. Woodpeckers come in 239 species and live on every continent except Antarctica and Australia, playing a powerful role in every ecosystem they inhabit. They come in all shapes and sizes, each uniquely engineered for their particular lifestyles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Nature's Double Lifters (1932)
Mary Field edits the time-lapse photography of F. Percy Smith to show the life cycle of ferns and related plants.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
He Would a-Wooing Go (1936)
Mary Field and F Percy Smith create this whimsical look at the breeding habits and life cycle of frogs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Life Cycle of the Newt (1942)
Underwater and microscopic photography by F. Percy Smith tell the story of a newt's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Cornellskop: Freedom From Fear (2026)
At a South African sanctuary, Luke Cornell provides a second chance for wildlife, confronting the harsh realities of poaching while revealing the deep emotional bond between the animals and those dedicated to their care.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib?
The closest matches to Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib are African Cats (2011), The Last Lions (2011) and Living with Leopards (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib?
Start with African Cats (2011), the closest match to Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib.
What is the highest-rated movie like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib?
African Cats (2011), rated 7.4/10 by 268 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib?
Wolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib?
Yes: African Cats (2011), The Last Lions (2011) and Living with Leopards (2024).
How are movies similar to Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.