Movies like How to Be a Detective (1952)
The best movies like How to Be a Detective (1952) are Thru the Mirror (1936), The Big Bad Wolf (1934) and Ferdinand the Bull (1938). If How to Be a Detective hooked you with its animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFlowers and Trees (1932)6.9/10 from 206 votes
- NewestEn Rang Par Deux (2020)Released 2020
Thru the Mirror (1936)
Mickey has been reading Alice in Wonderland, and falls asleep. He finds himself on the other side of the mirror, where the furniture is alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Bad Wolf (1934)
The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFerdinand the Bull (1938)
This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaredevil Hare (1948)
Bugs is the test rabbit shot to the moon. There, he meets Commander X-2, who is intent on destroying the Earth with his Aludium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMickey and the Seal (1948)
Mickey accidentally takes a seal home, after it sneaks into his picnic basket. When Mickey takes a bath, the seal is discovered and Mickey returns him to the park. Later, however, Mickey and Pluto discover that the bathroom is filled with seals!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYe Olden Days (1933)
The princess is to wed the Prince against her wishes. When she refuses, the king locks her in the tower. Minstrel Mickey sees her and rescues her, making a rope from the clothes of lady-in-waiting Clarabell. The king spots them and prepares to chop off Mickey's head until Minnie intercedes. The king calls for a joust. Mickey wins and they live happily ever after.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDonald's Lucky Day (1939)
Donald Duck, delivery boy, is hired to deliver a mysterious package on Friday the Thirteenth. He is hindered by a bothersome black cat -- and by the fact that the package contains a live bomb.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPuss Gets the Boot (1940)
Jasper is given an ultimatum by his master: break one more thing and you're out. Rodent Jerry does his best to make sure that his tormentor "gets the boot".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Flying Mouse (1934)
To the tune "I Would Like to Be a Bird," a young mouse fashions wings from a pair of leaves, to the great amusement of his brothers when his attempts to use them fail. When the butterfly he rescues from a spider proves to be a fairy, he wishes for wings. But his bat-like appearance doesn't fit in with either the birds or the other mice, and he finds himself friendless; even the bats make fun of him. Written by Jon Reeves
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPluto's Judgement Day (1935)
Pluto chases a kitten through a window and right into Mickey's lap. Mickey scolds him, and goes off to wash the kitten. Pluto falls asleep in front of the fire, and dreams of a hell ruled by cats where he is put on trial for all his crimes against cats and, of course, found guilty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall (1942)
Three fun-loving, morally upright brothers from Pimento University save their fiancée from their fiendish archenemy, Dan Backslide, in this spoof of the Rover Boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKnighty Knight Bugs (1958)
King Arthur's kingdom and the knights of the Round Table are in the doldrums since the Dark Knight stole the Singing Sword and put it under the protection of a fire-breathing dragon. The king's jester, Bugs Bunny, says only a fool would try to steal it back, so the king orders him to try. The jester boldly enters the Dark Knight's castle, initially catching his adversaries napping, but when the Singing Sword wakes the knight and the dragon, can Bugs complete his mission? He's a clever fool. A moat, portcullis, and catapult all figure in the face off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Night Before Christmas (1933)
A narrator sings the opening stanzas of the classic poem while we see the house at rest. Santa lands on the roof, comes down the chimney, and opens his bag. The toys march out and decorate the tree, with the toy soldiers shooting balls from their cannon, a toy airplane stringing a garland like skywriting, and the toy firemen applying snow. A blimp delivers the star to the top. Meanwhile, Santa fills the stockings. His laughter awakens the children, who sneak out. The toys rush to their places, and Santa escapes up the chimney just in time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlowers and Trees (1932)
A jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeach Picnic (1939)
Donald Duck is at the beach and tries to ride a rubber horse. He notices Pluto sleeping at the shore and decides to have some fun with him by sending the rubber horse over to Pluto which completely mesmerizes him. Meanwhile, a tribe of ants abduct Donald's picnic lunch. Donald lays out fly paper to stop the ants. Pluto follows one of the ants and, of course, he and later Donald become enmeshed in the fly paper
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Incredible and Pals (2005)
An animated short film produced by Pixar included as a bonus on the DVD edition of the 2004 feature film "The Incredibles."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999)
After Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Rabbit see Christopher Robin making a valentine for -- gasp! -- a girl, they find he's been bitten by a "Smitten" and is lovesick! Worried that he'll no longer have time for them, and hoping a second bite from the love bug will cure him, they set out on a wild adventure to capture the Smitten. This wonderful story, filled with magic and whimsy, and sweetened with three new songs, reminds us all that the heart is big and always has plenty of room for friends -- old and new.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHis Mouse Friday (1951)
Tom is shipwrecked on an island, which is inhabited by at least one mouse - Jerry. To thwart the hungry cat, Jerry disguises himself as a cannibal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYellow Is the New Black (2018)
An adventure about two Minions who make a daring (though temporary) escape from jail. As they navigate the chaos of their breakout, their antics showcase the Minions' signature blend of resourcefulness and mischief, resulting in a short filled with hilariously unpredictable moments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's Service Station (1935)
Mickey, Goofy & Donald have 10 minutes to fix Pete's car. Or else!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEn Rang Par Deux (2020)
The idea for this film comes from the encounter with two African boys who live in Rome, and is based on their music. Tunisian Afif and Senegalese Aliou tell their different stories, talk about friendship, immigration, freedom and, above all, about the fundamental value of making music together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
About the Hippopotamus Who Was Afraid of Inoculations (1966)
Fabulous animals bathed, rested and had fun on the summer beach of the southern town. Suddenly, the rest was interrupted by an urgent message on a hanging poster: "Everyone needs to vaccinate vaccinations from elephant to fly!". However, all the animals, having read the message, as if nothing had happened, began to rest, dance and sunbathe again. And only Behemoth, worried, began to ask everyone how scary and painful it was to vaccinate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Alice in Not So Wonderland (2007)
The story of Alice in Wonderland, explored in the stop-motion world of the Quay brothers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Buffalo Boy and His Flute (1963)
A young boy who likes to play the flute dreams that he has lost his water buffalo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection (2010)
An anthology of DC Showcase stories consisting of a new Superman/Shazam feature and extended versions of older shorts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCassini's Grand Finale (2017)
To help visualize the dramatic final chapter in Cassini's remarkable story, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this short film that features beautiful computer-generated animation, thoughtful narration and a rousing score. Producers at JPL worked with filmmaker Erik Wernquist, known for his 2014 short film "Wanderers," to create a stirring finale video befitting one of NASA's most successful missions of exploration.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Urbanissimo (1967)
A comic allegory in which a runaway "city" on legs matches wits with a wily farmer. A farmer has an encounter with a runaway "city" (which devours its environs). He deserts his rural home for the imagined joys of urban life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Francis (2013)
Francis is a short story written by american novelist Dave Eggers. This is the story of a young boy growing up in the suburbs of chicago. He spent his vacations in Quetico Provincial Park, up on the border of Minnesota and Canada. But he won't be going back any day soon, not after what happened to a girl called Francis Brandywine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
COMBO (2009)
Street artist Blu animates large-scale creatures as they crawl across an abandoned Argentine cityscape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Guard Dog Global Jam (2011)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How to Be a Detective?
The closest matches to How to Be a Detective are Thru the Mirror (1936), The Big Bad Wolf (1934) and Ferdinand the Bull (1938). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How to Be a Detective?
Start with Thru the Mirror (1936), the closest match to How to Be a Detective.
What is the highest-rated movie like How to Be a Detective?
Flowers and Trees (1932), rated 6.9/10 by 206 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How to Be a Detective?
En Rang Par Deux (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like How to Be a Detective?
Yes: Thru the Mirror (1936), The Big Bad Wolf (1934) and Ferdinand the Bull (1938).
How are movies similar to How to Be a Detective chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How to Be a Detective, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.