Movies like Zanzibar (1940)
The best movies like Zanzibar (1940) are Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Hatari! (1962) and The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2016). If Zanzibar hooked you with its adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Dawn Wall (2017)8.0/10 from 378 votes
- NewestTrue Spirit (2023)Released 2023
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Harry Holt returns to Africa with his friend Martin Arlington to head up a large ivory expedition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHatari! (1962)
A female wildlife photographer arrives on an East African reservation where a group of men trap wild animals for zoos and circuses.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2016)
Set in the African savannah, the film follows Kion as he assembles the members of the 'Lion Guard'. Throughout the film, the diverse team of young animals will learn how to utilize each of their unique abilities to solve problems and accomplish tasks to maintain balance within the Circle of Life, while also introducing viewers to the vast array of animals that populate the prodigious African landscape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTarzan Escapes (1936)
White hunter Captain Fry tries to take Tarzan back to civilization, caged for public display. He arrives in the jungle with Jane's cousins, Eric and Rita, who want Jane's help in claiming a fortune left her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Spirit (2023)
When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant and her parents, Jessica is determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe African Queen (1952)
At the start of the First World War, in the middle of Africa’s nowhere, a gin soaked riverboat captain is persuaded by a strong-willed missionary to go down river and face-off a German warship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Sky (1952)
Two tough Kentucky mountaineers join a trading expedition from St. Louis up the Missouri River to trade whisky for furs with the Blackfoot Indians. They soon discover that there is much more than the elements to contend with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurious George (2006)
When The Man in the Yellow Hat befriends Curious George in the jungle, they set off on a non-stop, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend of the Lost (1957)
American ne'er-do-well Joe January is hired to take Paul Bonnard on an expedition into the desert in search of treasure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKhumba (2013)
A half-striped zebra is blamed for the drought and leaves his herd in search of his missing stripes. He is joined on his quest by an overprotective wildebeest and a flamboyant ostrich; they defeat the tyrannical leopard and save his herd.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Far Off Place (1993)
Thrown together under incredible circumstances, two strangers must discover courage and strength when they begin a journey across the treacherous African desert! Equipped only with their wits and the expertise of a native bushman who befriends them, they are determined to triumph over impossible odds and reach their destination. But along the way, the trio face a primitive desert wilderness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJourney 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo by Two: Overboard! (2020)
Two misfit castaways struggle to reunite an unorthodox family, out-run a volcano, and negotiate a peace deal on a creaking Ark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVera Cruz (1954)
After the American Civil War, mercenaries travel to Mexico to fight in their revolution for money. The former soldier and gentleman Benjamin Trane meets the gunman and killer Joe Erin and his men, and together they are hired by the Emperor Maximillian and the Marquis Henri de Labordere to escort the Countess Marie Duvarre to the harbor of Vera Cruz.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit (2010)
Jack Hunter, an adventurous treasure seeker, goes to Syria after his mentor and father figure Professor Fredrick Shaffer is killed. Professor Frederick Shaffer believed that the people of Ugarit, a town in Syria that existed during the Pharoah’s reign, had buried a treasure before they were wiped out by the Pharoahs. Jack Hunter is one of the few archaeologists in the world who can interpret Ugarit writings
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dawn Wall (2017)
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006)
After retrieving the Crystal Skull in Utah, Flynn Carsen receives a map in the mail with the secret location of King Solomon's Mines. When the scroll is stolen, Judson explains the power of the Key of Solomon's book and assigns Flynn to retrieve the map. The map is useless without the legend piece to decipher it, which is located in Volubilis near the Roman ruins in Morocco. Flynn heads to Casablanca to the ruins where he is chased by a group of mercenaries leaded by General Samir. They too want to find the location of King Solomon's mines. Flynn teams-up with Professor Emily Davenport working in the dig and they escape from General Samir and his men. While traveling to Gedi, they save the local Jomo from death and the trio faces a dangerous journey through the wild Africa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
When scientists exploring the Amazon River stumble on a “missing link” connecting humans and fish, they plan to capture it for later study. But the Creature has plans of his own, and has set his sights on the lead scientist's beautiful fiancée, Kay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKings of the Sun (1963)
In order to flee from powerful enemies, young Mayan king Balam leads his people north across the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of what will become the United States. They build a home in the new land but come into conflict with a tribe of Native Americans led by their chief, Black Eagle, while both Balam and Black Eagle fall in love the beautiful Mayan princess Ixchel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoar (1981)
Roar follows a family who are attacked by various African animals at the secluded home of their keeper.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisGeorge of the Jungle (1997)
Deep in the African jungle, a baby named George, the sole survivor of a plane crash, is raised by gorillas. George grows up to be a buff and lovable klutz who has a rainforest full of animal friends: Tookie, his big-beaked toucan messenger; Ape, a witty talking gorilla; and Shep, a peanut-loving pooch of an elephant. But when poachers mess with George's pals, the King of Swing swings into action.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Sir Robert Beaumont is behind schedule on a railroad in Africa. Enlisting noted engineer John Henry Patterson to right the ship, Beaumont expects results. Everything seems great until the crew discovers the mutilated corpse of the project's foreman, seemingly killed by a lion. After several more attacks, Patterson calls in famed hunter Charles Remington, who has finally met his match in the bloodthirsty lions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Solomon's Mines (1985)
Ever in search of adventure, explorer Allan Quatermain agrees to join the beautiful Jesse Huston on a mission to locate her archaeologist father, who has been abducted for his knowledge of the legendary mines of King Solomon. As the kidnappers, led by sinister German military officer Bockner, journey into the wilds of Africa, Allan and Jesse track the party and must contend with fierce natives and dangerous creatures, among other perils.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Wild (2006)
An adolescent lion is accidentally shipped from the New York Zoo to Africa. Now running free, his zoo pals must put aside their differences to help bring him back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Naked Prey (1965)
A group of men are on safari. One of the party refuses to give a gift to a tribe they encounter. The tribe is offended, seizes the party, and one-by-one, kills all but one of the safari members in various creative and horrifying ways. The last surviving member is given "The Lion's Chance" by the tribal leader to be hunted down by a party of tribal warriors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBaby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)
A paleontologist and her husband discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, and try to protect them from hunters who want to capture them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisS.O.S. Iceberg (1933)
An expedition goes in search of a party lost in the Arctic a year earlier. (The English-language version of S.O.S. Eisberg.)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
K2 La Montagne Inachevée (1980)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Africa Light / Gray Zone (2010)
"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Like Zanzibar and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Zanzibar?
The closest matches to Zanzibar are Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Hatari! (1962) and The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Zanzibar?
Start with Tarzan and His Mate (1934), the closest match to Zanzibar.
What is the highest-rated movie like Zanzibar?
The Dawn Wall (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Zanzibar?
True Spirit (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Zanzibar?
Yes: Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Hatari! (1962) and The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2016).
How are movies similar to Zanzibar chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Zanzibar, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.