Movies like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium (2005)
The best movies like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium (2005) are Short Peace (2013), Genius Party Beyond (2008) and The Animatrix (2003). If Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium hooked you with its animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAngel's Egg (1985)7.7/10 from 635 votes
- NewestTwo-Factor (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseShort Peace (2013)Also in Japanese
Short Peace (2013)
A traveler is confronted by spirits in an abandoned shrine; a story of honor and firefighting in ancient Japan; a white bear defends the royal family from a monstrous red demon; ragtag soldiers battle a robotic force in futuristic Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGenius Party Beyond (2008)
Five stories, five maestros, five styles and one common denominator: maximum creativity. Studio 4°C, the coolest label on the planet, invites us for the second time to an exclusive reunion of a talents with a group film, full of freedom and ingenuity, that goes from Mahiro Maeda's classic anime, to Kazuto Nakazawa's intricate urban sketches, Shinya Ohira's bedlam of color and Tatsuyuki Tanaka's animated cyberpunk. And as if that wasn't enough, Koji Morimoto, the studio big boss, is charge of putting the icing on the cake with fantafabulous piece of abstract poetry that would make a VJ die of ecstasy. The party of the year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Animatrix (2003)
Straight from the creators of the groundbreaking Matrix trilogy, this collection of short animated films from the world's leading anime directors fuses computer graphics and Japanese anime to provide the background of the Matrix universe and the conflict between man and machines. The shorts include Final Flight of the Osiris, The Second Renaissance, Kid's Story, Program, World Record, Beyond, A Detective Story and Matriculated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution (2025)
A veil abruptly descends over the busy Shibuya area amid the bustling Halloween crowds, trapping countless civilians inside. Satoru Gojo, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, steps into the chaos. But lying in wait are curse users and spirits scheming to seal him away. Yuji Itadori, accompanied by his classmates and other top-tier jujutsu sorcerers, enters the fray in an unprecedented clash of curses — the Shibuya Incident. In the aftermath, ten colonies across Japan are transformed into dens of curses in a plan orchestrated by Noritoshi Kamo. As the deadly Culling Game starts, Special Grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu is assigned to carry out Yuji's execution for his perceived crimes. A compilation movie of Shibuya Incident including the first two episodes of the Culling Games arc.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Tsuzumi Mansion Arc (2022)
Tanjiro ventures to the south-southeast where he encounters a cowardly young man named Zenitsu Agatsuma, a fellow survivor from Final Selection. His sparrow asks Tanjiro to help keep him in line. A recap of Kimetsu no Yaiba episodes 11–14, with new footage and special end credits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGenius Party (2007)
The seven short films making up GENIUS PARTY couldn’t be more diverse, linked only by a high standard of quality and inspiration. Atsuko Fukushima’s intro piece is a fantastic abstraction to soak up with the eyes. Masaaki Yuasa, of MIND GAME and CAT SOUP fame, brings his distinctive and deceptively simple graphic style and dream-state logic to the table with “Happy Machine,” his spin on a child’s earliest year. Shinji Kimura’s spookier “Deathtic 4,” meanwhile, seems to tap into the creepier corners of a child’s imagination and open up a toybox full of dark delights. Hideki Futamura’s “Limit Cycle” conjures up a vision of virtual reality, while Yuji Fukuyama’s "Doorbell" and "Baby Blue" by Shinichiro Watanabe use understated realism for very surreal purposes. And Shoji Kawamori, with “Shanghai Dragon,” takes the tropes and conventions of traditional anime out for very fun joyride.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe House (2022)
Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (2019)
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMinions & More Volume 2 (2022)
This collection of 11 short films produced by Illumination includes: From the "Despicable Me" franchise: Mower Minions (2016); Yellow Is the New Black (2018); Competition (2015); Cro Minion (2015); Binky Nelson Unpacified (2015); Panic in the Mailroom (2013). From the "Secret Life of Pets" franchise: Super Gidget (2019). From the "Sing" franchise: Eddie's Life Coach (2017); Gunter Babysits (2017). From the "Lorax" franchise: Serenade (2012); Wagon Ho! (2012).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHalo Legends (2010)
The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMade in Abyss: Journey's Dawn (2019)
First compilation movie of the TV series which covers episodes 1-8 with new scenes added for the introduction. It covers the period from when Riko descends into the Abyss with her robot companion Reg, reaching the second layer where they meet the White Whistle Ozen who reveals information about Riko's mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaruto: The Lost Story - Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (2003)
Naruto and his friends must get back a jug of stolen holy water from a band of higher class ninjas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAngel's Egg (1985)
In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Asakusa Arc (2022)
Tanjiro ventures to Asakusa for his second mission with the Demon Slayer Corps. A recap of Kimetsu no Yaiba episodes 6–10, with new footage and special end credits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mt. Natagumo Arc (2021)
The special consists of the 15-21 episodes of the Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
In a post-war alternative timeline, Japan is divided into the North, controlled by the Union, and the South, controlled by the United States. A mysterious high tower rises within the borders of the Union. Three high school students promise to cross the border with a self-built airplane and unravel the secret of the tower.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- (2023)
A recap of Kimetsu no Yaiba episodes 43–45, with new footage and special end credits. Together with his comrades, Zenitsu and Inosuke, along with one of the top-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tengen Uzui, Tanjiro embarks on a mission within the Entertainment District, where they encounter the formidable, high-ranking demons, Daki and Gyutaro.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: Action Kamen VS Leotard Devil (1993)
Everyone's favorite TV superhero Action Mask shows up in Kasukabe, and he's trying to get something from Shin-chan -- but what could it be?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hashira Meeting Arc (2021)
The special consists of the 22-26 episodes of the Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEVANGELION: DEATH (TRUE)² (1998)
A highly experimental film presenting a story out of chronological order taking place 15 years after a near-apocalyptic catastrophe, about four traumatized 14 year olds who are tasked with piloting massive humanoid decisive weapons called Evangelion, the psychologically maladjusted adults who handle and command them, and the events and forces that affect them or which they take part in as they engage massive hostile invaders known as "Angels."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAutomatic Writing (2003)
Charcoal animation, taken from from Point of View: An Anthology of the Moving Image (2003).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Let Your Light Shine (2013)
Eye candy as a special treat. Let Your Light Shine is the ultimate Spectrum Short film, a photokinetic stroboscopic spectacle for spectacles. A work in the tradition of the absolute animation film of the 1930s, which requires prismatic glasses to achieve the maximum result.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Keiko and the Floating World (TBA)
2011. Fukushima. Keiko's life changes when her friends are swallowed up by the tsunami. Two years later, unable to mourn, the former trawler captain embarks for the quarantine zone, convinced that they are still alive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Adventures of Ultraman (1981)
VHS Description - "Come join in the thrilling outer space adventures of Ultraman, as he battles to save all of mankind. The starlord Barock has command of all the evil powers of the universe, and Ultraman must use the Ultramind, the force of the universal family of man, to fight Barock's deadly invasion. But Barock has captured Mentor, the keeper of the Ultramind and the com-mon life force of the planet Ultara, and will use this power to overthrow all good in the universe. Will Ultraman be able to save Mentor and destroy the cruel Barock in time, and by himself? See this action-packed adventure to find the startling conclusion!!" A film produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Based on Episodes 47 through 50 and 19 through 21.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Boyg (2016)
The Boyg is the voice within that whispers go around, preventing you from facing yourself, suffocating progress and initiative. A six minute visual and musical remix of Ibsens Peer Gynt, Norwegian Folklore, Edvard Griegs composition, paralyzing panic attacks and The Great Boyg itself who finds us all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Two-Factor (2026)
Dissonant selves dancing around opposition and harmony.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Computer Animation Celebration (1998)
The 23 sensational shorts that make up the collection on "Computer Animation Celebration" are examples of the most advanced computer animation ever dreamed up by man or machine. Drop into a den of unusually picky pirates, visit a DNA lab where the experiments take on a life of their own and stop by the rustic Red Ridge Hotel for a series of comically unforgettable "open mike" nights. Plus much more ... !
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Computer Animation Classics (1997)
Powered by breathtaking, pioneering achievements in computer-generated imagery, "Computer Animation Classics" is a sensory-overloading, roller coaster ride into the wildly experimental early years of digital animation. Featuring over two dozen works of soaring visual wizardry, this collector's edition video includes Mick Jagger's classic landmark music video "Hard Woman". You'll also discover a stunning array of seldom-seen, computer animated gems, including the sexy robot commercial spot "Brilliance", lavishly produced foreign TV commercials, and the lyrically hypnotic "Eurhythmy." It's a journey into whimsy, wonder and fantasy as you witness the dawn of a dazzling new art form.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Adrift (2004)
"Adrift" is shot on the arctic island of Spitzbergen and in Norway. It combines time-lapse photography with stop-motion animation of the landscape. Through camera-angles and framing the film gradually dislocates the viewer from a stable base where one loses the sense of scale and grounding.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Face Lift (2017)
Be better and more beautiful than you were before.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium?
The closest matches to Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium are Short Peace (2013), Genius Party Beyond (2008) and The Animatrix (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium?
Start with Short Peace (2013), the closest match to Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium.
What is the highest-rated movie like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium?
Angel's Egg (1985), rated 7.7/10 by 635 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium?
Two-Factor (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium?
Yes: Short Peace (2013), Genius Party Beyond (2008) and JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution (2025).
How are movies similar to Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millennium, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.