Movies like Empty Nest (2019)
The best movies like Empty Nest (2019) are I Believe (2019), Iron Boy (2026) and Make Mine Music (1946). If Empty Nest hooked you with its drama and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRemi, Nobody's Boy (2018)7.9/10 from 481 votes
- NewestIron Boy (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchIron Boy (2026)Also in French
I Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Boy (2026)
In rural France, 10-year-old Christophe tries to live up to his rigid and distant father on the family farm. But the young boy starts to lean over and collapse without warning — on the tractor, at school, at dinner... A doctor finds the solution: Christophe must wear an iron corset to keep himself upright. Forced to reinvent his life away from the farm, Christophe discovers a new passion for music, meets a new friend, and follows her into his first mischief. But will any of this really fix what is out of balance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMake Mine Music (1946)
In the tradition of Fantasia, Make Mine Music is a glorious collection of musically charged animated shorts featuring such fun-filled favorites as "Peter and the Wolf", narrated by the beloved voice behind Winnie the Pooh. In addition you'll enjoy such classic cartoon hits as "Casey at the Bat," "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Red Turtle (2016)
The dialogue-less film follows the major life stages of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCanvas (2020)
After a heartbreaking loss, a grandfather struggling to reclaim his passion for painting finds the inspiration to create again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Good Witch (2008)
A mysterious woman comes in to town and inhabits the local haunted mansion, making everyone wonder if she's a witch or "The Grey Lady".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkater Girl (2021)
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHilda and the Mountain King (2021)
When Hilda wakes up in the body of a troll, she must use her wits and courage to get back home, become human again — and save the city of Trolberg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables (2016)
Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSamantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004)
Kindhearted Samantha Parkington's world starts to change the day Nellie O'Malley walks into her life. Nellie, her father, and her two little sisters have moved in next door to be servants for the Ryland family. Though they come from completely different backgrounds, Samantha and Nellie become fast friends. The girls turn to each other in happiness and sorrow, adventure and danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeidi (2005)
Swiss girl Adelheid 'Heidi' is orphaned young. Aunt Detie brings her to grandpa Alp and his wife, who live isolated in the Alps since his murder charge. Heidi soon takes to the wild country, especially accompanying young goatherd Peter. Grandpa refuses to send her to school in the city, but aunt Detie returns and forces him to give in. She's sent to a posh lady in Frankfurt, where she'll be a companion for crippled daughter Clara after school hours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFlicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Princess (1939)
A little girl goes in search of her father who is reported missing by the military during the Second Boer War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemi, Nobody's Boy (2018)
At the age of 10 years, young Rémi is snatched from his adoptive mother and entrusted to the signor Vitalis, a mysterious itinerant musician. Has its hard sides - he will learn the harsh life of acrobat and sing to win his bread. Accompanied by the faithful dog capi and of the small monkey Joli-Coeur, his long trip through France, made for meetings, friendships and mutual assistance, leads him to the secret of its origins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJourney from Greece (2017)
Djam, a young Greek woman, is sent to Istanbul by her uncle Kakourgos, a former sailor with a passion for Rebetiko, to find a rare part that will repair their boat. In Istanbul, she encounters Avril, a nineteen-year-old French girl, alone and without any money, who came to Turkey as a voluntary worker with refugees. Djam, generous, cheeky, unpredictable, and free-spirited, takes Avril under her wing on the way to Mytilene. A journey filled with encounters, music, sharing, and hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rescuers Down Under (1990)
A lawless poacher wants to capture a majestic and rare golden eagle, so he kidnaps the boy who knows where to find the bird. Not to worry -- the Rescue Aid Society's top agents, heroic mice Miss Bianca and Bernard, fly to Australia to save the day. Accompanying the fearless duo are bumbling albatross Wilbur and local field operative Jake the Kangaroo Rat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Train Your Dragon (2010)
As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTarzan (1999)
Tarzan was a small orphan who was raised by an ape named Kala since he was a child. He believed that this was his family, but on an expedition Jane Porter is rescued by Tarzan. He then finds out that he's human. Now Tarzan must make the decision as to which family he should belong to...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNest (2022)
A story of siblings building a tree house together over the course of a year. We experience the beauty and brutality of the seasons, as we follow them through their struggles and moments of joy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Rocciatori ed Aquile (1942)
Presented as a kind of docu-fiction, the film shows training maneuvers by the young mountaineers of the Scuola Centrale Militare di Alpinismo (Military School of Mountaineering). Differents groups of rock climbers ascend the Winkler Tower and Torre del Vajolet. While ascending one of the towers, one of the climbers is attacked by an eagle that makes him fall and leaves him hanging on the rope. The film, produced in 1942 by the Instituto Nazionale Luce at the end of the Italian Fascist regime, was awarded in the Mostra Internazionale del Cinema di Venezia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Since You Left (2023)
In the hope of coping with a broken relationship, a girl named Maria continuously goes on dates at the tea house, where she met her past lover while overwhelmed with grief and loneliness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Masterpiece (2023)
The Artist (Amaya Gomez) does not have The Muse with them so they are struggling to create something because they have no muse to inspire them. The Artist must pull inspiration from within themselves to which they essentially create, nothing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Space of the Dream (2026)
In a post-human world where dreams have vanished, a solitary woman wanders through silent cities, carrying with her memories of love and humanity that endure despite the desolation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Quiet World (2025)
Based off the poem by Jeffery McDaniel; a woman goes by her day unable to use more than a few words in this restrictive and cruel government.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Empty Nest and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Empty Nest?
The closest matches to Empty Nest are I Believe (2019), Iron Boy (2026) and Make Mine Music (1946). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Empty Nest?
Start with I Believe (2019), the closest match to Empty Nest.
What is the highest-rated movie like Empty Nest?
Remi, Nobody's Boy (2018), rated 7.9/10 by 481 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Empty Nest?
Iron Boy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Empty Nest?
Yes: Iron Boy (2026), The Red Turtle (2016) and Remi, Nobody's Boy (2018).
How are movies similar to Empty Nest chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Empty Nest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.