Movies like Yume (2006)
The best movies like Yume (2006) are Waking Life (2001), Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999) and Iblard Time (2007). If Yume hooked you with its animation and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPaprika (2006)7.8/10 from 3,059 votes
- NewestYou, Fireworks, and Our Promise (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseCardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999)Also in Japanese
Waking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999)
Sakura Kinomoto, a Card Captor, wins a game of chance and is awarded a trip to Hong Kong, along with her best friend Tomoyo and her rival, Syaoran Li. It turns out that the ancient rival of Clow Reed, the creator of the mysterious and powerful Clow Cards, summoned them, and she's out for revenge. A battle ensues, and secrets are revealed about Clow Reed's shady past and Sakura's connection to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIblard Time (2007)
A quiet stroll through the imaginary world of Iblard, originally depicted in the paintings by Naohisa Inoue, influenced by Impressionism and Surrealism.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
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 & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDestino (2003)
Short film to a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover's face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008)
A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
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 & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNapping Princess (2017)
Japan, 2020, a few days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Although she should be studying for her final exams, Kokone, a schoolgirl who lives in a small town with her widowed father, a mysterious and talented mechanic, falls asleep often, anywhere, anytime, entering, over and over, a dream-world where a squad of fantastic motorized contraptions fights against magic, a world close to reality where she will find out the keys of her true past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCosmic Princess Kaguya! (2026)
Iroha's life gets knocked off its orbit when Kaguya, a carefree runaway from the Moon, moves in and convinces her to perform in a virtual world together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMonster High: Scaris City of Frights (2013)
The Monstruitas of Monster High are obsessed with going to Scaris, The City of Frights for Fashion international competition where the winner will become the apprentice of the world famous Madame Ghostier designer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCat Soup (2001)
The surreal black comedy follows Nyatta, an anthropomorphic kitten, on his travel to the land of the dead and back in an effort to save his sister's soul.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: Fast Asleep! The Great Assault on the Dreaming World (2016)
One night, the Nohara family were enjoying a pleasant dream, when suddenly a big fish appeared in their dreams and ate them. The next morning, Hiroshi read in the newspaper that everybody in another town had the same nightmare as him, but it seemed to have ended. But Hiroshi also heard the same dream from Misae, Shinnosuke, Himawari and even Shiro. They were surprised and thought if the same thing is happening in Kasukabe too. In kindergarten, on telling others about his nightmare, Shinnosuke was surprised to know that everybody too had the same dream. Then a mysterious girl named Saki was transferred to Futaba Kindergarten and joined Shinnosuke's class. Everyone in the class, including the rather inactive Bo-chan, were all excited and happy on seeing her. But Saki had a cold attitude and didn't get along well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here – Past (2015)
It all began quite suddenly. Akihito, who appears human but is actually half yomu with the power to quickly heal himself, sees a freshman girl who appears ready to jump from the school rooftop. The girl, Mirai, who has the ability to manipulate blood, which is unique even among members of the spirit world, continues to fight her isolation. Akihito decides at that moment to save Mirai, but disturbing events soon begin to unfold.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tale of the White Serpent (1958)
As a young boy, Xu-Xian is forced to free his pet, a small snake. Unbeknownst to him, the snake is actually a young snake goddess named Bai-Niang and she is in love with him. Many years later, when they are both adults, the princess is magically transformed into a human and sets out to find her love. But the local wizard believes her to be a vampire, and banishes Xu-Xian from the village in order to save him. Xu-Xian's pet pandas Panda and Mimi set out to save him and bring him, in the process becoming leaders of an animal gang.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSummer Ghost (2021)
An urban legend says that lighting fireworks at an abandoned airfield will beckon the "summer ghost," a spirit that can answer any question. Three teenagers, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, each have their own reason to show up one day. When a ghost named Ayane appears, she reveals she is only visible to those "who are about to touch their death." Compelled by the ghost and her message, Tomoya begins regularly visiting the airfield to uncover the true purpose of her visits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBelladonna of Sadness (1973)
An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisxxxHOLiC The Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005)
Invited to a wealthy client's mansion, time-traveling witch Yuko and her companions arrive to find a group of collectors assembled to participate in a mysterious auction. And the mystery only deepens when the collectors go missing one by one. As more guests disappear and strange occurrences abound, Yuko and her friends realize they must solve the mystery before they vanish as well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Testament of Sister New Devil: Departures (2018)
After being branded a potential threat by the hero village, Basara returns home with his companions, where their bonds deepen amid growing tension over a summons to face the elders. Encouraged by Chisato and strengthened by his friends, Basara overcomes a trial that forces him to confront his doubts and accept that he doesn’t have to fight alone. United in resolve, the group sets out together for the hero village, ready to face what lies ahead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPaprika (2006)
Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a research psychologist who uses a device called the DC Mini to enter her patients' dreams, wherein she adopts the alter-ego "Paprika". When the device is stolen, she must stop rogue elements from merging the dream and waking worlds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)
A director faces creative block while working on his latest film – a reimagination of his adolescence growing up in a mountain village in rural Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDokidoki! Pretty Cure the Movie: Memories for the Future (2013)
One day, Mana Aida receives a wedding dress from her mother and grandmother that they had worn in the past. While thinking about who she would wear this beside someday, a mysterious man named Marsh appears, and Mana is thrown back into the past. She was happy to see her grandmother she loved and her old dog Maro, but she then realizes that Alice and Rikka aren't there because memories have been altered. In order to save precious memories, the future, dreams and hope, Mana transforms into Cure Heart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Arthur and the Invisibles (2006)
Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in harmony with nature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
There's trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like Mr. Krab, SpongeBob's boss, is the culprit. Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYellow Submarine (1968)
The wicked Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, eliminating all color and music. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and journeys to Liverpool to enlist the help of the Beatles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYou, Fireworks, and Our Promise (2026)
The coming-of-age romance is set during the Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Show, one of Japan's three major fireworks shows that draws several hundred thousand visitors to Niigata Prefecture every year. What connects Makoto (a Tokyo high school boy without social skills or self-confidence) and Aki (a popular high school girl and class president with beauty and talent) is a drawing of a fireworks display. At the mercy of the drawing's mystery and fate itself, the two have to make a choice in a limited amount of time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Space Camper Chicchi (2022)
Chicchi, an ordinary office lady who works in Commercial Sector II of the solar system, heads to a space camp for a vacation. However, she crash-lands on a planet that is a "graveyard" for scrapped ships.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Beetlejuice (1988)
A newly dead New England couple seeks help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAppleseed Alpha (2014)
The Third World War (2099–2126) devastated part of the Earth. Former nations are reforming while new powers emerge, and groups of humans struggle to survive in ruined cities. The story follows Deunan Knute and her partner Briareos as they search for the legendary city of Olympus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGluttomy (PILOT) (2026)
Appel, a hardworking scholarship student, arrives at an elite private high school ready to embark on his new academic journey. However, what awaits him is unforeseen chaos. Enter the mysterious pink-haired twins, Glista and Glyde, who have taken a burrowing interest in Appel. They’re sweet, bright, and wiggling their way into every part of his life. As his quiet routine begins to unravel, will Appel uncover the true nature of the twins to keep his life from rotting away? The line between intrigue and madness is razor-thin, and the worm is already at the core of the apple.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (2026)
When a massive alien flower known as "Darol" unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population of Japan, Rita is caught in the destruction—and killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Yume?
The closest matches to Yume are Waking Life (2001), Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999) and Iblard Time (2007). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Yume?
Start with Waking Life (2001), the closest match to Yume.
What is the highest-rated movie like Yume?
Paprika (2006), rated 7.8/10 by 3,059 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Yume?
You, Fireworks, and Our Promise (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Yume?
Yes: Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999), Iblard Time (2007) and Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008).
How are movies similar to Yume chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Yume, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.