Movies like Return to Sender (2016)
The best movies like Return to Sender (2016) are Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" (2020), Paperman (2012) and In a Heartbeat (2017). If Return to Sender hooked you with its animation and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPaperman (2012)8.0/10 from 1,852 votes
- NewestCarta, Serenata (2026)Released 2026
Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" (2020)
When Maggie Simpson is rescued by a cute young baby from playground peril, it's girl meets boy, girl loses boy, guess what happens next?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPaperman (2012)
An urban office worker finds that paper airplanes are instrumental in meeting a girl in ways he never expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIn a Heartbeat (2017)
A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCarl's Date (2023)
Carl Fredricksen reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a lady friend—but admittedly has no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl's pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you're a dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Charlie Brown Valentine (2002)
Lovesick Charlie Brown hopes – still – to get a valentine from the Little Red-Haired Girl, as does Sally from Linus, Lucy from Schroeder and Peppermint Patty from Charlie Brown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPanic in the Mailroom (2013)
Two Minions are busy at work in the mailroom. One of them, bored, decides to throw a box of expired PX-41 samples into its designated chute.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Admirer (1985)
An anonymous love letter left in Michael Ryan's locker on the last day of school wreaks havoc on his life and the lives of everyone who comes in contact with it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control when her secret letters to every boy she's ever fallen for are mysteriously mailed out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
Lara Jean and Peter have just taken their romance from pretend to officially real when another recipient of one of her love letters enters the picture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Guy (2022)
Groot discovers a miniature civilization that believes the seemingly enormous tree toddler is the hero they’ve been waiting for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Thing About Harry (2020)
Two high school enemies, uber-jock Harry and out-and-proud Sam, are forced to share a car ride to their Missouri hometown for a friend's engagement party on Valentine's Day. Things take a turn when Sam learns Harry has come out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDay & Night (2010)
When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world-the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRed Nose Day Actually (2017)
Fourteen years after the events of the original film, a series of encounters between people in Britain reminds us that in these different times Love, actually exists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLou (2017)
A lost-and-found box holds a mysterious and unseen monster within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGroot Takes a Bath (2022)
Everybody needs some alone time to relax and wash up, but things go quite differently when you’re a Flora Colossi toddler.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDesperados (2020)
A panicked young woman and her two best friends fly to Mexico to delete a ranting email she sent to her new boyfriend. On arrival, they run into her former beau, who soon gets caught up in their frantic scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGroot's Pursuit (2022)
Groot investigates a spooky noise that’s been haunting the Quadrant, which leads to an intense dance off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977)
For his school Homecoming, Charlie Brown is told that he will be escorting the Homecoming Queen to the dance, and is supposed to give her a traditional kiss. When he learns that the Homecoming Queen is the red-headed girl that he has pined for all his life, he really hopes to put in a good showing at the football game where he is the kicker. Unfortunately, Lucy will be holding the ball for him...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Fall in Love (2012)
An accountant, who never quite grew out of his awkward teenage years, finds himself with a dating coach - she happens to be his high school crush as well. Thanks to his coach, he gets a pretty woman he has his sights on for some time, but realizes they are incompatible. Meanwhile, his dating lessons with his teenage crush reawaken old feelings. Not realizing the feelings are mutual, he finds himself unable to act on them due to his fear of being rejected by the one he truly loves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Postman (1994)
Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Harvey Girls (1946)
On a train trip out west to become a mail-order bride, Susan Bradley meets a cheery crew of young women traveling out to open a "Harvey House" restaurant at a remote whistle-stop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaper Planes (2023)
A woman with agoraphobia and the Airbnb guest across the hall strike up a correspondence that becomes something more for the holidays.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
From Subway with Love (2005)
This romantic comedy presents a story of two women, twenty-year-old Laura, an editor at a woman’s weekly, and her widowed mother, a translator-interpreter named Jana. The two of them tirelessly seek Mr. Right. Having once lived through an intense relationship with a ‘typical’ Czech man, Jana intentionally avoids Czech men. She searches for her dream foreigner while long-sufferingly warding off the tragicomic advances of her good-natured neighbor Žemla. After several unsuccessful attempts, Laura falls in love with Oliver, a forty year old who works as an ad agency idea man. Little does she suspect that twenty years ago Oliver was Jana’s true love…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
As the World Sets (2023)
Alone on the moon, a dying astronaut faces his past regrets and lost love as the earth sets over the horizon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & romance
Sledgehammer O'Possum - What's Going on Back There? (1997)
Seeking refuse from the cold, Sledgehammer O'Possum takes up living in a post box, but doesn't sit well with an angry letter carrier.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & comedy
Carta, Serenata (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & romance
Wild Seed (1965)
A 17-year-old girl runs away from her east coast home, going west to Los Angeles to meet her biological father. She has learned from letters her mother kept that he was tragically separated from her before the girl's birth. On the road, she is protected and befriended by an independent-minded young drifter who helps her on her journey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Follow That Bird (1985)
Big Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker, who thinks it would be better for him to live with other birds. Unhappy, Big Bird runs away from his foster home, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Notebook (2004)
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Return to Sender?
The closest matches to Return to Sender are Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" (2020), Paperman (2012) and In a Heartbeat (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Return to Sender?
Start with Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" (2020), the closest match to Return to Sender.
What is the highest-rated movie like Return to Sender?
Paperman (2012), rated 8.0/10 by 1,852 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Return to Sender?
Carta, Serenata (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Return to Sender?
Yes: Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny" (2020), Paperman (2012) and In a Heartbeat (2017).
How are movies similar to Return to Sender chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Return to Sender, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.