Movies like Lioness in Exile (2012)
The best movies like Lioness in Exile (2012) are African Cats (2011), Living with Leopards (2024) and Ghost Elephants (2026). If Lioness in Exile hooked you with its documentary and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMaking Squid Game: The Challenge (2023)8.0/10 from 241 votes
- NewestA Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026)Released 2026
African Cats (2011)
African Cats captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLiving with Leopards (2024)
A film crew follows two leopard cubs as they make the fascinating journey from infancy into adulthood in this up-close-and-personal nature documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost Elephants (2026)
In Angola's mist-shrouded highlands, three KhoiSan master trackers embark on a spiritual quest to rediscover the legendary "ghost elephants" of Lisima, creatures presumed lost but remembered in ancestral trance, ritual, and memory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChimpanzee (2012)
A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. Through Oscar, a little chimpanzee, we discover learning about life in the heart of the African tropical forest and follow his first steps in this world with humor, emotion and anguish. Following a tragedy, he finds himself separated from his mother and left alone to face the hostility of the jungle. Until he is picked up by an older chimpanzee, who will take him under her protection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008)
In the remote and forgotten wilderness of Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, one of nature's last great mysteries unfolds: the birth, life and death of a million crimson-winged flamingos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJane (2017)
Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Elephant Queen (2019)
Embark on an epic journey of family, courage, and coming home in this feature-length documentary. Join Athena, the majestic matriarch, as she leads her elephant herd across an unforgiving African landscape filled with vibrant wildlife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Octopus Teacher (2020)
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSurviving Paradise: A Family Tale (2022)
In this wildlife drama, a worsening dry season in the Kalahari Desert leaves prides, packs and herds to rely on the power of family to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElephant (2020)
Disneynature’s Elephant follows African elephant Shani and her spirited son Jomo as their herd make an epic journey hundreds of miles across the vast Kalahari Desert. Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family faces brutal heat, dwindling resources and persistent predators, as they follow in their ancestors’ footsteps on a quest to reach a lush, green paradise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonkey Kingdom (2015)
A newborn monkey and its mother struggle to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026)
Veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough tells the story of a remarkable group of gorillas, from his first encounter in the '70s to the present day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisInside the Mind of a Dog (2024)
Embark on a delightful journey into the world of dogs in this documentary that reveals scientific and emotional insights about our lovable BFFs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside the Mind of a Cat (2022)
Cat experts dive into the mind of the feline to reveal the true capabilities of the pouncing pet in this captivating and cuddly documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDancing with the Birds (2019)
Some of the world's most majestic birds display delightfully captivating mating rituals, from flashy dancing to flaunting their colorful feathers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBorn to Be Wild (2011)
Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaking Squid Game: The Challenge (2023)
Go behind the scenes and witness how the "Squid Game"-inspired reality show transformed from a scripted drama to a cutthroat, nail-biting competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Himalayas (2011)
The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far reaching, spanning thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. The word Himalaya is Sanskrit for abode of snow, fitting for a stretch of land that houses the world’s largest non polar ice masses. Extensive glacial networks feed Asia's major rivers including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra. More than a billion people rely on these glacier-fed water sources for drinking water and agriculture. The Himalayas are not only a remarkable expanse of natural beauty. They're also crucial for our survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Dolphin Reef (2018)
Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlien Reefs (2012)
Coral reefs are believed by many to have the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem on the planet. A lot of the life found here can seem very alien at first, they occupy less than 1 percent of the ocean floor but yet are home to more than 25 percent of all marine life. Warm water reefs typically come to mind when thinking of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, these reefs are very well known but they don’t just occur in warm waters. In this one hour special, we are brought into this alien environment and discover for ourselves a strange, hidden world that is simply abundant with life, ranging from the weird to the wonderful.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Hi (2025/II) (2025)
In every leaf, the infinite unfolding. In every creature, your higher self looking back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Planète animale 2 : Survivre (2017)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Grizzly Man (2005)
Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoon Crab (2025)
Moon Crab is a meditation on the horseshoe crab, one of Earth's oldest living species now struggling with extreme population decline. Blending reflections on nature's cycles with experimental visuals, the film employs an array of techniques, including eco-processed film developed with seaweed, to immerse the viewer in the crab's subaquatic world. Narrated with intimate depth by physiologist Dr. Abner Lall, the filmmaker’s neighbor, this documentary captures a timeless story of resilience and fragility, urging us to reconsider our connection to the natural world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Secret Lives of Orangutans (2024)
Follow a multi-generational orangutan family through their treetop triumphs and travails in this immersive documentary narrated by David Attenborough.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees (2002)
Showcased in beautiful IMAX format, this documentary takes viewers into the hearts, minds and world of chimpanzees as it profiles legendary scientist Dr. Jane Goodall's work among the chimps at Gombe Park on Africa's Lake Tanganyka. Dr. Goodall and other researchers give us an up-close look at the daily lives of the Gombe chimp families -- Fifi and sons Freud and alpha male Frodo, along with Gremlin, Gaia and the endearing Galahad.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Conservation and Recovery of the Scarlet Macaw in Mexico (2025)
The Scarlet Macaw, a vibrant symbol of the Mexican rainforest, is disappearing from the ecosystem. Conservation and Recovery of the Scarlet Macaw in Mexico explores the tireless efforts of Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos (NEM) to save the last remaining viable population of these iconic birds. Facing the constant threat of poaching, NEM works diligently to rescue hatchlings from vulnerable nests before they are looted. By forging partnerships with local communities, they have developed a network of dedicated individuals to locate and protect macaw nests. This compelling film showcases the resilience of both people and wildlife in a united fight to preserve a species that has long symbolized the beauty and diversity of the region's natural heritage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Lioness in Exile?
The closest matches to Lioness in Exile are African Cats (2011), Living with Leopards (2024) and Ghost Elephants (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Lioness in Exile?
Start with African Cats (2011), the closest match to Lioness in Exile.
What is the highest-rated movie like Lioness in Exile?
Making Squid Game: The Challenge (2023), rated 8.0/10 by 241 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Lioness in Exile?
A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Lioness in Exile?
Yes: African Cats (2011), Living with Leopards (2024) and Ghost Elephants (2026).
How are movies similar to Lioness in Exile chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Lioness in Exile, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.