Movies like Cat On The Roof (2017)
The best movies like Cat On The Roof (2017) are The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007), Where the Red Fern Grows (1974) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). If Cat On The Roof 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 ratedThe Secret Life of Bees (2008)7.5/10 from 603 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseThe Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007)Also in Chinese
The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007)
When schoolboy Wang Bao discovers a magical gourd that can instantly grant his every wish, the awkward child suddenly becomes a hero amongst his curious classmates. When the gourd proves more of a burden than a blessing and the boy decides to get rid of it, he quickly discovers that's easier said than done.
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 Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBenji (2018)
Two school kids strike up a friendship with an orphaned puppy named Benji. When danger befalls them and they end up kidnapped by robbers who are in over their heads, Benji and his scruffy sidekick come to the rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPride (2004)
The story of Suki, a lioness cub, who rebels against her mother and her Pride to mate with an unsuitable lion from the other side of the river.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
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 thisThe Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)
Thomasina the cat brings a family together through her mysterious death and reappearance.
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 thisDog Gone (2023)
When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMio in the Land of Faraway (1987)
Under the watch of his unkind realtives, lonely Bosse's luck is changed when he is sent to the land where his real father is the King. In that country, he sets out on a quest, together with his new friend, to destroy the evil Knight Kato.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI 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 thisCats (2018)
A cat named Blanket lives in the city with his son, Cape. One day, Cape decides to leave home and embarks on an adventure to find the legendary cat's paradise. To find his son, Blanket must overcome his fear and reconcile with his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnastasia: Once Upon a Time (2020)
Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisPAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (2020)
A royal relative steals a gem with the power to make things fly, the Paw Patrol takes to the skies to stop him and save Barkingburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Incredible Journey (1963)
The story of three pets, a cat and two dogs, who lose their owners when they are all on vacation. Can they find their way home?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2017)
Can twelve 12-year-olds escape from the most ridiculously brilliant library ever created? Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library plunks a dozen sixth-graders into the middle of a futuristic library for a night of nonstop fun and adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWelcome to Smelliville (2021)
The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe True Adventures of Wolfboy (2019)
Follows a young boy who runs away from home in the search of his estranged mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Color of Milk (2004)
Selma's mother died giving birth to her, and Selma's step aunt is living proof that men only cause trouble. So the 11 year old girl makes a deal with her best friends that they will stay away from boys and dedicate their lives to science. And by the way, Selma was probably born on another planet and not meant to fall in love with anyone. But what happens when her friends break the pact, and she actually meets a boy who's not like the rest?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Whisper (2022)
Summer camp. Èlia and Nil kiss for the first time. They are the first campers, from all boys and girls, to ever kiss. Suddenly, the camp fills with an atmosphere of curiosity, discovery and enthusiasm.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
One Summer Night (2020)
Before heading off to college, an overthinking teenager asks out a former girlfriend in an effort to reconnect and hold on to his past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Spookley and the Christmas Kittens (2019)
Spookley and Mistletoe encounter three stray kittens for whom they must brave a raging winter storm to find a home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Year of the Cat (TBA)
A street painter meets a woman and asks to paint her. Two years later, the two are now a couple living together but struggle to get by. When the woman finds two abandoned kittens, she sets out to find them a new home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
That Darn Cat (1997)
While making his nightly rounds in the neighborhood, Patti's pet cat D.C. finds himself the carrier of a call for help from a kidnap victim. Patti enlists skeptical law enforcement help to find the victim before it's too late.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThat Darn Cat! (1965)
A young woman suspects foul play when her cat comes home wearing a wristwatch. Convincing the FBI, though, and catching the bad guys is tougher than she imagined.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeaches (2023)
June 2010. 11 years old Julia and Raphaëlle are the best at killing time together. Between walking their blind neighbor’s dogs and finishing their music video before Raph returns to Romania, they unconsciously grow apart. This nostalgic semi-autobiographical story recounts the last moments of the inevitable and awkward summer between childhood and adolescence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Dougal and the Blue Cat (1970)
A blue cat named Buxton is found in the Magic Garden. With help from the Blue voice (played by Fenella Fielding), Buxton enters the ruins of the old treacle factory where he is crowned king after correctly identifying the colours of seven doors (coloured different shades of blue). Buxton throws all the characters of The Magic Roundabout except Dougal into prison and steals Zebedee's magic moustache.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Cat On The Roof?
The closest matches to Cat On The Roof are The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007), Where the Red Fern Grows (1974) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Cat On The Roof?
Start with The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007), the closest match to Cat On The Roof.
What is the highest-rated movie like Cat On The Roof?
The Secret Life of Bees (2008), rated 7.5/10 by 603 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Cat On The Roof?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Cat On The Roof?
Yes: The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007) and Cats (2018).
How are movies similar to Cat On The Roof chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Cat On The Roof, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.