Movies like The Winter (2020)
The best movies like The Winter (2020) are Once Upon a Snowman (2020), The Little Matchgirl (2006) and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017). If The Winter 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 ratedSwapped (2026)8.8/10 from 2,300 votes
- NewestSwapped (2026)Released 2026
Once Upon a Snowman (2020)
The previously untold origins of Olaf, the innocent and insightful, summer-loving snowman are revealed as we follow Olaf’s first steps as he comes to life and searches for his identity in the snowy mountains outside Arendelle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Matchgirl (2006)
An animated short based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale about a poor young girl with a burning desire to find comfort and happiness in her life. Desperate to keep warm, the girl lights the matches she sells, and envisions a very different life for herself in the fiery flames filled with images of loving relatives, bountiful food, and a place to call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOlaf's Frozen Adventure (2017)
Olaf is on a mission to harness the best holiday traditions for Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwapped (2026)
A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPrep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa (2010)
Wayne and Lanny, now partners, are called by Magee to meet with a secret contact – Mrs. Claus, who sends them on a new mission to retrieve a box from Santa’s secret workshop. Later they sneak into Santa’s office while he is asleep, using their high tech equipment from the previous film. Lanny’s expertise at dressing the tree enables them to enter the hidden workshop where they recover the box and escape just in time. But what is the box for?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEpic (2013)
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world—and ours.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Snowman (1982)
A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCosmos Laundromat (2015)
On a desolate island, a suicidal sheep named Franck meets his fate…in the form of a quirky salesman named Victor, who offers him the gift of a lifetime. The gift is many lifetimes, actually, in many different worlds – each lasting just a few minutes. In the sequel to the pilot, Franck will find a new reason to live…in the form of a bewitching female adventurer named Tara, who awakens his long-lost lust for life. But can Franck keep up with her?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTome of the Unknown (2013)
Wirt and Gregory are brothers who get tired of walking, so, they borrow a car from a romantic songster made of vegetables.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
Mickey, Minnie, and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto gather together to reminisce about the love, magic and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMater and the Ghostlight (2006)
Mater, the rusty but trusty tow truck from Cars, spends a day in Radiator Springs playing scary pranks on his fellow townsfolk. That night at Flo's V8 Café, the Sheriff tells the story of the legend of the Ghostlight, and as everyone races home Mater is left alone primed for a good old-fashioned scare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiddle of Fire (2024)
Three mischievous children embark on a woodland odyssey when their mother sends them on an errand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSketch (2025)
When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life—chaotic, real, and on the loose. As the town descends into chaos, her family must reunite and stop the monsters they never meant to unleash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from the Tree (2021)
On an idyllic beach in the Pacific Northwest, curiosity gets the better of a young raccoon whose frustrated parent attempts to keep them both safe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDonald's Snow Fight (1942)
It's snowed, and Donald Duck is going sledding. Meanwhile, his nephews have built a snowman at the bottom of the hill. Donald aims his sled at their snowman and demolishes it, so the boys get even by including a boulder in the bottom of their next snowman. This means war, so they retreat to opposing snow forts for battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSanta's Little Helpers (2019)
After being accidentally stranded at the North Pole, the Minions decide to embrace their new surroundings by taking on the role of Santa's helpers. Chaos and hilarity ensue as they attempt to prove their worth as elves, bringing their signature mischief to the workshop in this festive, lighthearted holiday adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStick Man (2015)
Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three, and he's heading on an epic adventure across the seasons. Will he get back to his family in time for Christmas?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin, the boy who had countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood, has grown up and lost his way. Now it’s up to his spirited and loveable stuffed animals, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and the rest of the gang, to rekindle their friendship and remind him of endless days of childlike wonder and make-believe, when doing nothing was the very best something.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond (2003)
While looking for her cat, a young woman and some kids find an abandoned building where strange things happen and the rules of physics don't always apply. Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts set in the Matrix universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTuesday (2024)
A mother and her teenage daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAl sur de la Navidad (2016)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
El Materdor (2008)
Mater is a matador fighting a herd of bulldozers in Spain. When Lightning McQueen enters the story, the bulldozers begin to chase him due to his red paint.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Crimson Permanent Assurance (1983)
A group of down-and-out accountants mutiny against their bosses and sail their office building onto the high seas in search of a pirate's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThere is exactly enough time (2021)
Oskar Salomonowitz, the 12-year-old son of filmmakers Anja Salomonowitz and Virgil Widrich, had drawn 206 pictures in a flip book when he died in an accident. His father continued to draw the film with the remaining 482 sheets.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Mords-les ! (2020)
Follow Brigitte Fontaine as she wanders in the streets of Morlaix.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
The Return of the Monster (2017)
A little boy is bedeviled by recurring nightmares of a monster that just won’t go away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Health for the Americas: Cleanliness Brings Health (1945)
The comparison of two rural families to demonstrate the need for proper hygiene and the consequences of its neglect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Night (1930)
The moon and two owls sing to the Blue Danube Waltz, celebrating the night. Moths dance around a candle flame, fireflies glow, frogs chorus, and so forth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Cactus Kid (1930)
Mickey walks into the tavern where Minnie is dancing, and begins to dance and play piano himself. Pegleg Pete comes in and treats Minnie badly. Mickey tries to defend her, but Pete steals her away. Mickey, riding Horace Horsecollar, gives chase. He manages to throw Pete off a cliff.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (1990)
The evil Dr. Kochin uses the dragon balls to resurrect his mentor, Dr. Wheelo, in an effort to take over the world. Dr. Wheelo, his body having been destroyed by the avalanche that killed him fifty years before, desires the body of the strongest fighter in the world as his new vessel. Believing Roshi to be the world's strongest warrior, Dr. Kochin abducts Bulma and forces Roshi to surrender himself to save her. When Goku hears of their abduction, he goes to their rescue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Winter?
The closest matches to The Winter are Once Upon a Snowman (2020), The Little Matchgirl (2006) and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Winter?
Start with Once Upon a Snowman (2020), the closest match to The Winter.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Winter?
Swapped (2026), rated 8.8/10 by 2,300 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Winter?
Swapped (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Winter?
Yes: Once Upon a Snowman (2020), The Little Matchgirl (2006) and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017).
How are movies similar to The Winter chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Winter, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.