Movies like I Want to Be a Shellfish (1958)
The best movies like I Want to Be a Shellfish (1958) are Shark Tale (2004), Fisherman's Friends (2019) and The Pornographers (1966). If I Want to Be a Shellfish hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)7.7/10 from 804 votes
- NewestAbove & Below (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseThe Pornographers (1966)Also in Japanese
Shark Tale (2004)
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian. When a lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and Lenny becomes an outcast, the two form an unlikely friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFisherman's Friends (2019)
Ten fishermen from Cornwall are signed by Universal Records and achieve a top ten hit with their debut album of Sea Shanties. Based on the true-life story of Cornish folk band, Fisherman's Friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pornographers (1966)
A former Buddhist monk turned erotic filmmaker, Subuyan lives with hairdresser Haru and her two teenage children. Shooting two skin flicks per day, he somehow manages to stay out of the clutches of the yakuza, but real trouble starts when Haru discovers him lusting after her daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCold Fish (2011)
When fish shop owner Shamoto's teenage daughter Mitsuko is caught stealing, a generous middle-aged man named Murata helps resolve the situation. The man and his wife offer to have Mitsuko work at their opposing fish store. Shamoto soon discovers that something far more sinister lives behind Murata's friendly demeanor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWeekend at Bernie's (1989)
Two young insurance corporation employees try to pretend that their murdered employer is alive by puppeteering his dead body, leading a hitman to attempt to track him down to finish him off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002)
Get ready as Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and the rest of the Veggies set sail on a whale of an adventure in Big Idea's first full-length, 3-D animated feature film. This is the story of Jonah and the Whale as you've never seen it before - a story where we learn that one of the best gifts you can give - or get - is a second chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. Exactly one year later, the deadly secret resurfaces as they're stalked by a hook-handed figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRip Girls (2000)
A teen-age girl and her father come to an island on Hawaii, they find a closer relationship to each other and think about changing the island. During her adventures, Sydney finds friends, a new hobby with her fantastic photography, and the truth about her mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoana (2016)
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFletch Lives (1989)
Fletch is a fish out of water in small-town Louisiana, where he's checking out a tumbledown mansion he's inherited. When a woman he flirts with turns up dead, he becomes a suspect and must find the killer and clear his name.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFemale Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)
After being cruelly set up and deceived by Sugimi, a detective in cahoots with the mob with whom she was whole-heartedly in love, Matsushima’s desire for revenge knows no bounds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIrezumi (1966)
Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, elopes with her lover Shinsuke, an employee of her father's. During their flight, Otsuya's beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya's back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality seems to transform under its influence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding Dory (2016)
Dory is reunited with her friends Nemo and Marlin in the search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbove & Below (2026)
A group of friends' dream diving vacation turns into a fight for survival when brutal criminals attack their boat in open waters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPompo the Cinephile (2021)
Operating out of the movie capital "Nyallywood," Pompo has been shooting one B-grade entertainment flick after another that anyone would enjoy. One day, Pompo's "movie buff" assistant Gene spots a new script written by Pompo and is moved by its exquisite story. In a fit of passion, he proclaims, "I want to see this as a finished work in theaters as soon as possible!" However, Pompo tells him, "So you shoot this film." Thus, Gene takes on his first directing gig. Meanwhile, Natalie, an ordinary girl who just arrived in town with movie actress dreams, has been discovered by Pompo...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Onion Field (1979)
An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust Go with It (2011)
While romancing Palmer, a much younger schoolteacher, plastic surgeon Danny Maccabee enlists his loyal assistant Katherine to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, Katherine's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPiranha (1978)
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisJiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInvasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like I Want to Be a Shellfish?
The closest matches to I Want to Be a Shellfish are Shark Tale (2004), Fisherman's Friends (2019) and The Pornographers (1966). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after I Want to Be a Shellfish?
Start with Shark Tale (2004), the closest match to I Want to Be a Shellfish.
What is the highest-rated movie like I Want to Be a Shellfish?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), rated 7.7/10 by 804 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like I Want to Be a Shellfish?
Above & Below (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like I Want to Be a Shellfish?
Yes: The Pornographers (1966), Cold Fish (2011) and Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972).
How are movies similar to I Want to Be a Shellfish chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I Want to Be a Shellfish, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.