Movies like Penelope (2006)
The best movies like Penelope (2006) are Love Potion No. 9 (1992), Irish Wish (2024) and Bedtime Stories (2008). If Penelope hooked you with its fantasy and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPonyo (2008)7.8/10 from 5,058 votes
- NewestPractical Magic 2 (2026)Released 2026
Love Potion No. 9 (1992)
Unlucky in love, chemist Paul Matthews visits gypsy Madame Rosa for help. Quickly realizing he is a hopeless nerd, she gifts him with Love Potion No. 8, which makes anyone who wears it irresistible to the opposite sex for four hours. Paul and animal psychologist coworker Diane Farrow decide to test it on themselves. The awkward pair suddenly find themselves alluring to anyone they approach, but soon realize they are most attracted to each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIrish Wish (2024)
Maddie's dream guy is days away from marrying her best friend when a wish for true love made on an ancient stone in Ireland magically alters her fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBedtime Stories (2008)
Skeeter Bronson is a down-on-his-luck guy who's always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew. But his life is turned upside down when the fantastical stories he makes up for entertainment inexplicably turn into reality. Can a bewildered Skeeter manage his own unruly fantasies now that the outrageous characters and situations from his mind have morphed into actual people and events?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnchanted (2007)
The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPractical Magic 2 (2026)
The Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
Walter Mitty, a daydreaming writer with an overprotective mother, likes to imagine that he is a hero who experiences fantastic adventures. His dream becomes reality when he accidentally meets a mysterious woman who hands him a little black book. According to her, it contains the locations of the Dutch crown jewels hidden since World War II. Soon, Mitty finds himself in the middle of a confusing conspiracy, where he has difficulty differentiating between fact and fiction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCinderella (2021)
Cinderella, an orphaned girl with an evil stepmother, has big dreams and with the help of her Fabulous Godmother, she perseveres to make them come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiss Me Goodbye (1982)
Not until three years after the death of her husband Jolly, Kay dares to move back into their former home, persuaded by her new fiancée Rupert. But soon her worst expectations come true, when not only her old memories haunt her, but also Jolly's ghost, who doesn't approve of her new mate. Invisible to anyone but Kay, he tries to prevent the wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGirl Haunts Boy (2024)
Cole, a teen grieving the loss of his dad, forms an unlikely bond with Bea, a ghost. As they navigate life and death, they must break an ancient curse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisenchanted (2022)
Disillusioned with life in the city, feeling out of place in suburbia, and frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been so easy to find, Giselle turns to the magic of Andalasia for help. Accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy, she must race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodmothered (2020)
A young and unskilled fairy godmother that ventures out on her own to prove her worth by tracking down a young girl whose request for help was ignored. What she discovers is that the girl has now become a grown woman in need of something very different than a "prince charming."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrince Charming (2001)
After an extramarital indiscretion, a fairy-tale prince and his sidekick are turned into frogs for all eternity or until the prince can convince a maiden to kiss and then marry him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTangled: Before Ever After (2017)
Rapunzel grapples with the responsibilities of being a princess and the overprotective ways of her father. While she wholeheartedly loves Eugene, Rapunzel does not share his immediate desire to get married and settle down within the castle walls. Determined to live life on her own terms, she and her tough-as-nails Lady-in-Waiting Cassandra embark on a secret adventure where they encounter mystical rocks that magically cause Rapunzel's long blonde hair to grow back. Impossible to break and difficult to hide, Rapunzel must learn to embrace her hair and all that it represents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaleficent (2014)
A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Cinderella Story (2004)
Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
As a newly crowned princess, Cinderella quickly learns that life at the Palace - and her royal responsibilities - are more challenging than she had imagined. In three heartwarming tales, Cinderella calls on her animal friends and her Fairy Godmother to help as she brings her own grace and charm to her regal role and discovers that being true to yourself is the best way to make your dreams come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
When Lady Tremaine steals the Fairy Godmother's wand and changes history, it's up to Cinderella to restore the timeline and reclaim her prince.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElla Enchanted (2004)
Ella lives in a magical world in which each child, at the moment of their birth, is given a virtuous "gift" from a fairy godmother. Ella's so-called gift, however, is obedience. This birthright proves itself to be quite the curse once Ella finds herself in the hands of several unscrupulous characters whom she quite literally cannot disobey. Determined to gain control of her life and decisions, Ella sets off on a journey to find her fairy godmother who she hopes will lift the curse. The path, however, isn't easy -- Ella must outwit a slew of unpleasant obstacles including ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, elves and Prince Charmont's evil uncle, who wants to take over the crown and rule the kingdom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThumbelina (1994)
Born of a flower and growing to only a couple of inches tall, poor Thumbelina is worried she'll never meet someone her own size, until she happens to catch the eye of Prince Cornelius of the Fairies. Just as soon as she finds love, however, it's torn away when she's kidnapped by Ms. Toad. Now Thumbelina has to escape Ms. Toad's grasp and search for Prince Cornelius. Luckily, there's a whole city of animals willing to help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmma (1996)
Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightley.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShadows in the Sun (2005)
An aspiring young writer tracks a literary titan suffering from writers block to his refuge in rural Italy and learns about life and love from the irascible genius and his daughters.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEvery Day (2018)
16-year old Rhiannon falls in love with a mysterious spirit named “A” that inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and “A” work each day to find each other, not knowing what the next day will bring.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPonyo (2008)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZwei Nasen tanken Super (1984)
Tommy and Mike, again without a job and without money, are looking for a public toilet at a motor show.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Singing Ringing Tree (1957)
A brave prince must seek the fabled singing, ringing tree in order to win the heart of a beautiful princess.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmil and the Piglet (1973)
Nursing a piglet back to life because it's the runt of the litter earns Emil a friend for life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelp! I'm a Fish (2000)
Three children are accidentally transformed into fish after consuming a potion made by an eccentric scientist. The kids end up in the sea, with one problem: they must find and drink the antidote within 48 hours, or forever remain as fish.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Golden Bird (1987)
"Kin no Tori" is an adaptation of the homonymous fairy tale "The Golden Bird" by Brothers Grimm. A golden apple is stolen from the King's garden. The King orders his three sons to guard the apples in turn and to find out who is the thief. When the youngest son, Hans, presents a feather that he got from the golden bird that stole the apple the king sends his three sons to bring this bird to him and so Hans' journey begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Penelope?
The closest matches to Penelope are Love Potion No. 9 (1992), Irish Wish (2024) and Bedtime Stories (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Penelope?
Start with Love Potion No. 9 (1992), the closest match to Penelope.
What is the highest-rated movie like Penelope?
Ponyo (2008), rated 7.8/10 by 5,058 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Penelope?
Practical Magic 2 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Penelope?
Yes: Love Potion No. 9 (1992), Irish Wish (2024) and Bedtime Stories (2008).
How are movies similar to Penelope chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Penelope, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.