Movies like Darwin's Notebook (2020)
The best movies like Darwin's Notebook (2020) are Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002), Arctic Dogs (2019) and The Twits (2025). If Darwin's Notebook hooked you with its animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFantastic Mr. Fox (2009)7.8/10 from 6,446 votes
- NewestThe Twits (2025)Released 2025
Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002)
Arnold and his friends must recover a stolen document in order to prevent the neighborhood from being bulldozed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArctic Dogs (2019)
Animals band together to save the day when the evil Otto Von Walrus hatches a sinister scheme to accelerate global warming and melt the Arctic Circle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Twits (2025)
When the meanest, nastiest villains pull a trick to take over their town, two brave children team up with a family of magical animals to bring them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Secret of NIMH (1982)
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Little Pony: Best Gift Ever (2018)
As the ponies prepare for another Hearth's Warming, families come together to celebrate the holiday; Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are ready for the big day, but Princess Twilight Sparkle doesn't have time to celebrate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011)
Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInception: The Cobol Job (2010)
Cobb, Arthur and Nash are enlisted by Cobol Engineering.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKoati (2021)
Three unlikely heroes - Nachi, a free-spirited coati; Xochi, a fearless monarch butterfly and Pako, a hyperactive glass frog - embark on an adventure to stop wicked coral snake Zaina from destroying their rain forest homeland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing (2020)
When a musical dragon with a beautiful voice hypnotizes the dragons and people of Huttsgalor, the Rescue Riders have to find a way to break the spell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Times are changing for Manny the moody mammoth, Sid the motor mouthed sloth and Diego the crafty saber-toothed tiger. Life heats up for our heroes when they meet some new and none-too-friendly neighbors – the mighty dinosaurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Bare Bears: The Movie (2020)
When Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear's love of food trucks and viral videos get out of hand, the brothers are now chased away from their home and embark on a trip to Canada, where they can live in peace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies 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 animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster Family 2 (2021)
To free Baba Yaga and Renfield from the clutches of Monster Hunter Mila Starr, the Wishbone Family once more transforms into a Vampire, Frankenstein's Monster, a Mummy and a Werewolf but when aided by their three pet bats, the Monster Family zooms around the world again to save their friends, make new monstrous acquaintances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOpen Season (2006)
Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Congress (2013)
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022)
A brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving (1995)
When the water supply to the Great Valley is blocked, Littlefoot and his friends must cooperate with a group of bullies to find the reason the cause.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998)
Littlefoot's grandfather narrates the story about the Lone Dinosaur that killed a Sharptooth. A giant monolith formed after the fight and if it's destroyed, bad luck will loom over the valley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLos Peques: Volumen 1 (2002)
Los Peques live somewhere in the Andean Patagonian mountain range of Neuquén, in houses called small 𝘳𝘶𝘬𝘢𝘴, which are a kind of tree hut and are built with materials given to them by Mother Nature. They have an organization, the Mapu Armies, they have nothing to do with wars, but with the care of nature. When the youngsters enter what is known as the awkward age, they are sent to watch remote areas so that they do not hang around.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Du teweikan à l'électro : voyage aux sources de la musique autochtone (2018)
Why it matches: Similar story and style
In Reindeer Shape Across the Sky... (1993)
This Finnish documentary film directed, written, produced and shot by Markku Lehmuskallio is the first part of a documentary trilogy about the Nenets people. It's a folkloric documentary describing the traditional nomadic life of the Nenets on the Yamal Peninsula. It includes Nenets songs sung by Anastasia Lapsui and her mother Maria Lapsui. The film was the first film collaboration of Markku Lehmuskallio and Anastasia Lapsui.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
A Sea Dog's Tale (1926)
An island princess falls in love with a young man whose picture she sees in the newspaper. Her father, the king, sends his agents to the U.S. to kidnap the man and bring him back to the islands to marry his daughter. Complications ensue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Call of the Jungle (1944)
A beautiful white girl resident of Ta'Pu, Tana, is determined to clear Harley, who is suspected of stealing sacred jewels.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Box of Treasures (1983)
In 1921 the Kwakiut'l people of Alert Bay, British Columbia, held their last secret potlatch. In 1980 at Alert Bay, the U'mista Cultural Centre (U'mista means "something of great value that has come back") opened its doors to receive and house the cultural treasures which were seized decades earlier and only then returned to the people. The center also took up activities such as recording stories told by elders so that some part of the past would always be alive and teaching children about their heritage in order to make them feel connected to their ancestors. This film documents the cultural significance of these events for today's Kwakiut'l people. It is an eloquent testimony to the persistence and complexity of Kwakiut'l society and to the struggle for redefining cultural identity for them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Bounty (1984)
An idyllic voyage to Tahiti in 1789 turns a crew aboard the H.M.S. Bounty against its captain when they find a tropical paradise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar (2009)
In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Darwin's Notebook?
The closest matches to Darwin's Notebook are Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002), Arctic Dogs (2019) and The Twits (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Darwin's Notebook?
Start with Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002), the closest match to Darwin's Notebook.
What is the highest-rated movie like Darwin's Notebook?
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), rated 7.8/10 by 6,446 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Darwin's Notebook?
The Twits (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Darwin's Notebook chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Darwin's Notebook, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.