Movies like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life (2020)
The best movies like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life (2020) are Max (2015), Marley & Me (2008) and Red Dog (2011). If It Was the Dog That Saved My Life hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)8.1/10 from 1,766 votes
- NewestThe Friend (2025)Released 2025
Max (2015)
A dog that helped soldiers in Afghanistan returns to the U.S. and is adopted by his handler's family after suffering a traumatic experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarley & Me (2008)
A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRed Dog (2011)
The legendary true story of the Red Dog who united a disparate local community while roaming the Australian outback in search of his long lost master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Fish (2021)
A couple fights to hold their relationship together as a memory loss virus spreads and threatens to erase the history of their love and courtship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIce Age (2002)
Manny the mammoth, Sid the loquacious sloth, and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger go on a comical quest to return a human baby back to his father, across a world on the brink of an ice age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrouble (2019)
A pampered dog named Trouble must learn to live in the real world while trying to escape from his former owner's greedy children and must learn how to survive on the big-city streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJeremiah Johnson (1972)
While slowly adapting to the grueling life of a mountain man in the Rocky Mountains, Jeremiah Johnson encounters the Crow and Flathead tribes as well as hunters, trappers and settlers, all of whom call these mountains home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreyfriars Bobby (1961)
In Scotland 1865, An old shepherd and his little Skye terrier go to Edinburgh. But when the shepherd dies of pneumonia, the dog remains faithful to his master, refuses to be adopted by anyone, and takes to sleeping on his master's grave in the Greyfriars kirkyard, despite a caretaker with a "no dogs" rule. And when Bobby is taken up for being unlicensed, it's up to the children of Edinburgh and the Lord Provost to decide what's to be done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012)
Scooby and the gang have their first musical mystery in “Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire.” It begins when they take a sing-a-long road trip into bayou country to attend the “Vampire-Palooza Festival” – an outdoor fair dedicated to all things Draculian. At first it looks as if they’re in for some fun and lots of Southern snacks, but events soon turn scary when a real live vampire comes to life, bursts from his coffin and threatens all the townsfolk. On top of that, this baritone blood sucker seems intent on taking Daphne as his vampire bride! Could the vampire be a descendant of a famous vampire hunter who is trying to sell his book? Or perhaps he’s the local politician, who has been trying to make his name in the press by attacking the vampires as downright unwholesome. The answers are to be found in a final song-filled showdown in the swamp in which our heroes unmask one of their most macabre monsters yet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFluke (1995)
Workaholic Thomas Johnson dies in an auto accident and reincarnates as a dog. Remembering some of his previous being, he returns to his wife and son to protect them from the man who caused his accident. But, as time goes by, his memories return, and Thomas realizes he wasn't such a good husband and father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Land Before Time (1988)
An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArthur the King (2024)
Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Friend (2025)
New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (2022)
Charlie Brown is determined to win the big baseball game. But things turn into a fiasco right before the matchup, when Sally bonds with a little flower on the pitcher's mound and vows to protect it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIris (2001)
True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed (2008)
Avery, a reclusive older man, has a best friend in his dog, Red. When three teens kill Red without reason, Avery sets out for justice and redemption, attempting to follow the letter of the law. But when the law fails him, and the boys' father clearly defines right and wrong in his own way, Avery must avenge himself by any means possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)
Being one of 101 takes its toll on Patch, who doesn't feel unique. When he's accidentally left behind on moving day, he meets his idol, Thunderbolt, who enlists him on a publicity campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
A family dog – with a near-human soul and a philosopher's mind – evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a race-car driver.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life?
The closest matches to It Was the Dog That Saved My Life are Max (2015), Marley & Me (2008) and Red Dog (2011). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after It Was the Dog That Saved My Life?
Start with Max (2015), the closest match to It Was the Dog That Saved My Life.
What is the highest-rated movie like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life?
The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), rated 8.1/10 by 1,766 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life?
The Friend (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like It Was the Dog That Saved My Life?
Yes: Max (2015), Marley & Me (2008) and Red Dog (2011).
How are movies similar to It Was the Dog That Saved My Life chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside It Was the Dog That Saved My Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.