Movies like Unnecessary Things (2021)
The best movies like Unnecessary Things (2021) are No Time for Nuts (2006), Final Flight of the Osiris (2003) and Mooned (2023). If Unnecessary Things hooked you with its animation and science fiction, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIn a Heartbeat (2017)8.0/10 from 1,039 votes
- NewestMooned (2023)Released 2023
No Time for Nuts (2006)
Scrat comes across a time machine and is transported to various times all in pursuit of his beloved acorn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFinal Flight of the Osiris (2003)
Immediately before the events of The Matrix Reloaded, the crew of the hovercraft Osiris discovers a quarter of a million sentinels drilling through the surface of the earth towards the last human city of Zion. But can the Osiris survive long enough to warn Zion?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMooned (2023)
Villainous Vector must figure out how to get off the moon and return to Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004)
Mayhem reigns supreme in the animated kingdom as whiz kid Jimmy Neutron and Timmy from "The Fairly Oddparents" swap places in each other's worlds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBURN·E (2008)
What lengths will a robot undergo to do his job? BURN·E is a dedicated hard working robot who finds himself locked out of his ship. BURN·E quickly learns that completing a simple task can often be a very difficult endeavor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRobot Chicken: Star Wars (2007)
A series of 30 sketches, following the hilarious antics of various characters from a galaxy, far, far away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMegamind: The Button of Doom (2011)
For their first day on the job as the new protectors of Metro City, Megamind and Minion are selling off the gadgets from their evil lair. But when one seemingly harmless "button" unleashes the gigantic robot MEGA-MEGAmind, the duo will have to resort to their old tricks to restore order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRunaway Brain (1995)
In an attempt to convince Minnie that he hasn't forgotten to buy her an anniversary present, Mickey Mouse ends up promising to take her to Hawaii. Funds being short, he applies for a job as lab assistant to the sinister Dr. Frankenollie, who happens to be searching for a donor to provide his monstrous creation with a brain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPigeon: Impossible (2009)
The tale of Walter, a rookie secret agent faced with a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bodyguard (1944)
Spike the bulldog, grateful to Jerry for getting him out of the dogcatcher's van, offers to help the little mouse any time he whistles. Tom, Jerry's feline tormentor, seeks to overcome this new disadvantage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSolid Serenade (1946)
Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)
As Tom and Jerry stage their typical fight sequences, the patriotic soldier theme of the title is evidenced by such things as a carton of eggs labeled "Hen Grenades"; Jerry dropping light bulbs from an airplane like bombs; and Jerry sending a telegram with the message "Sighted Cat - Sank Same." Musical phrasings from various patriotic war songs are heard throughout. The cut scene after Jerry hitting Tom with the board 4 times was cut from the 1950 reissue print for a war bond joke, and the original footage is currently considered "lost" due to the negatives destroyed in the 1978 George Eastman House fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Bad Wolf (1934)
The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYellow Is the New Black (2018)
An adventure about two Minions who make a daring (though temporary) escape from jail. As they navigate the chaos of their breakout, their antics showcase the Minions' signature blend of resourcefulness and mischief, resulting in a short filled with hilariously unpredictable moments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDay & Night (2010)
When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world-the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLou (2017)
A lost-and-found box holds a mysterious and unseen monster within.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCasanova Cat (1951)
Tom heads for a big city penthouse to become acquainted with a rich pretty female cat that lives there. He brings her Jerry as a gift and does some humiliating things to Jerry. Jerry, in turn, attracts the attention of another cat who also becomes interested in the female cat. It eventually turns into a fight between Tom and the other cat for the lady's hand but Jerry is the one who gets her in the end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPuppy! (2017)
The residents of Hotel Transylvania find their world turned upside-down when youngster Dennis gets a surprise monster-sized pet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSea Scouts (1939)
Donald is an admiral on a seagoing voyage with his nephews in which they encounter a ravenous shark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Vandal (2021)
Set in a world not unlike mid-20th century America, The Vandal centers on Harold, whose tormented search for peace from traumatic loss results in an unexpectedly destructive awakening after he undergoes a lobotomy. When the procedure “turns his mind inside out” and his great love is suddenly gone, Harold’s desperate search intensifies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & animation
Return (2008)
Polish animator Anna Błaszczyk’s humorous short—a collage of drawing, cut-out, and computer animation—was inspired by Stanisław Lem’s 1961 novel Return from the Stars, a time-paradox tale of an astronaut who returns to Earth after many years away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn a Heartbeat (2017)
A closeted boy runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisApparat (TBA)
A middle aged, married couple spend a night at their desert cabin. What was planned as an anniversary getaway erupts into a brutalizing void of two tortured souls.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
A Room Nearby (2003)
Paul Fierlinger's unique animation captures five individuals from diverse backgrounds as they describe their bouts with loneliness, its challenges and benefits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The Uncanny Valley (2021)
Desperate for a clue to a mysterious case, an Investigator pushes for a last-minute interview with his only witness: a corrupt A.I. Now the Investigator has 10 minutes to find out what the A.I. knows before it is dismantled by the scientists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Stick and Stone (2017)
When Stick rescues Stone from a prickly situation with a Pinecone, the pair becomes fast friends. But when Stick gets stuck, can Stone return the favor? With a subtle anti-bullying message even the young will understand, Stick and Stone have energy, emotion, and personality to spare and share a story of kindness and friendship that all will enjoy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Athena (2017)
Two technicians are stranded on a foreign planet by an unexplained explosion and must act fast to stay alive when their rescue team turns out to be a hit squad.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
None of That (2015)
A museum guard is doing his night patrol when a tiny nun breaks into the museum and starts censoring nude art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Shackle (2022)
Three archetypal woodland spirits explore the conflicting human drives of creativity, possessiveness and our desire for status.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Like Unnecessary Things and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Unnecessary Things?
The closest matches to Unnecessary Things are No Time for Nuts (2006), Final Flight of the Osiris (2003) and Mooned (2023). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Unnecessary Things?
Start with No Time for Nuts (2006), the closest match to Unnecessary Things.
What is the highest-rated movie like Unnecessary Things?
In a Heartbeat (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 1,039 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Unnecessary Things?
Mooned (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Unnecessary Things chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Unnecessary Things, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.