Movies like Small World (2022)
The best movies like Small World (2022) are Waking Life (2001), Strings (2004) and Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016). If Small World hooked you with its animation and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (2026)8.8/10 from 312 votes
- NewestThe Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (2026)Released 2026
Waking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStrings (2004)
The story of Prince Hal who sets out to avenge his dead father against the city's rivals, the Zeriths, little knowing it was his wicked uncle Nezo who is the real killer, with his own designs on the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPear Cider and Cigarettes (2016)
The brutally honest story of Robert's turbulent relationship with a self-destructive, yet charismatic friend from childhood, who cries out for help from a military hospital in China and sets Rob on a wild ride to get him home to Vancouver.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
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 drama & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (2026)
With Caine gone and the circus dark, the cast are left with only the mistakes and traumas of their pasts to keep them company. As the prospect of eternity closes in around them, they discover the truth about the Digital Circus and its history. Will they come to terms with what they uncover, or will they make... the other choice? Also, presumably at some point someone says something funny, because this ending can’t be THAT depressing, can it? A theatrical screening of episode 8 and the all new, hour-long episode 9.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMonster High: Friday Night Frights (2012)
After Monster High’s roller skating team is defeated at the Skulltimate Roller Maze tournament, the ghouls team up to face an all-boys league, with the hope of winning back the school crest and restoring school spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano plunge into a dangerous mission to rescue the kidnapped son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster High: Welcome to Monster High (2016)
Monsters once lived in hiding—even from each other—because they were afraid they would be in danger if humans knew they existed. But Draculaura, the daughter of Dracula, along with her best ghoulfriends, dreamt of a school where everyone was welcome and accepted for who they are. Determined to make their dream come true, the ghouls travel the world on an epic adventure to recruit new students. But even in this amazing place, there's drama: a villainess zombie is spreading trouble rather than friendship, and every student must live with the fear that their secret will be revealed. Now the ghouls must save their school so that every monster has a place where they belong and their uniqueness is celebrated!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisRobin Robin (2021)
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCurious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015)
When Curious George is offered a special space mission, Ted (The Man in the Yellow Hat) can't deny his little friend this exciting journey, especially after Curious George completes the training. But when he crash-lands in Africa, a worried Ted goes searching, expecting the worst, only to have it turn out to be the best.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997)
Pooh gets confused when Christopher Robin leaves him a note to say that he has gone back to school after the holidays. So Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Rabbit go in search of Christopher Robin which leads to a big adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFire and Ice (1983)
The villainous Nekron and his mother, Queen Juliana, plot against the human race from their frigid fortress. Creating mass destruction with huge glaciers, mother and son incur the wrath of Larn, a warrior whose entire village was destroyed by ice. When Nekron's underlings kidnap the beautiful Princess Teegra, Larn sets out to rescue her, assisted by the fierce and enigmatic Darkwolf.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
Christopher Robin's bear attempts to raid a beehive in a tall tree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPloey: You Never Fly Alone (2018)
A plover chick has not learned to fly when his family migrates in the fall. He must survive the arctic winter, vicious enemies and himself in order to be reunited with his beloved one next spring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin (2002)
The Webslinger faces the ultimate challenge when his arch-nemesis discovers his identity and kidnaps his one true love, Mary Jane Watson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMelody Time (1948)
In the grand tradition of Disney's great musical classics, Melody Time features seven timeless stories, each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. You'll be sure to tap your toes and clap your hands in this witty feast for the eyes and ears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and his friends experience high winds, heavy rains, and a flood in Hundred Acre Wood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeathstroke: Knights & Dragons - The Movie (2020)
The assassin Deathstroke tries to save his family from the wrath of H.I.V.E. and the murderous Jackal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Maker (2011)
A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGenius Loci (2020)
One night, Reine, a young loner, sees among the urban chaos a moving oneness that seems alive, like some sort of guide.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost Mind (TBA)
Lost Mind is an experimental short film, written and directed by Lucas Donnat, that explores the perception of time and memory through the staging of a man's death. The film questions the boundary between reality and imagination. Here, time is no longer linear: the past becomes the memory of a future, and the future becomes the altered continuation of a past already rewritten. Currently in production.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Fish Out of Water (2024)
Through poetry and visuals to symbolize the breaking psyche someone experiences in everyday life, follow this journey of daily mental health struggles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
FASCISM(s): A Film in Six Parts (2025)
Six sequences about Fascism and its segments throughout history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Sound Of Static (2025)
A strange young man named Archie shows the world how to listen between the lines and find the music in everyday noise
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ever Behind the Sunset (2026)
A hand-painted stop-motion elegy that traces the erasure of a family home by eminent domain, accompanied by a soundscape drawn from archival family VHS recordings.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
The New Flesh (2025)
On an isolated farm, a woman finds an injured and frightened woman in her old chicken coop. Moved by an inexplicable instinct, she decides to help her, without imagining that this silent encounter will awaken buried secrets. When tension finally gives way to trust, something dark approaches, bringing a truth that no one could have foreseen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Holy Smoke In Three Acts (1971)
Made by 21st Cinetics and Billy Budd Films for the Morris County, Pennsylvania Division of Drug Control and Intervention, “Holy Smoke in Three Acts” is an unconventional anti-drug cartoon that was inspired by ideas put forth by students. The animation were created by R.J. Barcklow. The short, three-act animated film presents two artists and examines how the world around them influences their artwork. Both of the artists are influenced by drugs, drug use and the anti-drug campaign.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Small World?
The closest matches to Small World are Waking Life (2001), Strings (2004) and Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Small World?
Start with Waking Life (2001), the closest match to Small World.
What is the highest-rated movie like Small World?
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (2026), rated 8.8/10 by 312 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Small World?
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Small World?
Yes: Waking Life (2001), Strings (2004) and Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016).
How are movies similar to Small World chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Small World, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.