Movies like Sunny and the Elephant (2008)
The best movies like Sunny and the Elephant (2008) are Poly (2020), Dumbo (2019) and King (2022). If Sunny and the Elephant hooked you with its family and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)7.3/10 from 10,524 votes
- NewestThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchPoly (2020)Also in French
Poly (2020)
The adventures of Shetland pony Poly in the South of France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDumbo (2019)
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing (2022)
King, a trafficked lion cub, escapes from the airport and takes refuge with Inès and Alex, who then have the crazy idea of getting him back to Africa. Anything can happen when Max their kooky grandfather, decides to join the adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLassie (1994)
On their way to start a new life at a sheep farm in rural Virginia, the Turner family are halted by a wreck on the highway that has claimed the life of a truck driver. Spotting the trucker's now-abandoned collie on the side of the road, they take pity on the dog and adopt her. As the city family copes with the change to rural life, including a feud with a neighboring farm family who resent the city interlopers, the ever-loyal Lassie helps them adjust to their new surroundings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Luck of the Irish (2001)
A teenager must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWish Upon a Unicorn (2020)
Two children discover that their mother is gone. The youngest of the pair, adventurer and upcomming singer, Long Johnson forces his older sister, Lily Johnson, to hunt down a unicorn with magical blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
A nine-year-old boy gets a plastic Indian and a cupboard for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life and befriends him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWar of the Buttons (2011)
A village in the South of France, 1960. A band of country boys aged 7 to 14, led by fearless young Lebrac, wages an uncompromising battle against their sworn rivals, the kids from the neighboring village. A war of honor and allegiance that's been kept alive for generations, in which humiliation is the most fearsome defeat and no tactic is too extreme, including attacking the enemy stark naked!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (2016)
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli, a man-cub fostered by wolves, is forced to flee the jungle, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of the panther, Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear, Baloo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYakari: A Spectacular Journey (2020)
With his tribe's move to follow the migrating bison, Yakari, the little Sioux boy, sets out on his own to follow the trail of Little Thunder, a wild mustang said to be untameable. Travelling far from home and deep into the territory of the terrible cougarskins, Yakari and Little Thunder undertake a great adventure and find their way back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magic Faraway Tree (2026)
A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They're transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTreasure Buddies (2012)
In a race against a devious cat, the Buddies and their new friends, Cammy and Babi, must avoid booby traps, solve puzzles and explore a mysterious tomb - all in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Ochi (2025)
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoon the Panda (2025)
Due to his poor academic performance, twelve-year-old Tian is sent to live with his grandmother in the remote mountains of Sichuan. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, he finds himself immersed in nature and secretly befriends a panda cub he names Moon. Together, Tian and Moon embark on a journey of discovery and overcoming challenges. The boy is forced to confront his fears and, in the process, learns valuable lessons about courage, respect, and the profound bond between humankind and nature. This experience profoundly transforms Tian's life and fosters an unexpected family reconciliation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBalto III: Wings of Change (2004)
Balto and the other sled dogs are feeling dejected because the mail that used to be delivered by dogsled is now being delivered by airplanes. But when a mail plane crashes in the mountains, the dogs come to the rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPride (2004)
The story of Suki, a lioness cub, who rebels against her mother and her Pride to mate with an unsuitable lion from the other side of the river.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (1994)
Raised by wild animals since childhood, Mowgli is drawn away from the jungle by the beautiful Kitty. But Mowgli must eventually face corrupt Capt. Boone, who wants both Kitty's hand and the treasures of Monkey City – a place only Mowgli can find.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTarzan and His Mate (1934)
Harry Holt returns to Africa with his friend Martin Arlington to head up a large ivory expedition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for two years to achieve his dream of buying two red-bone coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in life as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with his dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boy Who Stole the Elephant (1970)
A frontier huckster, Colonel Ryder, and a young orphan, Davey, operate a travelling tent show. They are loaned an elephant by an old friend, Molly, who is also a rival circus owner. Davey trains the elephant and the two soon become inseparable. When the Colonel loses the elephant in gambling, Davey steals the elephant and begins a 20-mile search for Molly, the rightful owner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
Runaway on the Rogue River (1974)
A boy, Jeff, comes upon a runaway elephant while fishing. He has adventures taking the elephant to show his father, and the elephant ends up helping save the father’s life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
The Impossible Elephant (2001)
Tormented by a giant bully and dealing with the loss of his mom, young Daniel wishes for a special pet to have by his side. After discovering Lumpy-a real, live elephant-in his backyard, it's as if his wish has come true...until his dad ships Lumpy off to the local zoo. Vowing to free his new found friend, Daniel embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, reminding us that some friendships are unexpected, magic is real and nothing is impossible!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Elephant Boy (1937)
In India, Toomai, a young mahout, helps lead the British on a large expedition to round up wild elephants.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Taffy and the Jungle Hunter (1965)
A hunter, who captures wild animals for zoos, takes his young son and the boy's widowed governess on his latest expedition. The boy and his pet chimp, in company with a baby elephant his father has captured, run away from camp and experience many thrilling adventures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & family
Un elefante color ilusión (1970)
A boy travels from Chaco to Buenos Aires taking with him an elephant that saved from a circus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Smortlybacks (2013)
On a tabletop mountain a mahout and his strange herd make a surprising and never-ending journey.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Hatari! (1962)
A female wildlife photographer arrives on an East African reservation where a group of men trap wild animals for zoos and circuses.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRappakal (2005)
Saraswathiyamma is the head of a noble family that treats her servant Krishnan as one of her own sons. When her relatives conspire to sell her house, she and Krishnan set out to save it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sunny and the Elephant?
The closest matches to Sunny and the Elephant are Poly (2020), Dumbo (2019) and King (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sunny and the Elephant?
Start with Poly (2020), the closest match to Sunny and the Elephant.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sunny and the Elephant?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), rated 7.3/10 by 10,524 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sunny and the Elephant?
The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Sunny and the Elephant?
Yes: Poly (2020), King (2022) and War of the Buttons (2011).
How are movies similar to Sunny and the Elephant chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sunny and the Elephant, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.