Movies like The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
The best movies like The Great Mouse Detective (1986) are An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) and Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013). If The Great Mouse Detective hooked you with its animation and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRatatouille (2007)7.9/10 from 19,205 votes
- NewestDog Man (2025)Released 2025
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999)
Follow the clues to fun and excitement as the beloved little mouse takes on a big monster in this charming, full-length adventure. When a ferocious, mouse-nabbing creature puts fear into the hearts of New York City's rodents, Fievel and his friends team up with a reporter to chase after the scoop of the century and -- just maybe -- get a close-up look at the bad guy himself!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019)
Mystery Inc. withdraws from solving crimes after botching a case. When Vincent Van Ghoul contacts the gang about an unfinished investigation from Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby's past, the gang springs into action to finish the job that involves catching the 13th Ghost that escaped from the Chest of Demons and is still at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013)
Join Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the Mystery Inc. crew as they head to Chicago for Talent Star, a hit talent show in which Fred and Daphne are finalists with some high hopes. Unlucky for them, the competition is frightful as the show is being broadcast from an opera house with a history of horrors and a particularly vengeful phantom that has cursed the show's production.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010)
Tom and Jerry need to learn to work together in order to help Sherlock Holmes with an investigation of a jewel theft. But still, they are cat and mouse!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScoob! (2020)
In Scooby-Doo’s greatest adventure yet, see the never-before told story of how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined forces with young detectives Fred, Velma, and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, toughest mystery ever: an evil plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDog Man (2025)
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief, he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Aristocats (1970)
When Madame Adelaide Bonfamille leaves her fortune to Duchess and her children—Bonfamille’s beloved family of cats—the butler plots to steal the money and kidnaps the legatees, leaving them out on a country road. All seems lost until the wily Thomas O’Malley Cat and his jazz-playing alley cats come to the aristocats’ rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Gruffalo's Child (2011)
A follow up to the 2009 animated feature and adapted from the childrens' book by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler. The Gruffalo's child explores the deep dark wood in search of the big bad mouse and meets the Snake, Owl and Fox in the process. She eventually finds the mouse, who manages to outwit her like the Gruffalo before!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rescuers (1977)
Two agents of the mouse-run International Rescue Aid Society search for a little orphan girl kidnapped by sinister treasure hunters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (2022)
Mystery Inc. has cracked the case to top all cases! They’ve tracked down Coco Diablo, the head of a notorious costume crime syndicate. With Coco and her kitty in prison, Mystery Inc. thinks that they can finally enjoy a break. Wrong! Suddenly, menacing doppelgänger ghosts of the Scooby crew and favorite classic foes show up in Coolsville to threaten Halloween. Now it’s up to the meddling kids to unmask the latest scoundrel and save Halloween!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Kermit and Fozzie are newspaper reporters sent to London to interview Lady Holiday, a wealthy fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace is stolen. Kermit meets and falls in love with her secretary, Miss Piggy. The jewel thieves strike again, and this time frame Miss Piggy. It's up to Kermit and the rest of the Muppets to bring the real culprits to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCinderella and the Secret Prince (2018)
Cinderella discovers a secret that could shake their world: an evil witch turned the prince into a mouse and replaced him with a look-alike. Cinderella and her friends must save the real prince and help him defeat the evil witch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Gruffalo (2009)
The magical tale of a mouse who sets foot on a woodland adventure in search of a nut. Encountering predators who all wish to eat him - Fox, Owl and Snake - the brave mouse creates a terrifying, imaginary monster to frighten them away. But what will the mouse do when he meets this frightful monster for real?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Prince and the Pauper (1990)
Long ago in a land with an ailing king, there was a pair of boys who looked exactly alike, a pauper called Mickey and the other, the Crown Prince.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaddington 2 (2017)
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Loud House Movie (2021)
The Loud family travel to Scotland and discover they are descendants of Scottish royalty as they move into their giant ancestral castle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSherlock Holmes (2009)
Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014)
Dorothy wakes in post-tornado Kansas, only to be whisked back to Oz to try to save her old friends, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man, and Glinda, from a devious new villain, the Jester. New comrades Wiser the Owl, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, and Tugg the Tugboat join Dorothy on her latest magical journey through the colorful landscape of Oz to restore order and happiness to Emerald City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)
The popular cartoon cat and mouse are thrown into a feature film. The story has the twosome trying to help an orphan girl who is being berated and exploited by a greedy guardian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Cheese-loving eccentric Wallace and his cunning canine pal Gromit run a business ridding the town of garden pests. Using only humane methods, which turns their home into a halfway house for evicted vermin, the pair stumble upon a mystery involving a voracious vegetarian monster that threatens to ruin the annual veggie-growing contest.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wrong Trousers (1993)
Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno trousers created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Close Shave (1996)
Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRatatouille (2007)
In one of Paris's finest restaurants, Remy, a determined young rat, dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. Torn between his family's wishes and his true calling, Remy and his pal Linguini set in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City of Lights upside down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Steppe (1962)
Based on a Anton Chekhov short story, this slight tale has some good moments as the drama of a young boy's journey unfolds. The lad comes from peasant stock, and one day his family decides it would be best for him to go live with his uncle in the city. The only problem is that the city is all the way across the Russian steppes, and at this time in history, that arduous journey could only be undertaken by horse and carriage. Reminiscent of the American pioneer wagon trains heading West, the tale lacks any attacks from hostile forces but is filled with charming vignettes. In one part of the journey, the boy comes across some fishermen along a river, harpooning their catch for the day. In another segment, he is entertained when some folk dancers do a lively show. But in general, it is too long and unmomentous a journey to hold attention well for nearly two hours.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & adventure
No Good Deed (2002)
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisZodiac (2007)
Police conduct a manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Squeaker (1963)
Scotland Yard investigates a series of murders where the victims have died by snake venom poisoning.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrute (1997)
Shipped off to a Romanian orphanage to finish his sentence, a British criminal finds romance but also discovers corruption inside the facility.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Mary Poppins (1964)
In turn of the century London, a magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Great Mouse Detective?
The closest matches to The Great Mouse Detective are An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) and Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Great Mouse Detective?
Start with An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), the closest match to The Great Mouse Detective.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Great Mouse Detective?
Ratatouille (2007), rated 7.9/10 by 19,205 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Great Mouse Detective?
Dog Man (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Great Mouse Detective?
Yes: An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999), Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) and Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013).
How are movies similar to The Great Mouse Detective chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Great Mouse Detective, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.