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Brave poster

Movies that feel likeBrave (2012)

In the mystical Scottish Highlands, Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman and is granted an ill-fated wish.

If you loved Brave, the closest films we have are Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), Epic (2013) and Frozen (2013). All three share Brave's epic and whimsical feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Secret of Kells (2009).

πŸ… 78% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Mark Andrewsepicwhimsicalwarmcozydreamlike
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Disney Plus

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If Brave hit the spot, these will too

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole poster
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.9animation Β· adventure Β· family

A headstrong youngster proving the old legends are worth believing

The difference: Owl-warrior mythology played straight β€” little humor, lots of battle

When a young owl is abducted by an evil Owl army, he must escape with new-found friends and seek the legendary Guardians to stop the menace.

Epic poster
Epic
2013 Β· dir. Chris Wedge
πŸ… 65%β˜… 6.6animation Β· adventure Β· familyMax

A daughter swept into a hidden forest war she has to finish

The difference: Stock chosen-one plotting β€” pretty but thin on personality

A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their worldβ€”and ours.

Frozen poster
Frozen
2013 Β· dir. Jennifer Lee
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.4animation Β· family Β· adventureDisney+

Two women in a royal family whose bond is the actual story

The difference: A musical, with songs carrying feeling the source acts out instead

Young princess Anna of Arendelle dreams about finding true love at her sister Elsa’s coronation. Fate takes her on a dangerous journey in an attempt to end the eternal winter that has fallen over the kingdom. She's accompanied by ice delivery man Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf. On an adventure where she will find out what friendship, courage, family, and true love really means.

How to Train Your Dragon poster
How to Train Your Dragon
2010 Β· dir. Chris Sanders
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8.1fantasy Β· adventure Β· animationParamount+

A child defying a parent's traditions and paying the price

The difference: Sweeping flight sequences and a father-son ache in place of a mother's

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.

Anastasia poster
Anastasia
1997 Β· dir. Gary Goldman
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.2animation Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Folklore and history spun into a girl's search for her family

The difference: Hand-drawn and stagey, with a proper villain hunting her down

Ten years after she was separated from her family, an eighteen-year-old orphan with vague memories of the past sets out to Paris in hopes of reuniting with her grandmother. She is accompanied by two con men, who intend to pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia to the Dowager Empress for a reward.

Brother Bear poster
Brother Bear
2003 Β· dir. Aaron Blaise
πŸ… 38%β˜… 6.9adventure Β· animation Β· familyDisney+

Becoming a bear as the only way to understand somebody else

The difference: Softer and more mystical, brotherhood in place of a mother-daughter knot

When an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths and rambunctious rams.

The Polar Express poster
The Polar Express
2004 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 55%β˜… 6.6adventure Β· animation Β· family

Wintry storybook adventure aimed straight at wonder

The difference: Dreamy and slow, with no family conflict at its center

When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Arthur and the Invisibles poster
Arthur and the Invisibles
2006 Β· dir. Luc Besson
πŸ… 21%β˜… 6adventure Β· fantasy Β· animation

A plucky kid ducking into a tiny hidden world to save his family's home

The difference: Live-action/CG mashup β€” the blend is clunkier than Pixar polish

Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in harmony with nature.

Kirikou and the Sorceress poster
Kirikou and the Sorceress
1998 Β· dir. Michel Ocelot
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.5fantasy Β· adventure Β· animationPrime Video

The same mix in both: scale, then whimsy

Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba.

Return to Never Land poster
Return to Never Land
2002 Β· dir. Robin Budd
πŸ… 46%β˜… 5.8adventure Β· fantasy Β· animationDisney+

Warm and cozy in the same breath

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

In 1940, the world is besieged by World War II. Wendy, all grown up, has two children; including Jane, who does not believe Wendy's stories about Peter Pan.

The Secret of Kells poster
The Secret of Kells
2009 Β· dir. Tomm Moore
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Dreamlike animation in both cases

The difference: Takes it somewhere less epic than Brave does

Adventure awaits 12 year old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. In order to finish Brother Aiden's book, Brendan must overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him beyond the abbey walls and into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. Will Brendan succeed in his quest?

Ponyo poster
Ponyo
2008 Β· dir. Hayao Miyazaki
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6animation Β· fantasy Β· familyMax

Family built on whimsy, twice over

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

In the mood for more epic?

all epic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Brave’s defining feeling.