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Descendants poster

Movies that feel likeDescendants (2015)

A present-day idyllic kingdom where the benevolent teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of Disney's classic villains: Cruella De Vil (Carlos), Maleficent (Mal), the Evil Queen (Evie) and Jafar (Jay).

If you loved Descendants, the closest films we have are Labyrinth (1986), Pete's Dragon (2016) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). All three share Descendants' warm and cozy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Long Way North (2015).

🍅 90% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Kenny Ortegawarmcozyepicdreamlikewistful
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

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If Descendants hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Descendants 2 (2017) · Descendants 3 (2019)

Labyrinth poster
Labyrinth
1986 · dir. Jim Henson
🍅 63%★ 7.3adventure · family · fantasyHuluPeacock

A fantastical world just strange enough to feel like growing up

The difference: Puppetry and practical magic, not a Disney-pop musical number

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.

Pete's Dragon poster
Pete's Dragon
2016 · dir. David Lowery
🍅 88%★ 6.7adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

An outsider finding belonging in a world built just for them

The difference: Wistful and rural — no royal court, no teen ensemble

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace, who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales... until she meets Pete, a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie, an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year poster
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
2008 · dir. Kenny Ortega
🍅 64%★ 5.1comedy · drama · familyDisney+

The same hand behind both of them: Kenny Ortega

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

As seniors in high school, Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

The BFG poster
The BFG
2016 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 74%★ 6.3adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

An unlikely friendship carrying all the warmth in the story

The difference: Gentler and quieter — no villain kids, no teen social stakes

An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.

Peter Pan poster
Peter Pan
2003 · dir. P.J. Hogan
🍅 77%★ 6.8adventure · fantasy · family

Both land warmth and comfort at once

The difference: Trades the wistfulness of Descendants for an angle of its own

In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian poster
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
2008 · dir. Andrew Adamson
🍅 66%★ 6.5adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

A fantasy kingdom taken seriously enough to feel lived-in

The difference: Heavier war-and-destiny stakes, less playful than a teen musical

One year after their incredible adventures in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan Pevensie return to Narnia to aid a young prince whose life has been threatened by the evil King Miraz. Now, with the help of a colorful cast of new characters, including Trufflehunter the badger and Nikabrik the dwarf, the Pevensie clan embarks on an incredible quest to ensure that Narnia is returned to its rightful heir.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil poster
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
2019 · dir. Joachim Rønning
🍅 40%★ 6.6family · fantasy · adventureDisney+

Fairy-tale villains given room to be more complicated than the story says

The difference: Darker court intrigue — less music, less teen-movie energy

Maleficent and her goddaughter Aurora begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play.

Kleks Academy poster
Kleks Academy
2024 · dir. Maciej Kawulski
★ 4.5fantasy · adventure · familyNetflix

Common ground: magic

A seemingly ordinary girl finds her way into the eponymous Academy to explore the world of fairy tales, imagination and creativity. With the help of a crazy, talented teacher, she develops her unique abilities and also stumbles upon a clue that will help her unravel the biggest secret of the family...

Dumbo poster
Dumbo
2019 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 46%★ 6.2family · fantasy · adventureDisney+

A shiny surface with something more complicated underneath it

The difference: A quieter family tale — no villain kids, no high-school setting

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.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters poster
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
2013 · dir. Thor Freudenthal
🍅 43%★ 5.7adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

Teenagers with famous parents figuring out where they fit

The difference: Quest structure over musical numbers — more battles, less banter

In their quest to confront the ultimate evil, Percy and his friends battle swarms of mythical creatures to find the mythical Golden Fleece and to stop an ancient evil from rising.

Alice Through the Looking Glass poster
Alice Through the Looking Glass
2016 · dir. James Bobin
🍅 29%★ 6.2adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

A dreamlike world that never quite plays by real-world rules

The difference: Busier and more effects-driven, with less room to breathe

Alice Kingsleigh returns to Underland and faces a new adventure in saving the Mad Hatter.

Long Way North poster
Long Way North
2015 · dir. Rémi Chayé
🍅 98%★ 7.2adventure · animation · dramaPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: growing up

The difference: Leans harder into animation than Descendants does

In 1892 Saint Petersburg, when her explorer grandfather's failure to return from his latest expedition brings dishonour to her aristocratic family, a resilient teenager runs away to follow in his trail in search of his famed ship.

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The best-reviewed films that share Descendants’ defining feeling.