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Dumbo poster

Movies that feel likeDumbo (1941)

Dumbo is a baby elephant born with over-sized ears and a supreme lack of confidence. But thanks to his even more diminutive buddy Timothy the Mouse, the pint-sized pachyderm learns to surmount all obstacles.

If you loved Dumbo, the closest films we have are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938), The Sword in the Stone (1963) and Pinocchio (1940). All three share Dumbo's whimsical and warm 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).

🍅 95% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Ben Sharpsteenwhimsicalwarmcozydreamlike
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Disney Plus · Artiflix

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If Dumbo hit the spot, these will too

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1938 · dir. David Hand
★ 7.6fantasy · animation · familyDisney+

The same mix in both: whimsy, then warmth

The difference: Sits closer to fantasy than Dumbo does

A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.

The Sword in the Stone poster
The Sword in the Stone
1963 · dir. Wolfgang Reitherman
🍅 65%★ 7.1animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Cozy and dreamlike in the same breath

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.

Pinocchio poster
Pinocchio
1940 · dir. Hamilton Luske
🍅 100%★ 7.5animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Whimsical animation in both cases

When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio, is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish.

Alice in Wonderland poster
Alice in Wonderland
1951 · dir. Clyde Geronimi
🍅 82%★ 7.3animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dreams

On a golden afternoon, wildly curious young Alice tumbles into the burrow and enters the merry, madcap world of Wonderland full of whimsical escapades.

Peter Pan poster
Peter Pan
1953 · dir. Clyde Geronimi
🍅 79%★ 7.3animation · family · adventureDisney+

Warm family, and it commits to that

Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil his attempts to get rid of Peter for good.

Song of the South poster
Song of the South
1946 · dir. Harve Foster
🍅 50%★ 6.9family · animation

Animation with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

The difference: Trades the dream logic of Dumbo for an angle of its own

Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confusion over his parents' separation as well as his new life on the plantation.

Fantasia poster
Fantasia
1940 · dir. Bill Roberts
🍅 95%★ 7.7animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Both are built on the same subject: musical

Walt Disney's timeless masterpiece is an extravaganza of sight and sound! See the music come to life, hear the pictures burst into song and experience the excitement that is Fantasia over and over again.

The Secret of Kells poster
The Secret of Kells
2009 · dir. Tomm Moore
🍅 90%★ 7.5animation · family · fantasy

Both lean on dream logic more than on family

The difference: 68 years apart, and the 2000s show

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?

Cinderella poster
Cinderella
1950 · dir. Clyde Geronimi
🍅 95%★ 7.3family · fantasy · animationDisney+

The same preoccupation in both: musical

Cinderella has faith her dreams of a better life will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a glorious gown and off she goes to the Royal Ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, the spell is broken, leaving a single glass slipper... the only key to the ultimate fairy-tale ending!

Ponyo poster
Ponyo
2008 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
🍅 91%★ 7.6animation · fantasy · familyMax

Animation 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.

Song of the Sea poster
Song of the Sea
2014 · dir. Tomm Moore
🍅 99%★ 8family · animation · fantasy

A 2010s answer to the same itch

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

Anastasia poster
Anastasia
1997 · dir. Gary Goldman
🍅 83%★ 7.2animation · family · fantasyDisney+

One thread runs through both: nightmare

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.

In the mood for more whimsical?

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