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Movies that feel like James and the Giant Peach (1996)

If you loved James and the Giant Peach, the closest films we have are Anastasia (1997), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Frozen (2013). All three share James and the Giant Peach's warm and cozy feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Disney Plus, fuboTV and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

πŸ… 91% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Henry Selickwarmcozywhimsicalepicdreamlikemelancholy
Stream it:Disney+ β†—

When is James and the Giant Peach streaming? β†’

If James and the Giant Peach hit the spot, these will too

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

Villain runs into musical in each of them

The difference: Without the same melancholy

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.

Feels alike?
The Nightmare Before Christmas poster
The Nightmare Before Christmas
1993 Β· dir. Henry Selick
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9fantasy Β· animation Β· family

Henry Selick working the same nerve twice

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

Feels alike?
Frozen poster
Frozen
2013 Β· dir. Jennifer Lee
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.4animation Β· family Β· adventure

Both built around magic

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.

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

Warm and cozy in the same breath

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

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.

Feels alike?
Brave poster
Brave
2012 Β· dir. Brenda Chapman
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.1adventure Β· animation Β· family

The same preoccupation in both: villain

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. Also figuring into Merida's quest β€” and serving as comic relief β€” are the kingdom's three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin, the surly Lord Macintosh, and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall.

Feels alike?
How to Train Your Dragon poster
How to Train Your Dragon
2010 Β· dir. Chris Sanders
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8.1fantasy Β· adventure Β· animation

Whimsical where it counts, epic underneath

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.

Feels alike?
Coraline poster
Coraline
2009 Β· dir. Henry Selick
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.8animation Β· family Β· fantasy

The same hand behind both of them: Henry Selick

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.

Feels alike?
Alice in Wonderland poster
Alice in Wonderland
1951 Β· dir. Clyde Geronimi
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.3animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Both trade on dream logic more than on being family

The difference: A 1950s film, from a different era of filmmaking

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

Feels alike?
Peter Pan poster
Peter Pan
1953 Β· dir. Clyde Geronimi
πŸ… 79%β˜… 7.3animation Β· family Β· adventure

Magic sits at the heart of each

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.

Feels alike?
Kirikou and the Sorceress poster
Kirikou and the Sorceress
1998 Β· dir. Michel Ocelot
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.5fantasy Β· adventure Β· animation

Warm animation in both cases

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

Feels alike?
The Last Unicorn poster
The Last Unicorn
1982 Β· dir. Jules Bass
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7.3fantasy Β· animation Β· family

Adventure built on comfort, twice over

A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

Feels alike?
Aladdin poster
Aladdin
1992 Β· dir. John Musker
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8animation Β· family Β· adventure

Both keep circling back to musical

The difference: Played as romance first

In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more warm?

all warm movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share James and the Giant Peach's defining feeling.