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Maleficent poster

Movies that feel likeMaleficent (2014)

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. She rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her heart into stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading King's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

If you loved Maleficent, the closest films we have are Stardust (2007), Cinderella (2015) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). All three share Maleficent's dreamlike and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008).

🍅 54% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.9 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Robert Strombergdreamlikeepickineticwarmromantictender
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Hulu

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If Maleficent hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Stardust poster
Stardust
2007 · dir. Matthew Vaughn
🍅 77%★ 7.6adventure · fantasy · romanceParamount+

A magical kingdom where wonder and cruelty run side by side

The difference: Jauntier and more comic, skipping lightly through its adventure

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity.

Cinderella poster
Cinderella
2015 · dir. Kenneth Branagh
🍅 83%★ 6.9romance · fantasy · familyDisney+

Old cruelty rendered with sympathy and gorgeous handmade craft

The difference: Gentle and untroubled — kindness is the point here, not vengeance

When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.

Beauty and the Beast poster
Beauty and the Beast
2017 · dir. Bill Condon
🍅 71%★ 7.1family · fantasy · romanceDisney+

Learning to see the person underneath the curse and the horns

The difference: Sweeter and more traditional, with a musical's tidy emotional arc

A live-action adaptation of Disney's version of the classic tale of a cursed prince and a beautiful young woman who helps him break the spell.

Aladdin poster
Aladdin
2019 · dir. Guy Ritchie
🍅 57%★ 6.9adventure · fantasy · romanceDisney+

Storybook worlds in lavish color, with real heart under the sparkle

The difference: A musical crowd-pleaser, sunny and with no bitterness to work through

A kindhearted street urchin named Aladdin embarks on a magical adventure after finding a lamp that releases a wisecracking genie while a power-hungry Grand Vizier vies for the same lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.

The Spiderwick Chronicles poster
The Spiderwick Chronicles
2008 · dir. Mark Waters
🍅 81%★ 6.5family · adventure · fantasyParamount+Peacock

Common ground: fairy

The difference: Reviewed even better

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

The Little Mermaid poster
The Little Mermaid
2023 · dir. Rob Marshall
🍅 67%★ 7.2adventure · family · fantasyDisney+

Dreamlike and epic in the same breath

The difference: Trades the momentum of Maleficent for an angle of its own

The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

Pan poster
Pan
2015 · dir. Joe Wright
🍅 27%★ 5.7fantasy · adventure · familyMax

Another dark-tinged origin spin on a nursery-shelf legend

The difference: A notorious misfire — loud, overstuffed and charmless

Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.

Eragon poster
Eragon
2006 · dir. Stefen Fangmeier
★ 5.1fantasy · action · adventureDisney+

Destiny, dragons and a kingdom threatened by dark power

The difference: Flat YA questing — the magic never feels enchanted

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Wicked poster
Wicked
2024 · dir. Jon M. Chu
🍅 88%★ 7.3drama · romance · fantasyHulu

A hated 'wicked' woman given her side of the story at last

The difference: A full-blown musical — songs carry what spectacle did here

In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two's unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies poster
🍅 59%★ 7.4action · adventure · fantasyMax

Painterly imagery and a battle staged at overwhelming scale

The difference: War-focused and crowded, with no single wounded heart at the center

Following Smaug's attack on Laketown, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treasure from others who claim it: the men of the ruined Laketown and the elves of Mirkwood. Meanwhile an army of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler is marching on Erebor, fueled by the rise of the dark lord Sauron. Dwarves, elves and men must unite, and the hope for Middle-Earth falls into Bilbo's hands.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice poster
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
2010 · dir. Jon Turteltaub
🍅 40%★ 6.1fantasy · adventure · actionDisney+

Spellcasting staged as spectacle, with real weight behind the magic

The difference: A light modern adventure, with no grief driving anybody's power

Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness.

The Karate Kid Part II poster
The Karate Kid Part II
1986 · dir. John G. Avildsen
🍅 49%★ 6.2adventure · drama · actionNetflix

Both land momentum and warmth at once

The difference: Easier on the dream logic than Maleficent

Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.

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