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My Neighbors the Yamadas poster

Movies that feel likeMy Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.

If you loved My Neighbors the Yamadas, the closest films we have are The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (2017), The Boxtrolls (2014) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). All three share My Neighbors the Yamadas' whimsical and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is A Letter to Momo (2012).

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If My Neighbors the Yamadas hit the spot, these will too

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales poster
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales
2017 Β· dir. Patrick Imbert
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.4family Β· animation Β· comedy

The same mix in both: whimsy, then wit

The difference: Takes it somewhere less dreamlike than My Neighbors the Yamadas does

The countryside isn't always as calm and peaceful as it's made out to be, and the animals on this farm are particularly agitated: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus.

The Boxtrolls poster
The Boxtrolls
2014 Β· dir. Graham Annable
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.8animation Β· comedy Β· familyMaxHulu

Both land play and warmth at once

The difference: Leans harder into fantasy than My Neighbors the Yamadas does

An orphaned boy raised by underground creatures called Boxtrolls comes up from the sewers and out of his box to save his family and the town from the evil exterminator, Archibald Snatcher.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! poster
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
1966 Β· dir. Chuck Jones
β˜… 8.3animation Β· family Β· comedyPeacock

Common ground: surrealism

The difference: Made in the 1960s, in a different era of the craft

Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.

A Letter to Momo poster
A Letter to Momo
2012 Β· dir. Hiroyuki Okiura
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.2comedy Β· fantasy Β· animation

Both keep coming back to the same thing: anime

The difference: Trades the whimsy of My Neighbors the Yamadas for an angle of its own

A shy 11-year-old's life takes a strange turn when she discovers three hungry goblins living in the attic of her new house. She misses her old life. She misses her father so very much. Until she makes some new ghoulish friends.

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

Cozy where it counts, dreamlike underneath

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?

Fun and Fancy Free poster
Fun and Fancy Free
1947 Β· dir. Hamilton Luske
πŸ… 73%β˜… 6.3animation Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Whimsical animation in both cases

Jiminy Cricket hosts two Disney animated shorts: Bongo about a circus bear escaping to the wild, and Mickey and the Beanstalk, a take on the famous fairy tale.

Pete's Dragon poster
Pete's Dragon
1977 Β· dir. Don Chaffey
πŸ… 56%β˜… 6.4fantasy Β· animation Β· comedyDisney+

Comedy built on wit, twice over

Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora, and her father, Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue.

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs poster
Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs
2019 Β· dir. Hong Sung-ho
πŸ… 40%β˜… 6.5animation Β· fantasy Β· familyRent or buy

Both lean on play more than on family

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Princes who have been turned into Dwarfs seek the red shoes of a lady in order to break the spell, although it will not be easy.

Asterix Conquers America poster
Asterix Conquers America
1994 Β· dir. Gerhard Hahn
β˜… 5.9family Β· animation Β· adventure

Warm animation, and it commits to that

When marauding Romans capture - and catapult - their pal Getafix into lands unknown, the shrewd and cunning Asterix and his able sidekick Obelix spring into action! But their journey leads them to a strange and dangerous new world, where they must face a tribe of Indians, a stampeding herd of buffalo and a medicine man with designs on their magic potion!

The Grinch poster
The Grinch
2018 Β· dir. Yarrow Cheney
πŸ… 60%β˜… 6.4animation Β· comedy Β· familyPeacock

Both are built on the same subject: surrealism

The Grinch hatches a scheme to ruin Christmas when the residents of Whoville plan their annual holiday celebration. But a certain little who might change things.

The Smurfs 2 poster
The Smurfs 2
2013 Β· dir. Raja Gosnell
πŸ… 14%β˜… 5.3fantasy Β· family Β· comedyNetflixParamount+

Comedy with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

The evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the worldΒΉs greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?

The Addams Family poster
The Addams Family
2019 Β· dir. Conrad Vernon
πŸ… 46%β˜… 5.9family Β· animation Β· comedyPeacock

Family built on dream logic, twice over

The Addams family's lives begin to unravel when they face-off against a treacherous, greedy crafty reality-TV host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration.

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