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Movies that feel like Pete's Dragon (2016)

If you loved Pete's Dragon, the closest films we have are Dumbo (2019), The Jungle Book (2016) and The BFG (2016). All three share Pete's Dragon's epic and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Disney Plus and Freeform and others, checked against today's data.

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.

🍅 88% Rotten Tomatoes6.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. David Loweryepicwarmcozydreamlike
Stream it:Disney+
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If Pete's Dragon hit the spot, these will too

Dumbo poster
Dumbo
2019 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 46%6.2family · fantasy · adventure

The same two preoccupations: live action and animation, and live action remake

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

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.

The Jungle Book poster
The Jungle Book
2016 · dir. Jon Favreau
🍅 94%7.3adventure · family · fantasy

Both are working the same pair: feral child, orphan

After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli, a man-cub fostered by wolves, is forced to flee the jungle, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of the panther, Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear, Baloo.

The BFG poster
The BFG
2016 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 74%6.3adventure · family · fantasy

Common ground: orphan

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.

Christopher Robin poster
Christopher Robin
2018 · dir. Marc Forster
🍅 73%7.2adventure · comedy · family

One thread runs through both: live action and animation

The difference: Leans harder into comedy than Pete's Dragon does

Christopher Robin, the boy who had countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood, has grown up and lost his way. Now it’s up to his spirited and loveable stuffed animals, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and the rest of the gang, to rekindle their friendship and remind him of endless days of childlike wonder and make-believe, when doing nothing was the very best something.

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

The same preoccupation in both: live action remake

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.

How to Train Your Dragon poster
How to Train Your Dragon
2025 · dir. Dean DeBlois
🍅 78%7.7fantasy · family · action

Both are built on the same subject: dragon

The difference: None of the comfort Pete's Dragon is built on

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard poster
🍅 14%5.3adventure · fantasy · animation

The same mix in both: scale, then warmth

The difference: Sits closer to animation than Pete's Dragon does

Arthur answers a distress call from Princess Selenia, who is menaced by the nefarious Maltazard.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader poster
🍅 49%6.3adventure · family · fantasy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dragon

This time around Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world.

A Monster Calls poster
A Monster Calls
2016 · dir. J. A. Bayona
🍅 86%7.4fantasy · adventure · family

Cozy and dreamlike in the same breath

12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.

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

Epic adventure, and it commits to that

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

Family with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

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.

Alice in Wonderland poster
Alice in Wonderland
2010 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 51%6.4family · fantasy · adventure

Both lean on comfort more than on fantasy

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.

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The best-reviewed films that share Pete's Dragon’s defining feeling.