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The Lion King poster

Movies that feel likeThe Lion King (1994)

Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for himself. Amid betrayal and tragedy, Simba must confront his past and find his rightful place in the Circle of Life.

If you loved The Lion King, the closest films we have are Bambi (1942), The Lion King (2019) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). All three share The Lion King's warm and cozy feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Long Way North (2015).

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If The Lion King hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) · The Lion King 1½ (2004)

Bambi poster
Bambi
1942 · dir. David Hand
🍅 91%★ 7.3animation · drama · familyDisney+

A forest prince growing up through beauty and devastating loss

The difference: Quieter and more impressionistic, less spectacle

Bambi's tale unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns about life, love, and friends.

The Lion King poster
The Lion King
2019 · dir. Jon Favreau
🍅 52%★ 6.8adventure · drama · familyDisney+

The same story, shot for shot, with the songs intact

The difference: Photoreal faces can't act — the emotion drains out of it

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The Prince of Egypt poster
The Prince of Egypt
1998 · dir. Steve Hickner
🍅 79%★ 7.3adventure · animation · dramaNetflix

Brothers, destiny, and a kingdom's reckoning in epic song

The difference: Biblical sweep, DreamWorks gravitas

The strong bond between two Royal Egyptian brothers is challenged when their chosen responsibilities set them at odds, with extraordinary consequences.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower poster
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2012 · dir. Stephen Chbosky
🍅 85%★ 7.9dramaPrime Video

Common ground: growing up

The difference: Trades the comfort of The Lion King for an angle of its own

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.

The Fox and the Hound poster
The Fox and the Hound
1981 · dir. Richard Rich
🍅 75%★ 7.2adventure · animation · dramaDisney+

Childhood friendship colliding with the roles nature assigns

The difference: A slighter Disney fable — bittersweet without the grandeur

When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expected to take on his role as a hunting dog -- and the object of his search is his best friend!

Still Walking poster
Still Walking
2008 · dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
🍅 100%★ 7.9drama · family

A family circling old grief none of them will say out loud

The difference: Hushed Japanese realism — a slow dinner, not a savanna epic

A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.

The Land Before Time poster
The Land Before Time
1988 · dir. Don Bluth
🍅 65%★ 7.4family · animation · adventure

A child left alone with loss, walking toward a promised place

The difference: Small and blunt — the craft is nowhere near Disney's

An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.

Long Way North poster
Long Way North
2015 · dir. Rémi Chayé
🍅 98%★ 7.2adventure · animation · dramaPrime Video

A young aristocrat setting out to redeem a family name

The difference: Hushed and flatly drawn — no score to sweep you up

In 1892 Saint Petersburg, when her explorer grandfather's failure to return from his latest expedition brings dishonour to her aristocratic family, a resilient teenager runs away to follow in his trail in search of his famed ship.

Fly Away Home poster
Fly Away Home
1996 · dir. Carroll Ballard
🍅 87%★ 6.9adventure · drama · family

A child rebuilding after loss, guided by an unlikely parent bond

The difference: Quiet live-action naturalism — no songs and no villain

Amy is only 13 years old when her mother is killed. She goes to Canada to live with her father, an eccentric inventor whom she barely knows. Amy is miserable in her new life... until she discovers a nest of goose eggs that were abandoned when a local forest was torn down. The eggs hatch and Amy becomes "Mama Goose". When winter comes, Amy and her dad must find a way to lead the birds South.

Whisper of the Heart poster
Whisper of the Heart
1995 · dir. Yoshifumi Kondo
🍅 96%★ 7.8animation · drama · familyMax

A young person deciding what they're going to become

The difference: Quiet suburban realism — no myth, no kingdom, no villain

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."

The Little Mermaid poster
The Little Mermaid
1989 · dir. John Musker
🍅 92%★ 7.6animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Renaissance Disney — a headstrong heir defying a royal parent

The difference: Undersea romance, stakes personal

This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.

Dead Poets Society poster
Dead Poets Society
1989 · dir. Peter Weir
🍅 85%★ 8.1drama

Both are built on the same subject: growing up

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

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