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The Lion King poster

Movies that feel likeThe Lion King (2019)

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.

If you loved The Lion King, the closest films we have are The Jungle Book (2016), Fly Away Home (1996) and The Land Before Time (1988). All three share The Lion King's epic and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

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

🍅 52% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Jon Favreauepiccontemplativewarmcozymelancholy
10 of 12 streaming nowDisney Plus · AMC+ · Sundance Now

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If The Lion King hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

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

Favreau's other photoreal jungle — talking animals with blockbuster polish

The difference: A boy anchors it in live action — less regal, more rollicking

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.

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

A grieving child healing through the natural world's rhythms

The difference: Small, gentle 90s realism — no talking animals or grandeur

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.

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

Epic where it counts, contemplative underneath

The difference: 31 years apart, and the 1980s show

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.

Cars 3 poster
Cars 3
2017 · dir. Brian Fee
🍅 70%★ 6.7animation · drama · familyDisney+

Torch-passing and legacy, wrapped in a warm sports comeback arc

The difference: Talking race cars, not majestic wildlife — far lower stakes

Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen finds himself pushed to the brink—and suddenly, the champion who once ruled the track is fighting just to stay in the race. With his career hanging in the balance, McQueen must turn to an ambitious young race technician with a plan of her own, draw strength from the legacy of the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet, and risk everything on one last shot at glory.

The Call of the Wild poster
The Call of the Wild
2020 · dir. Chris Sanders
🍅 62%★ 6.7adventure · family · dramaDisney+

A CG animal's journey through hardship toward where he belongs

The difference: Its digital dog divides viewers, and Harrison Ford carries the human half

Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team—and later its leader—Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

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

Family, loss and legacy weighed over one quietly loaded gathering

The difference: A Japanese domestic drama — no animals, no adventure, all conversation

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

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

Both land warmth and comfort at once

The difference: Reviewed even better

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.

Hugo poster
Hugo
2011 · dir. Martin Scorsese
🍅 93%★ 7.5adventure · drama · family

Epic adventure, and it commits to that

The difference: Takes it somewhere less melancholy than The Lion King does

Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.

The Lion King poster
The Lion King
1994 · dir. Roger Allers
🍅 92%★ 8.5animation · family · dramaDisney+

The same story with the hand-drawn expressiveness the remake chased

The difference: You lose the photorealism — though most would call that a gain

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.

Bridge to Terabithia poster
Bridge to Terabithia
2007 · dir. Gábor Csupó
🍅 85%★ 7.2adventure · drama · familyDisney+

Contemplative drama in both cases

Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school. So he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences including that she's rich, he's poor, she's a city girl, and he's a country boy the two become fast friends. Together they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants where they rule as king and queen.

Dinosaur poster
Dinosaur
2000 · dir. Eric Leighton
🍅 65%★ 6.4adventure · animation · dramaDisney+

Both lean on warmth more than on family

An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sancturary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World poster
🍅 90%★ 7.4animation · family · adventureRent or buy

Animation built on melancholy, twice over

As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.

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