feelsalike.comSign in
The Nightmare Before Christmas poster

Movies that feel likeThe Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

If you loved The Nightmare Before Christmas, the closest films we have are James and the Giant Peach (1996), My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Anastasia (1997). All three share The Nightmare Before Christmas' dreamlike and whimsical feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Secret of Kells (2009).

🍅 95% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.9 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Henry Selickdreamlikewhimsicalwarmcozy
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Amazon Prime Video · Disney Plus

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Stream it:Disney+ ↗
See it on the Mood Map

When is The Nightmare Before Christmas streaming? →

If The Nightmare Before Christmas hit the spot, these will too

James and the Giant Peach poster
James and the Giant Peach
1996 · dir. Henry Selick
🍅 91%★ 6.7family · animation · adventureDisney+

Selick's stop-motion again — handmade oddness with songs and a big heart

The difference: Sweeter and gentler — none of Halloween Town's ghoulish bite

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

My Neighbor Totoro poster
My Neighbor Totoro
1988 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
🍅 94%★ 8.1fantasy · animation · familyMax

Gentle spirits at the edge of the everyday, drawn with total conviction

The difference: No plot engine or villain — it drifts where Jack schemes

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

Anastasia poster
Anastasia
1997 · dir. Gary Goldman
🍅 83%★ 7.2animation · family · fantasyDisney+

A lavish villain, sweeping songs and a heroine finding where she belongs

The difference: Straight romantic pageantry — trades the ghoulish wit for grandeur

Ten years after she was separated from her family, an eighteen-year-old orphan with vague memories of the past sets out to Paris in hopes of reuniting with her grandmother. She is accompanied by two con men, who intend to pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia to the Dowager Empress for a reward.

Ponyo poster
Ponyo
2008 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
🍅 91%★ 7.6animation · fantasy · familyMax

Both land dream logic and whimsy at once

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

Spirited Away poster
Spirited Away
2001 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
🍅 96%★ 8.6animation · family · fantasyMax

A whole town of spirits and monsters that runs on its own dream logic

The difference: Deeper and stranger — patient awe instead of catchy numbers

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

The Secret of Kells poster
The Secret of Kells
2009 · dir. Tomm Moore
🍅 90%★ 7.5animation · family · fantasy

Warm where it counts, cozy 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?

The Polar Express poster
The Polar Express
2004 · dir. Robert Zemeckis
🍅 55%★ 6.6adventure · animation · family

Christmas rendered as a dreamlike journey you half-believe you took

The difference: Earnest wonder without irony — and its motion-capture faces divide people

When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Aladdin poster
Aladdin
1992 · dir. John Musker
🍅 96%★ 8animation · family · adventureDisney+

Big showtunes, a scene-stealing trickster and pure fairy-tale momentum

The difference: Sunny Disney house style — nothing macabre or handmade about it

In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.

Song of the Sea poster
Song of the Sea
2014 · dir. Tomm Moore
🍅 99%★ 8family · animation · fantasy

Fantasy with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

The Sword in the Stone poster
The Sword in the Stone
1963 · dir. Wolfgang Reitherman
🍅 65%★ 7.1animation · family · fantasyDisney+

Loose-limbed magic and comic transformations in a hand-drawn world

The difference: An episodic 60s Disney amble — modest stakes, no showstoppers

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.

Kirikou and the Sorceress poster
Kirikou and the Sorceress
1998 · dir. Michel Ocelot
🍅 96%★ 7.5fantasy · adventure · animationPrime Video

Animation built on whimsy, twice over

The difference: Leans further into adventure

Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba.

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

A restless dreamer aching for a world that is not theirs, set to songs

The difference: Classic Disney sincerity — none of the skeleton-grin mischief

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.

In the mood for more dreamlike?

all dreamlike movies →

The best-reviewed films that share The Nightmare Before Christmas’ defining feeling.