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Movies that feel like The Red Turtle (2016)

If you loved The Red Turtle, the closest films we have are Whisper of the Heart (1995), A Christmas Carol (2009) and The Secret World of Arrietty (2010). All three share The Red Turtle's whimsical and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 11 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

The dialogue-less film follows the major life stages of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds.

πŸ… 93% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Michael Dudok de Witwhimsicalcontemplativedreamlikewarmcozywistful

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If The Red Turtle hit the spot, these will too

Whisper of the Heart poster
Whisper of the Heart
1995 Β· dir. Yoshifumi Kondo
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.8animation Β· drama Β· family

The same mix in both: whimsy, then stillness

The difference: A 1990s film, from a different era of filmmaking

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."

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A Christmas Carol poster
A Christmas Carol
2009 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.8animation Β· drama Β· family

Dreamlike where it counts, warm underneath

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

Feels alike?
The Secret World of Arrietty poster
The Secret World of Arrietty
2010 Β· dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.6fantasy Β· animation Β· family

Cozy and wistful in the same breath

The difference: None of the stillness that defines The Red Turtle

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

Feels alike?
Luca poster
Luca
2021 Β· dir. Enrico Casarosa
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.4animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Both built around growing up

The difference: Missing the wistfulness of The Red Turtle

Luca and his best friend Alberto experience an unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

Feels alike?
The Little Mermaid poster
The Little Mermaid
1989 Β· dir. John Musker
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.6animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Growing up sits at the heart of each

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.

Feels alike?
Kiki's Delivery Service poster
Kiki's Delivery Service
1989 Β· dir. Hayao Miyazaki
β˜… 7.8animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Whimsical animation, and it commits to that

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

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Soul poster
Soul
2020 Β· dir. Pete Docter
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8animation Β· family Β· drama

Both trade on stillness more than on being drama

The difference: Leans music where The Red Turtle does not

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

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Avalon High poster
Avalon High
2011 Β· dir. Stuart Gillard
β˜… 5.6fantasy Β· family Β· drama

Dreamlike fantasy in both cases

Elaine "Ellie" Harrison has just moved from Minnesota to Annapolis, Maryland while her parents take a year-long sabbatical to continue their medieval studies in nearby Washington D.C. Her new high school, Avalon High, seems like a typical high school with the stereotypical students: Lance the jock, Jennifer the cheerleader, Marco, the bad boy/desperado, and Will, the senior class president, quarterback, and all around good guy. But not everyone at Avalon High is who they appear to be, not even Ellie herself. Eventually, it becomes apparent that Avalon High is a situation where the ancient Arthurian legend is repeating itself.

Feels alike?
Long Way North poster
Long Way North
2015 Β· dir. RΓ©mi ChayΓ©
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.2adventure Β· animation Β· drama

Family with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

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.

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The Cat Returns poster
The Cat Returns
2002 Β· dir. Hiroyuki Morita
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.1adventure Β· fantasy Β· animation

Animation built on comfort, twice over

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Feels alike?
Steven Universe: The Movie poster
Steven Universe: The Movie
2019 Β· dir. Rebecca Sugar
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7animation Β· family Β· adventure

Drama built on whimsy, twice over

Two years after bringing peace to the galaxy, Steven Universe sees his past come back to haunt him in the form of a deranged Gem who wants to destroy the Earth.

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Coraline poster
Coraline
2009 Β· dir. Henry Selick
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.8animation Β· family Β· fantasy

Fantasy built on dream logic, twice over

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more whimsical?

all whimsical movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Red Turtle's defining feeling.