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Whisper of the Heart poster

Movies that feel likeWhisper of the Heart (1995)

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."

If you loved Whisper of the Heart, the closest films we have are Only Yesterday (1991), The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). All three share Whisper of the Heart's wistful 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 Whisper of the Heart hit the spot, these will too

Only Yesterday poster
Only Yesterday
1991 · dir. Isao Takahata
🍅 100%★ 7.6animation · dramaMax

Common ground in both: based on manga and nostalgic

The difference: Trades the warmth of Whisper of the Heart for an angle of its own

In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

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

Common ground: nostalgic

The difference: Easier on the dream logic than Whisper of the Heart

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

Kiki's Delivery Service poster
Kiki's Delivery Service
1989 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
★ 7.8animation · family · fantasyMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: cartoon cat

The difference: Sits closer to fantasy than Whisper of the Heart does

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.

A Little Princess poster
A Little Princess
1995 · dir. Alfonso Cuarón
🍅 97%★ 7.6drama · family · fantasy

Contemplative where it counts, warm underneath

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.

Arrietty poster
Arrietty
2010 · dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi
🍅 94%★ 7.6fantasy · animation · familyMax

The same mix in both: comfort, then dream logic

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.

Labyrinth poster
Labyrinth
1986 · dir. Jim Henson
🍅 63%★ 7.3adventure · family · fantasyHuluPeacock

Family built on wistfulness, twice over

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.

The Secret Garden poster
The Secret Garden
1993 · dir. Agnieszka Holland
🍅 89%★ 7.3drama · family · fantasy

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

The Red Turtle poster
The Red Turtle
2016 · dir. Michael Dudok de Wit
🍅 93%★ 7.5animation · drama · fantasy

Warm animation, and it commits to that

The difference: 21 years apart, and the 2010s show

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

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

Both lean on comfort more than on animation

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.

The Cat Returns poster
The Cat Returns
2002 · dir. Hiroyuki Morita
🍅 88%★ 7.1adventure · fantasy · animationMax

Both are built on the same subject: based on manga

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.

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

Wistful drama in both cases

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!

Treasure Planet poster
Treasure Planet
2002 · dir. Ron Clements
🍅 68%★ 7.2science fiction · adventure · animationDisney+

Family with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

When space galleon cabin boy Jim Hawkins discovers a map to an intergalactic "loot of a thousand worlds," a cyborg cook named John Silver teaches him to battle supernovas and space storms on their journey to find treasure.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share Whisper of the Heart’s defining feeling.