Best movies like A Little Princess
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, fairy tale, heartbreaking, serious, humorous, realistic, semi serious, sweet, sad
Best tv shows and movies like A Little Princess (1995):
Similar in 87%
Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)
Plot Summary:
Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sad, depressing, epic, emotional, tear jerker, touching, feel good, semi serious, independent film, tearjerker
Similar in 90%
The Secret Garden (1987)
Plot Summary:
When a spoiled English girl living in 19th century India loses both parents in a cholera epidemic, she is sent back to England to live in a country mansion. The lord is a strange old man-- frail and deformed, immensely kind but so melancholy. She wishes to discover what has caused him so much sorrow and to bring joy back to the household. It all must have something to do with the screams and wails which echo through the house at night and no one wants to talk about.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Family, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, sentimental, light, captivating, disturbing, sad, fairy tale, atmospheric, serious
Similar in 85%
A Little Princess (1986)
Plot Summary:
Sara Crewe is the pampered darling of her father, an army colonel, and the Victorian London girls' school where he places her. But when her father dies, penniless, Sara becomes a skivvy in Miss Michin's school, befriended only by the scullery maid, Becky, her friends Ermengarde and Lottie, a little monkey, a lascar, and the mysterious man next door.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 755
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: crying, period drama
Similar in 89%
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Plot Summary:
10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie - a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA, Ireland
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: scenic, fairy tale, touching, melancholic, sentimental, atmospheric, mystical, inspirational, offbeat, spiritual
Similar in 78%
Courage Mountain (1990)
Plot Summary:
In this version of "Heidi," a young Swiss girl is sent off to boarding school at the beginning of World War I.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 910
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, War
Country: USA, France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, serious, independent film, period drama
Similar in 81%
Annie (1982)
Plot Summary:
An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: feel good, sentimental, period piece, inspirational, retro, entertaining, juvenile, cult classic, touching, humorous
Similar in 79%
An American Girl Holiday (2004)
Plot Summary:
Kindhearted Samantha Parkington's world starts to change the day Nellie O'Malley walks into her life. Nellie, her father, and her two little sisters have moved in next door to be servants for the Ryland family. Though they come from completely different backgrounds, Samantha and Nellie become fast friends. The girls turn to each other in happiness and sorrow, adventure and danger.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, fairy tale, feel good, sweet, inspirational, sentimental, period piece, realistic, serious
Similar in 86%
The Railway Children (1970)
Plot Summary:
The Waterbury family are completely happy until mysterious men take their father away and they have to move up to Yorkshire without him. The three open-hearted children soon make many friends including their Old Gentleman whom they regularly wave to on his morning train journey. Bobbie, the eldest girl, makes contact with him to try and get help for the problems they are facing. Meanwhile the children find themselves involved in several unexpected dramas on the railway.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, feel good, semi serious, family saga, sad, sentimental, light, inspirational, romantic
Similar in 82%
My Dog Skip (2000)
Plot Summary:
A shy boy is unable to make friends in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1942, until his parents give him a terrier puppy for his ninth birthday. The dog, which he names Skip, becomes well known and loved throughout the community and enriches the life of the boy, Willie, as he grows into manhood. Based on the best-selling Mississippi memoir by the late Willie Morris.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: feel good, touching, sentimental, sad, uplifting, heartbreaking, tear jerker, sweet, crying, sincere
Similar in 83%
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
Plot Summary:
A nine-year-old boy gets a plastic Indian and a cupboard for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life and befriends him.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, light, clever, epic, grindhouse, juvenile, cult classic, weeping, offbeat, feel good
Similar in 87%
A Monster Calls (2016)
Plot Summary:
A boy imagines a monster that helps him deal with his difficult life and see the world in a different way.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA, Spain, UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, dark fantasy, emotional, compassionate, fairy tale, poignant, sad, depressing, psychotronic, thought provoking
Similar in 78%
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
Plot Summary:
At the turn of the century on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla decide to take on an orphan boy as help for their farm. But they get an unexpected jolt when they're mistakenly sent a girl instead: Anne Shirley. Anne's a dreamer with an unusual point of view, far removed from Marilla's pragmatic ways, and it's only on trial that Marilla agrees to keep Anne.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Canada, West Germany, USA
Duration: 199 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, period piece, emotional, humorous, feel good, inspirational, uplifting, entertaining, sad
Similar in 89%
Finding Neverland (2004)
Plot Summary:
Finding Neverland is an amusing drama about how the story of Peter Pan and Neverland came to be. During a writing slump play writer J.M. Barrie meets the widowed Sylvia and her three children who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece “Peter Pan.”.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 211000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, heartbreaking, inspirational, emotional, clever, period piece, sad, sweet, fairy tale
Similar in 81%
Madeline (1998)
Plot Summary:
The adventurous, young Madeline is very good at getting into trouble, but she's also fantastic at solving problems as well, and her school-mistress Miss Clavel is not too approving of her. The biggest problem comes up when Lord Covington decides to sell Madeline's school.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: France, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: touching, melancholic, talky, feel good, humorous, surprise ending, semi serious, inspirational, sad, juvenile
Similar in 77%
The Secret Garden (2020)
Plot Summary:
Mary Lennox is born in India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her. When her parents suddenly die, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven. She meets her sickly cousin Colin and the two children find a wondrous secret garden lost in the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, France, USA, China
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, mysterious, sentimental, exciting, touching, feel good, light, crying, period drama
Similar in 89%
Hugo (2011)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 334000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA, UK, France
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: touching, visually appealing, visual, fairy tale, light, period piece, visually stunning, atmospheric, emotional, captivating
Similar in 77%
Curly Sue (1991)
Plot Summary:
Bill Dancer and his young companion Curly Sue are the classic homeless folks with hearts of gold. Their scams are aimed not at turning a profit, but at getting enough to eat. When they scam the rich and beautiful Grey Ellison into believing she backed her Mercedes into Bill, they're only hoping for a free meal. But Grey is touched, and over the objections of her snotty fiancé.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, sweet, humorous, sentimental, realistic, entertaining, teen, psychological, retro
Similar in 83%
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
Plot Summary:
Alexander's day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more calamities. Though he finds little sympathy from his family and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him, his mom, dad, brother, and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: entertaining, humorous, sweet, melancholic, touching, feel good, not serious, semi serious, funny, romantic
Similar in 84%
Mary Poppins (1964)
Plot Summary:
A magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 183000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: feel good, touching, uplifting, sweet, fairy tale, colorful, humorous, romantic, entertaining, cute
Similar in 90%
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Plot Summary:
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts -- Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander -- crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 108000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Germany, USA, Australia
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, stylized, dark fantasy, light, talky, captivating, fairy tale, melancholic, sad
Similar in 87%
The Secret Garden (1993)
Plot Summary:
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 neglected. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, atmospheric, feel good, fairy tale, sentimental, period piece, serious, realistic, light
Similar in 77%
Andre (1994)
Plot Summary:
The true story of how a marine seal named Andre befriended a little girl and her family, circa 1962.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, sad, feel good, humorous, semi serious, fairy tale, light, inspirational, romantic
Similar in 87%
My Girl (1991)
Plot Summary:
Vada Sultenfuss is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She is also in love with her English teacher, and joins a poetry class over the summer just to impress him. Thomas J., her best friend, is "allergic to everything", and sticks with Vada despite her hangups. When Vada's father hires Shelly, and begins to fall for her, things take a turn to the worse.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, feel good, crying, emotional, sad, sweet, inspirational, tear jerker, heartbreaking
Similar in 82%
Wonder (2017)
Plot Summary:
The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 175000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA, Hong Kong, Canada
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: inspirational, uplifting, touching, sincere, thought provoking, motivational, sad, feel good, tear jerker, cute
Similar in 76%
Pollyanna (2003)
Plot Summary:
Pollyanna Whittier goes to live with her wealthy but bitter aunt after the tragic death of her father. Pollyanna shares a game her father taught her -- the 'Glad Game' -- in which everyone can find a silver lining in even the darkest cloud, and her sunny nature, good humor and determination to look on the bright side of life prove to have an astonishing effect on those around her. With the help of her orphaned friend, Jimmy Bean, she casts her spell on the grumpiest townsfolk of Beldingsville -- including the cynical shut-in Mrs. Snow, the morose millionaire Mr. Pendleton and the enigmatic Dr. Chilton. And Pollyanna masterminds the romance between her Aunt's maid, Nancy, and the handyman, Tim. It is only Aunt Polly, who cannot bring herself to embrace Pollyanna's innocence and joy. But all is not straightforward in Pollyanna's war against pessimism, since she must overcome a personal tragedy that threatens to banish "glad" from her vocabulary forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, uplifting, sentimental, realistic, semi serious, humorous, tear jerker, period drama, tearjerker
Similar in 77%
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
Plot Summary:
It's the story about seven very different best friends, and one summer that will bring them together like never before.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: light, feel good, humorous, semi serious, sad, touching, realistic, sexy, unusual plot structure, sweet
Similar in 85%
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Plot Summary:
Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard -- with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths -- and about the villain who's to blame.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 837000
Genere: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, entertaining, exciting, touching, scenic, teen, saga, mystic, visually appealing, fantasy adventure
Similar in 84%
Nanny McPhee (2005)
Plot Summary:
Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch, threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK, France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, sweet, feel good, touching, light, humorous, semi serious, offbeat, cute, inspirational
Similar in 80%
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Plot Summary:
A little girl discovers dreams can come true if you really believe. Six-year-old Susan Walker has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle - Santa Claus. Her mother told her the 'secret' about Santa a long time ago. But after meeting a special department store Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all something to believe in.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, sentimental, touching, feel good, inspirational, uplifting, humorous, semi serious, independent film, light
Similar in 76%
Like Stars on Earth (2007)
Plot Summary:
Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and neatness. Ishaan cannot seem to get anything right in class; he is then sent to boarding school, where his life changes forever.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 203000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: motivational, touching, inspirational, captivating, emotional, educational, sad, realistic, feel good, entertaining