Best movies like Life Is Ruff
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Calvin Wheeler is a scheming 13-year-old boy with everything going for him, except for an original issue of his precious comic book collection. When a prized show-dog chases him down while skateboarding one day, his owner inadvertently convinces him to adopt and train a dog of his own. However the only one available, is an uncouth stray Labrador/St. Bernard-mix named Tyko from a local animal shelter, who proves to be more than anybody can handle.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: feel good, captivating, light, humorous
Best tv shows and movies like Life Is Ruff (2005):
Similar in 81%
Hatching Pete (2009)
Plot Summary:
Pete Ivey (Jason Dolley) is the type of guy who's easily overlooked in the school halls -- unlike his boisterous best friend, Cleatus Poole (Mitchel Musso), who's proudly carrying on the family tradition of spreading school spirit as the spirited Brewster High chicken. But when the costume prompts an allergy attack, Poole begs Pete to take his place at center court; the resulting anonymity frees Pete to discover his inner star. Trouble is, it's Poole who's getting all the attention from fans, who think he's the one behind the mask. Meanwhile, Pete's attempts to get noticed by pretty new girl Angela (Josie Loren) are complicated by the fact that she's also entranced with the mysterious man in the chicken suit. In the end, Pete must decide whether facing the possibility of rejection is worth revealing himself for what -- and who -- he really is.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, touching, semi serious, romantic, scenic
Similar in 81%
Monster Mutt (2011)
Plot Summary:
A pair of kids trying to save their beloved pooch from a mad scientist working for a sinister villain whose experiment has transformed their dog into a crazy-eyed muppet monstrosity.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 338
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, light, feel good, exciting, offbeat, experimental, semi serious
Similar in 77%
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie (2014)
Plot Summary:
A heartwarming, quintessentially British adventure for all the family, PUDSEY THE DOG: THE MOVIE follows cheeky London stray dog, Pudsey, who is quite happy being a lone ranger, looking out for number one, until he meets siblings Molly (Izzy Meikle-Small), George (Spike White) and Tommy (Malachy Knights). After losing their father, their mother Gail (Jessica Hynes) is moving the family to the sleepy village of Chuffington and Pudsey tags along, to the dismay of their landlord, Mr. Thorne (John Sessions), and his cat Faustus. As Pudsey starts to settle in with the family and realize what he was missing when he was alone, he stumbles across Thorne's evil plan and he determines to save them and the whole village.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 885
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, captivating, light, sincere, semi serious
Similar in 82%
The Dog Who Saved Easter (2014)
Plot Summary:
It's Easter and everyone's favorite K-9 is back! The Bannisters are heading out on a family cruise and sending Zeus to doggie day care. Everything is going according to plan, until the daycare's crosstown rival hires a trio of crooks to sabotage the fledgling business. Zeus will make some new friends and new enemies as he uses all his tricks to save the daycare and Easter!.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 284
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, captivating, feel good, entertaining, exciting
Similar in 78%
The Retrievers (2001)
Plot Summary:
After the Lowry Family moves from New York to Placerville in California, a golden retriever comes to their house. The family starts to take care of her and the retriever, now named Pilot, has puppies. They give all of the puppies away, but later realize that they are an important part of their family. They try to find all of the puppies, which they do. Throughout the movie, Tom, the dad, is caught up in his business and has to choose between family or business multiple times.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 456
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, humorous, semi serious, funny, light, feel good, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 78%
Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008)
Plot Summary:
Maya Dolittle (Kyla Pratt) is back in a heartwarming adventure of presidential proportions! Maya's dream of going to vet school is put on hold when she gets a call from the president of the United States. It seems the First Dog is out of control, and the president needs Maya's help. It's up to Maya and her own dog, Lucky, to stop a canine catastrophe from becoming a national crisis!.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, offbeat
Similar in 90%
Dr. Dolittle: The Final (2009)
Plot Summary:
Maya Dolittle can talk to animals. She gets discovered and Tiffany Monaco, a Hollywood star, brings her to L.A. to help her little puppy, who turns out to be a boy.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Similar in 82%
Shelby (2014)
Plot Summary:
This isn't just a Christmas miracle... It's Christmas magic! In this heart-warming family tale, rescue dog Shelby manages to escape the dog pound on Christmas Eve and runs straight into the arms of little Jake (John Paul Ruttan, Robocop). Immediately the two are inseparable! Jake wants to be a magician and Shelby soon becomes the best friend and magical assistant he's always wanted... The only thing standing between them and a perfect Christmas is the notorious local dogcatcher - he has Shelby in his sights and he's not going to stop until he finds him! Can Shelby and Jake conjure up a little Christmas magic to save the day?.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 309
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: light, touching, feel good, humorous
Similar in 87%
Blurt! (2018)
Plot Summary:
When nice-guy Jeremy Martin puts on mysterious virtual reality glasses at the mall, he suddenly loses his “inside voice” and starts spouting every thought he has out loud. Making matters worse, Jeremy is running for student council president against his classmate Milly, who is full of great ideas to improve the school. Desperate to get back to normal, Jeremy and his sister Victoria must figure out how to convince his brain that he can speak up for himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 610
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: funny, light, sincere, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, satirical, semi serious
Similar in 82%
Grand-Daddy Day Care (2019)
Plot Summary:
A man has to figure out a way to make extra money when his father-in-law moves in.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 976
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: light, sincere, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, funny
Similar in 76%
The Dog Who Saved Halloween (2011)
Plot Summary:
Zeus (voiced by Joey Lawrence) and the Bannister family have moved into a new home just in time for Halloween! When Zeus and George (Gary Valentine of "The King of Queens") decide to investigate a creepy neighbor (Lance Henriksen of Aliens), they discover a scary dog (voiced by Mayim Bialik of "Blossom" and "The Big Bang Theory"), a haunted house and form a surprising partnership with a familiar pair of bumbling burglars (Dean Cain and Joey "Coco" Diaz). Can Zeus bust some ghosts, find a missing cat and face his biggest fear, all in time to go trick or treating? Elisa Donovan ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch") and Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds) star in this all-new thrills & chills adventure from the creators of The Dog Who Saved Christmas and The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 483
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, captivating, light, semi serious
Similar in 85%
Abner, the Invisible Dog (2013)
Plot Summary:
A bullied teen stumbles into possession of a top-secret government formula that turns his dog invisible and gives it the power of speech.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 165
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, light, captivating, semi serious, slapstick, psychotronic
Similar in 81%
Rufus (2016)
Plot Summary:
Manny has moved to a new school, and it's not easy to fit in. After wishing he had more friends, Manny finds a mysterious collar and puts it on Rufus, the family dog. Suddenly, Rufus turns into a boy! Manny's not sure what to do, so he enrolls Rufus in school. When the other students notice Rufus's silly dog antics -- chasing squirrels, eating without utensils, asking for belly rubs, and catching a soccer ball with his mouth -- he immediately becomes the most popular kid around. Manny is jealous of his new best friend but eventually learns that a dog's loyalty to his owner always comes first.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 767
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: funny, light, humorous, not serious, exciting, whimsical
Similar in 87%
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
Plot Summary:
Dora, a girl who has spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, now must navigate her most dangerous adventure yet: high school. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego, and a rag tag group of teens on an adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: captivating, colorful, light, enigmatic, entertaining, talky, fairy tale, cult classic, breathtaking, 2d animation
Similar in 85%
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
Plot Summary:
The tale of a workaholic dad-turned-dog who finds that being man's best friend shows him the most important job - being a great dad.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: light, humorous, feel good, semi serious, teen, light hearted, touching, offbeat, psychotronic, funny
Similar in 83%
Marmaduke (2010)
Plot Summary:
When Phil and Debbie Winslow relocate from their native Kansas to the sunny climes of Orange County, their big-hearted, havoc-wreaking Great Dane gets a taste of the dog's life, California-style.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, sentimental, entertaining, funny, slasher, family comedy
Similar in 79%
Beethoven's 3rd (2000)
Plot Summary:
Everyone's favorite St. Bernard returns in this family film about man's best friend. Richard Newton, his wife Beth and kids Brennan and Sara shove off in their camper for a road trip. Along the way, they gain a new passenger: slobbery Beethoven. The Newtons plan to return Beethoven to his owner -- but not before he turns hero when a pair of thieves enter the picture.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Family, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, independent film, feel good
Similar in 86%
Pup Star (2016)
Plot Summary:
A Yorkshire Terrier, competing in a televised singing competition, is separated from her owner by an opportunist dog pound worker.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 521
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: road movie, light, feel good, humorous, tense, visually appealing
Similar in 84%
Cool Dog (2010)
Plot Summary:
Jimmy lives in the tranquil town of Eagle Rock, Louisiana, with his father, stepmother and his best friend Rainy, a German Shepherd. When Jimmy's father gets a promotion, the family must relocate to an apartment in New York City that has a strict no pet policy. Unwilling to let his master go without a fight, Rainy embarks on a cross-country journey to New York but navigating the Big Apple is just the beginning of his challenging adventure.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 643
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, semi serious, light, road movie, entertaining, exciting, independent film, slapstick
Similar in 84%
Treasure Buddies (2012)
Plot Summary:
Disney's irresistible talking puppies are back in an all-new movie that takes them halfway across the world to the ruins of ancient Egypt. With the help of some exotic new friends, this epic adventure is a treasure trove of pure Buddy fun. In a race against a devious cat, the Buddies and their new friends, Cammy and Babi, must avoid booby traps, solve puzzles and explore a mysterious tomb - all in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind!.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: feel good, sentimental, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 85%
Beethoven's 4th (2001)
Plot Summary:
The family is pleasantly surprised and puzzled when Beethoven suddenly becomes obedient. Turns out it's a prince and the pauper scenario, with the real Beethoven now living with a pompous rich family.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 85%
Beethoven's Big Break (2008)
Plot Summary:
Eddie, a struggling animal trainer and single dad suddenly finds himself the personal wrangler for a large and lovable St. Bernard whose fabulous movie "audition" catapults the dog to stardom. However, a trio of unscrupulous ne'er-do-wells have plans to kidnap the famous dog and hold him for ransom.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
My Dog's Christmas Miracle (2011)
Plot Summary:
University professor Madeline Walters isn’t doing too well in the dating game. Good men are hard to find, so she’s happy spending time with her Maltese puppy Cinnamon, and her precocious teenage daughter Chloe.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 295
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, light, captivating, semi serious
Similar in 87%
I Heart Shakey (2012)
Plot Summary:
Shakey is a family film about a 35-year-old widower named J.T. O'Neil, his precocious 10-year-old daughter and their devoted mutt Shakey. After moving from a small town to Chicago and missing the fine print in their rental contract, J.T. is forced to try and get rid of his lovable pooch. Shakey and Chandler won't have it and hatch a plan to keep Shakey and teach J.T. a valuable lesson about loyalty and the importance of keeping family together.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 226
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, captivating, light, entertaining, realistic, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 83%
Beethoven's 5th (2003)
Plot Summary:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. When Sara takes Beethoven to spend summer vacation with wacky Uncle Freddie in an old mining town, the mischievous canine "digs up" the missing clue to a legendary hidden fortune of Rita and Moe Selig. Now everybody wants to be the dog's best friend as his discovery unleashes a frenzy of treasure hunting among the community's cast of kooky creatures. With help from Uncle Freddie and Garrett (a friend or maybe more), Sara and Beethoven try to help uncover a secret that has been in the crazy little town for years. Description above from the Wikipedia article Beethoven's 5th (film), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Adventure
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, entertaining, light
Similar in 79%
Santa Hunters (2014)
Plot Summary:
Four children trIn Santa Hunters, Alex and his cousins Zoey (Yde) and Richard (Coronel) create an elaborate setup of traps to catch Santa on tape, but their plan backfires when they realize that seeing Santa will cause him to lose his Christmas magic. The kids have to protect the tape to save Christmas, learning that believing is more important than seeing.y to claim that Santa Claus is real.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 430
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 65 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, entertaining, light, captivating
Similar in 87%
Yes Day (2021)
Plot Summary:
A mom and dad who usually say no decide to say yes to their kids' wildest requests — with a few ground rules — on a whirlwind day of fun and adventure.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: feel good, funny, light, humorous, captivating, entertaining, smart, family comedy
Similar in 87%
Golden Winter (2012)
Plot Summary:
A runaway boy befriends a pack of homeless puppies. Together, they stop a bank robbery and find a family to adopt them all.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 400
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, light, captivating, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 80%
Dog Gone (2008)
Plot Summary:
A courageous boy battles a gang of bumbling thieves to rescue a dog carrying a fortune in stolen diamonds.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 840
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, light, captivating, entertaining, realistic, semi serious, slapstick
Similar in 78%
Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Plot Summary:
Placed in a foster home that doesn't allow pets, 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, turn an abandoned hotel into a home for their dog. Soon other strays arrive, and the hotel becomes a haven for every orphaned canine in town. But the kids have to do some quick thinking to keep the cops off their tails.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: feel good, entertaining, humorous, light, romantic, family comedy, teen, realistic, semi serious, fairy tale