Best movies like Paulie
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Paulie, an intelligent parrot who actually talks, relates the story of his struggle to a Russian immigrant who works as a janitor at the research institute where he is housed and neglected. Paulie's story begins many years earlier when he is given as a gift to a little girl who stutters. Eventually, he teaches the girl to speak correctly but is taken away by her father because he believes the girl cannot distinguish fantasy from reality because she believes the bird can talk. Paulie goes through a series of adventures with a pawn shop owner, an aging widow, a Mexican-American troubadour and a would be thief before being taken to the institute where he now lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, sad, offbeat, feel good, realistic, semi serious, sentimental, inspirational, thought provoking
Best tv shows and movies like Paulie (1998):
Similar in 83%
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996)
Plot Summary:
When the pets accidentally get separated from their vacationing owners, Chance, Shadow, and Sassy navigate the mean streets of San Francisco, trying to find their home across the Golden Gate Bridge. But the road is blocked by a series of hazards, both man and beast.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: retro, hilarious, exciting, touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, slapstick comedy, light, romantic
Similar in 82%
Gordy (1994)
Plot Summary:
A talking pig named Gordy becomes involved in a quest to save his family from the slaughterhouse.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: light, feel good, touching, humorous, sad, hilarious, independent film, semi serious, road movie, sexy
Similar in 82%
The Magic of the Golden Bear: Goldy III (1994)
Plot Summary:
When a sly magician casts a spell so that he can buy Goldy, the last Golden Bear, Jesse runs away with her pet. Hiding deep in the heart of the forest, the youngster meets a 'Ghostman' who believes all animals should be free.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 81
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: absurd, independent film, exciting, touching, offbeat, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 90%
The One and Only Ivan (2020)
Plot Summary:
Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, sweet, visually appealing, light, feel good, emotional, computer animated, sad, tear jerker
Similar in 85%
Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
Plot Summary:
Babe, fresh from his victory in the sheepherding contest, returns to Farmer Hoggett's farm, but after Farmer Hoggett is injured and unable to work, Babe has to go to the big city to save the farm.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: clever, surreal, stylized, allegory, retro, psychedelic, neo noir, cult classic, mind blowing, touching
Similar in 88%
Cheetah (1989)
Plot Summary:
An American boy and girl, spending six months in Kenya with their scientist parents adopt a cheetah, only to realize that they must set it loose so that it can learn to hunt and be free. However, when the animal is captured by poachers planning to race it against greyhounds, the two city kids, together with a young African goat herder they befriended, head off into the wild to rescue the cheetah.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, romantic, clever, touching, unusual plot structure, sweet, melancholic, twist ending
Similar in 83%
Monkey Trouble (1994)
Plot Summary:
Dodger, a criminal monkey, belongs to a crooked street performer but escapes his life of crime only to end up in the arms of Eva, an innocent little girl whose mother has no idea that her daughter is harboring a fugitive.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: humorous, independent film, touching, feel good, semi serious, light, road movie, sexy, clever, unusual plot structure
Similar in 77%
Born to Be Wild (1995)
Plot Summary:
Rick Heller is a juvenile delinquent who keeps getting himself into trouble. To keep him out of trouble his mother puts him to work cleaning the cage of a gorilla named Katie which she is teaching to communicate through the use of sign language. When the owner of the gorilla takes her back to become a flea market freak Rick takes it upon himself to break Katie out and take her on an adventurous journey to get her out of the country.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, romantic, road movie, surreal, twist ending
Similar in 90%
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Plot Summary:
A pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua named Chloe who, while on vacation in Mexico with her owner Viv's niece, Rachel, gets lost and must rely on her friends to help her get back home before she is caught by a dognapper who wants to ransom her.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: humorous, entertaining, light, melancholic, slapstick, family comedy, not serious, fairy tale, clever, touching
Similar in 89%
102 Dalmatians (2000)
Plot Summary:
Get ready for a howling good time as an all new assortment of irresistible animal heroes are unleashed in this great family tail! In an unlikely alliance, the outrageous Waddlesworth... a parrot who thinks he's a Rottweiler... teams up with Oddball... an un-marked Dalmation puppy eager to earn her spots! Together they embark on a laugh-packed quest to outwit the ever-scheming Cruella De Vil.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, light, humorous, entertaining, melancholic, feel good, semi serious, saga, grindhouse, family comedy
Similar in 85%
For the Love of Benji (1977)
Plot Summary:
Benji is lost and becomes a stray animal in Athens, Greece, trying to reunite with his family while secret agents pursue him, trying to get a formula which was glued to his paw in order to get it past customs.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: independent film, feel good, humorous, semi serious, light, sweet, entertaining, surreal, complex, cult film
Similar in 84%
Shiloh (1996)
Plot Summary:
An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sweet, touching, emotional, semi serious, feel good, gothic, epic, independent film, fairy tale, sentimental
Similar in 79%
Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998)
Plot Summary:
Two orphans named Jory and Tess live with their grandparents. However, their cousins Bart and Bertha try to take them away because the two kids have trust funds from their dead parents. When Bart and Bertha kidnap the newborn puppies, Rusty the dog decides to save them.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 295
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 85%
Lassie (2005)
Plot Summary:
A family in financial crisis is forced to sell Lassie, their beloved dog. Hundreds of miles away from her true family, Lassie escapes and sets out on a journey home.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA, France, Ireland, UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, sad, crying, realistic, independent film
Similar in 78%
Marley & Me (2008)
Plot Summary:
A newly married couple who, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 166000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, feel good, funny, sentimental, tear jerker, emotional, heartbreaking, intense, humorous
Similar in 87%
Bolt (2008)
Plot Summary:
Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks it's real. After he's accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt must harness all his "super powers" to find a way home.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 225000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, light, entertaining, touching, sweet, humorous, computer animated, fairy tale, 3d animation, feel good
Similar in 85%
Bingo (1991)
Plot Summary:
Bingo, the runaway circus dog, is off the leash and saving Chuckie's life! Bingo and the boy become the best of friends in this canine comedy featuring doggy disguises and skateboarding, pinball and prison. Chuckie and his parents (Cindy Williams and David Rasche) are moving house, a thousand miles away, but Bingo won't be allowed to join them. Chuckie and Bingo's determination to be reunited is t.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, touching, not serious, spoof, entertaining, feel good, parody, funny, clever, unusual plot structure
Similar in 84%
Larger Than Life (1996)
Plot Summary:
Motivational Speaker Jack Corcoran is determined to get his career off the ground, but the biggest gigs he can get are the ones nobody wants. Then one day, he receives a telegram that his circus clown father has passed away, and has left a "huge" inheritance. When he gets there, he finds that his inheritance has come in the form of an elephant that was his father's pride and joy in circus acts. His main intention is to sell the pachyderm off. Jack must choose between loud and rude zookeeper Mo or attractive animal show owner Terry. As the two treks through the country Jack and the elephant develop a bond, and it changes his approach on life for the better.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: light, funny, touching, feel good, road movie, humorous, entertaining, offbeat, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 82%
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 88%
Stuart Little (1999)
Plot Summary:
The adventures of a heroic and debonair stalwart mouse named Stuart Little with human qualities, who faces some comic misadventures while searching for his lost bird friend and living with a human family as their child.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 146000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: light, entertaining, feel good, humorous, funny, inspirational, epic, mysterious, light hearted, touching
Similar in 75%
Beethoven (1992)
Plot Summary:
The Newton family live in their comfortable home, but there seems to something missing. This "hole" is filled by a small puppy, who walks into their home and their lives. Beethoven, as he is named, grows into a giant of a dog... a St Bernard. Doctor Varnick, the local vet has a secret and horrible sideline, which requires lots of dogs for experiments. Beethoven is on the bad doctor's list.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: feel good, sweet, funny, light, humorous, light hearted, sincere, retro, epic, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Plot Summary:
Remake of the popular Disney classic, this time featuring some well known voices as two dogs and a cat trek across America encountering all sorts of adventures in the quest to be reunited with their owners.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: touching, sweet, feel good, exciting, epic, inspirational, retro, romantic comedy, hilarious, semi serious
Similar in 84%
Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997)
Plot Summary:
Willy the whale is back, this time threatened by illegal whalers making money off sushi. Jesse, now 16, has taken a job on an orca-researching ship, along with old friend Randolph and a sarcastic scientist, Drew. On the whaler's ship is captain John Wesley and his son, Max, who isn't really pleased about his father's job, but doesn't have the gut to say so. Along the way, Willy reunites with Jesse.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, humorous, retro, epic, semi serious, exciting, romantic, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 83%
Buddy (1997)
Plot Summary:
An eccentric socialite raises a gorilla as her son.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: light, touching, semi serious, feel good, humorous, realistic, road movie, unusual plot structure, sweet, suspense
Similar in 87%
Free Willy 2 (1995)
Plot Summary:
Jesse becomes reunited with Willy three years after the whale's jump to freedom as the teenager tries to rescue the killer whale and other orcas from an oil spill.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: France, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, sweet, retro, epic, anamorphic, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 81%
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 78%
Free Willy (1993)
Plot Summary:
When maladjusted orphan Jesse vandalizes a theme park, he is placed with foster parents and must work at the park to make amends. There he meets Willy, a young Orca whale who has been separated from his family. Sensing kinship, they form a bond and, with the help of kindly whale trainer Rae Lindley, develop a routine of tricks. However, greedy park owner Dial soon catches wind of the duo and makes plans to profit from them.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, uplifting, feel good, sweet, light, inspirational, retro, sexy, epic
Similar in 85%
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
Plot Summary:
Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, sincere, psychological, captivating, realistic, motivational, inspirational, philosophical, depressing
Similar in 89%
Benji: Off the Leash! (2004)
Plot Summary:
Benji and his friends try to save his mother from a puppy mill.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 668
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Fly Away Home (1996)
Plot Summary:
Amy is only 13 years old when her mother is killed. She goes to Canada to live with her father, an eccentric inventor whom she barely knows. Amy is miserable in her new life... until she discovers a nest of goose eggs that were abandoned when a local forest is torn down. The eggs hatch and Amy becomes "Mama Goose". When Winter comes, Amy, and her dad must find a way to lead the birds South.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: uplifting, emotional, touching, serious, inspirational, sentimental, thought provoking, feel good, epic, sad