Best movies like The Railway Children
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to The Railway Children? Offer your insights to help others to movies and tv series you've already watched that might similarly intrigue them. Aid in widening the community of people alluding videos among one another. We encourage your input!
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
Best tv shows and movies like The Railway Children (1970):
Similar in 76%
My Angel (2011)
Plot Summary:
Fifteen year old Eddie's mother falls very ill after a serious car accident. Eddie and his brother Stewart end up having to take care of themselves and one night when they have ran out of food and electricity, Eddie dreams that his mother asks him to find an angel's halo so that she can be saved. Will Eddie be able to save his mother in time for Christmas?.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 182
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: uplifting, emotional, captivating, sincere, serious
Similar in 88%
The Sweetest Gift (1998)
Plot Summary:
Two neighboring families in Florida, one black and one white, struggle with the problems of race, poverty, prejudice, and absent fathers, as their children become friends over the course of one summer and fall.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 181
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 75%
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Plot Summary:
Young Cedric (Ceddie) Errol and his widowed mother (known only as "Dearest") live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept the little Cedric as Lord Fauntleroy, his heir.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, semi serious
Similar in 84%
Spencer's Mountain (1963)
Plot Summary:
Clay Spencer is a hard-working man who loves his wife and large family. He is respected by his neighbors and always ready to give them a helping hand. Although not a churchgoer, he even helps a newly arrived local minister regain his flock after he and Clay get into a bit of trouble. If he has one dream in life it's to build his wife Olivia a beautiful house on a piece of land he inherited on Spender's mountain. When his eldest son, Clayboy, graduates at the top of his high school class and has the opportunity to go to college, Clay has only one option left to him.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: emotional, talky, intense, touching, humorous, sentimental, feel good, retro, heartfelt, realistic
Similar in 84%
The Secret Garden (1975)
Plot Summary:
TV miniseries adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 345
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 210 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 86%
My Dog the Champion (2013)
Plot Summary:
Champion is a "diamond in the rough" story about a dog named Scout, a cattle dog who decided she didn't like herding cattle. Scout's owner, Billy, a rancher struggling to stay in business, pegs her as a useless, broken tool and has every intention of replacing her. But when the rancher's city slicker granddaughter, Madison, spends the summer on his ranch, the two outcasts form a special bond that ushers Scout into the new arena of Dog Agility Competition. With the help of a cute teenage farm boy, Madison uncovers Scout's uncanny skill at agility competition and the trio spend their summer training for the Annual Youth Trainer Challenge.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 135
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: humorous, touching, feel good, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 86%
Carrie's War (2004)
Plot Summary:
Carrie's War is an adaptation of a 1973 children's novel by Nina Bawden, set during the Second World War and following two evacuees, Carrie and her younger brother Nick.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 494
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, bleak
Similar in 83%
Storm (2009)
Plot Summary:
Drengen Freddie elsker hunde og hader hundemishandlere. Så da han ser en mand på gaden være rigtig modbydelig mod sin hund, tager han affære og kidnapper hunden, som han giver navnet Storm. Freddie gemmer Storm på sit værelse, for hans far vil sikkert ikke synes om få en ekstra beboer i huset. Men så begynder Storm at vise ualmindeligt stort talent på væddeløbsbanen.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 206
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Denmark
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, serious, humorous, realistic, crying
Similar in 81%
The Adventures of Ociee Nash (2002)
Plot Summary:
Skyler Day stars as Ociee Nash, a spirited nine-year-old from rural Mississippi. Ociee's idyllic life is thrown into a tailspin when she's sent to live with her Aunt Mamie to become a "young lady". Ociee's true bravery, character, and spirit are put to the test in this uplifting family drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 412
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, semi serious, realistic, gothic, independent film, humorous
Similar in 84%
Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Plot Summary:
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann.".
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, semi serious, gothic, sad, independent film
Similar in 89%
Heidi (2015)
Plot Summary:
Heidi, is an eight-year-old Swiss orphan who is given by her aunt to her mountain-dwelling grandfather. She is then stolen back by her aunt from her grandfather to live in the wealthy Sesemann household in Frankfurt, Germany as a companion to Klara, a sheltered, disabled girl in a wheelchair. Heidi is unhappy but makes the best of the situation, always longing for her grandfather.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Germany, Switzerland
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: sincere, scenic, psychological, touching, unusual plot structure, contemplative, feel good, educational, fairy tale
Similar in 84%
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 79%
Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999)
Plot Summary:
After young Marty Peterson rescued Shiloh from his abusive owner, Judd Travers, he thought his troubles were over. But when Judd starts threatening to take "his" dog back, Marty is afraid of losing the best friend he's ever had. Even after Shiloh's keen senses help save Judd's life, the old man refuses to mend his mean-spirited ways, convincing everyone in town he's just too nasty to change. Now, in a long-short gamble to keep the dog he loves, Marty sets out to prove that just like a mistreated animal, a man filled with hate can be healed by the power of kindness.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 89%
A Christmas Memory (1997)
Plot Summary:
A boy, Buddy, whose parents have split and whose mother is an actress in New York, has been dumped in the south at the small-town home of some older cousins, all of whom are unmarried.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 796
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, atmospheric, uplifting, touching, feel good, realistic, semi serious, southern gothic
Similar in 75%
Summer of the Colt (1989)
Plot Summary:
This award-winning film by André Melançon -- set on a ranch on the pampas of Argentina -- tells the story of three children spending a summer with their grandfather. The youngest, Felipe, makes friends with a puppy; his older brother, Daniel, breaks and train his first horse; their 13-year-old sister, Laura, struggles with the transition between childhood and growing up. The kids find it difficult to adapt to their proud and stubborn grandfather, and he learns that he has to change his ways and try to understand them as they all experience the joys and sorrows of growing up and growing old. ~ Alice Duncan, Rovi.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 130
Genere: Family, Drama
Country: Argentina, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
An American Girl Adventure (2005)
Plot Summary:
Pre-American Revolution Virginian girl whose love for the outdoors leads to the friendship of a lifetime. Felicity loves horses, and though her parents plead with her to remain indoors, she years to ride the open plains. When Felicity comes into contact with a beautiful mare which has suffered at the hands of its callous owner, she takes it upon herself to care for the creature.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, feel good, realistic
Similar in 75%
The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005)
Plot Summary:
This holiday tale has all the elements of a classic heartwarmer--cuddly dogs, small town spirit, and even a full-fledged Christmas pageant. Set during the meager years of the Great Depression, 12 DOGS OF CHRISTMAS follows the story of Emma, a 12-year-old who is sent to live in Doverville, a rural town, with her aunt. The town has, like the rest of the nation, fallen on lean times and seem to have lost all interest in celebrating. However, Emma manages to enlist the town's dogs into a colorful holiday pageant that reminds the inhabitants that even the Great Depression cannot ruin the spirit of Christmas.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 996
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: feel good, light, humorous, sentimental, touching
Similar in 86%
Christmas Angel (2012)
Plot Summary:
A young girl tries to prove that the mysterious old lady next door is really an angel, when some of the neighborhood kids’ Christmas wishes. Olivia is not like most fifth graders. She is being raised by Melinda, a single mother who works at a bustling local bakery run by her good friend Daphne, the mother of Olivia's best friend and classmate. Olivia has a heart of gold that shines through in her good intentions and her imagination. During the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, a mysterious lady quietly moves into the house next door. The house has been uninhabited since the owner, Dr. Nathan Davis, left town abruptly. When some of the neighborhood kids Christmas wishes suddenly begin to come true, Olivia is convinced that the towns newcomer is an angel and she is determined to prove it.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, realistic, semi serious, christian film
Similar in 79%
Heidi (1968)
Plot Summary:
Heidi is an orphaned girl initially raised by her aunt Dete in Maienfeld, Switzerland. In order to get a job in Frankfurt, Dete brings 5-year-old Heidi to her grandfather, who has been at odds with the villagers for years and lives in seclusion on the alm. He at first resents Heidi's arrival, but the girl manages to penetrate his harsh exterior and subsequently has a delightful stay with him and her best friend, young Peter the goat-herd.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 665
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: West Germany, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, feel good, serious, realistic
Similar in 81%
Mr. Christmas (2004)
Plot Summary:
A young father struggling to make ends meet on a Depression-era salary can't afford to buy his 5-year-old daughter what she's expecting Santa Claus to bring her for Christmas. The surprise, uplifting ending is guaranteed to put even the most embittered Scrooge into the Christmas spirit.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 234
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, semi serious, touching, realistic
Similar in 78%
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 87%
Booky & the Secret Santa (2007)
Plot Summary:
Booky does everything she can to make an enjoyable Christmas, for her family, during the depression as her father is out of work.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 311
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, sincere, captivating, feel good, serious
Similar in 76%
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 75%
Mary Christmas (2002)
Plot Summary:
Californian widower Joel Wallace, a successful businessman, is a great catch in a grand mansion, but absorbed by his work. His daughter Felice writes to a TV Christmas special, hoping for a 'new mammy'.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 545
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, captivating, light, uplifting, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 75%
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 82%
Kes (1969)
Plot Summary:
A young, English working-class boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet falcon.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: independent film, bleak, depressing, realistic, emotional, social, sad, serious, heartbreaking, bad ending
Similar in 90%
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 75%
A Little Princess (1995)
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
Similar in 78%
Angels Sing (2013)
Plot Summary:
As a child, Michael Walker wished every day could be Christmas. That is, until a tragic accident crushed his holiday spirit. Thirty years later, Michael still can't muster any joy for the holidays, despite encouragement from his playful wife and well-intentioned parents. But when his young son faces a tragedy, Michael needs to make amends with his past. A mysterious man named Nick gives Michael a gift and instills in him the courage to find the joy that he lost.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, semi serious, realistic
Similar in 89%
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Great Depression hits home for nine year old Kit Kittredge when her dad loses his business and leaves to find work. Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin stars as Kit, leading a splendid cast in the first ever "American Girl" theatrical movie. In order to keep their home, Kit and her mother must take in boarders - paying house - guests who turn out to be full of fascinating stories. When mother's lockbox containing all their money is stolen, Kit's new hobo friend Will is the prime suspect. Kit refuses to believe that Will would steal, and her efforts to sniff out the real story get her and friends into big trouble. The police say the robbery was an inside job, committed by someone they know. So if it wasn't Will, then who did it.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sentimental, melancholic, inspirational, stylized, feel good, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, crying