Best movies like Wolf Children
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Wolf Children? Leverage your insights to steer others toward tv shows and movies you've seen before that might similarly transfix them. Aid in increasing the cohort of people bringing up videos between each other. We encourage your contribution!
Plot Summary:
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: anime, heartbreaking, sweet, atmospheric, colorful, sentimental, touching, manga, depressing, epic
Best tv shows and movies like Wolf Children (2012):
Similar in 88%
Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Ephemeral Bond (2018)
Plot Summary:
The movie of Natsume's Book of Friends series. Natsume has been busy, navigating between humans and Yokai when he coincidentally reunites with an old classmate, Yuki. It brings back painful memories of a certain Yokai. Meanwhile, Natsume also became acquainted with Yorie Tsumura, a woman in the memories of a Yokai whose name he had returned. Yorie knew much about Reiko, but now lived a peaceful life with her only son, Mukuo. Being with this family was comforting for Natsume, but apparently a mysterious Yokai has been lurking in their town. On the way back from investigating, a "Yokai seed" that had latched itself to Nyanko Sensei drops into the Fujiwaras' garden and grows overnight into a fruit tree. When Nyanko Sensei eats a fruit that is somehow shaped like himself, he suddenly splits into three!.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 605
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: anime, shoujo, touching, captivating, sincere, romantic, melancholic, surreal, iyashikei
Similar in 78%
In This Corner of the World (2016)
Plot Summary:
Newlywed Suzu Urano moves to her new life in Kure City on the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture, where she perseveres through World War II with pluck and determination.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: anime, thought provoking, tense, touching, captivating, suspenseful, sad, manga, adult animation, seinen
Similar in 90%
Mirai (2018)
Plot Summary:
The movie follows a 4-year old boy who is struggling to cope with the arrival of a little sister in the family until things turn magical. A mysterious garden in the backyard of the boy's home becomes a gateway allowing the child to travel back in time and encounter his mother as a little girl and his great-grandfather as a young man. These fantasy-filled adventures allow the child to change his perspective and help him become the big brother he was meant to be.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, sincere, entertaining, manga, funny, thought provoking, enigmatic, feel good, humorous
Similar in 82%
The Anthem of the Heart (2015)
Plot Summary:
A young girl had her voice magically taken away so that she would never hurt people with it, but her outlook changes when she encounters music and friendship. Will Naruse be able to convey the anthem of her heart?.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: anime, sincere, touching, psychological, sentimental, romantic, epic
Similar in 84%
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
Plot Summary:
A story of encounters and partings interwoven between people; this is a human drama with feelings that touch one's heart gradually, which everyone has experienced at least once.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, thought provoking, sentimental, exciting, sincere, manga, epic fantasy, josei, 2d animation
Similar in 78%
Flavors of Youth (2018)
Plot Summary:
Three different stories of youth set in different cities of China. 1 Shanghai Love. 2 Sunny Breakfast. 3 Small Fashion Show. Directed by Zhenxing Yi, the plot revolves around a young man working in Beijing. He used to live with his grandma in his less developed hometown Hunan. While he is drown in his childhood reminiscence, he receives an unexpected call – Grandma is in critical condition.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Romance
Country: China, Japan
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: anime, anthology, light, manga, psychological, atmospheric, uplifting, sweet, captivating, scenic
Similar in 86%
A Silent Voice (2016)
Plot Summary:
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Animation, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, sincere, romantic, sweet, inspirational, biting, manga, adult animation, epic
Similar in 75%
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Plot Summary:
One Christmas Eve three people, a middle-aged alcoholic named Gin, a former drag queen Hana and a dependent runaway girl Miyuki, discover an abandoned newborn while looking through the garbage.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, adult animation, atmospheric, witty, emotional, feel good, light, talky, intense
Similar in 86%
To the Forest of Firefly Lights (2011)
Plot Summary:
One hot summer day a little girl gets lost in an enchanted forest of the mountain god where spirits reside. A young boy appears before her, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. And so a wondrous adventure awaits.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, touching, captivating, sincere, sad, manga, art house, deep, cute
Similar in 76%
A Whisker Away (2020)
Plot Summary:
Miyo "Muge" Sasaki is a peculiar second-year junior high student who has fallen in love with her classmate Kento Hinode. Muge resolutely pursues Kento every day, but he takes no notice of her. Nevertheless, while carrying a secret she can tell no one, Muge continues to pursue Kento. Muge discovers a magic mask that allows her to transform into a cat named Tarō. The magic lets Muge get close to Kento, but eventually it may also make her unable to transform back to a human.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, feel good, unusual plot structure, visually appealing, manga
Similar in 77%
Weathering with You (2019)
Plot Summary:
Hodaka, a high school boy who moves from his isolated island home to the city of Tokyo, who immediately becomes broke! After finally finding work at a shady occult magazine, the sky rains every day until amidst the hustle and bustle of the big city, he meets a young woman called Hina. She lives a cheerful life with her younger brother, but also has a certain power: to stop the rain and clear the sky.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan, China
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, exciting, captivating, feel good, fairy tale, epic, manga, light, visually stunning
Similar in 85%
Wolfwalkers (2020)
Plot Summary:
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Ireland, Luxembourg, France
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, atmospheric, stylized, anime, sentimental, funny, political, social, mumblecore
Similar in 84%
Millennium Actress (2001)
Plot Summary:
Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: anime, surreal, touching, tense, atmospheric, emotional, talky, serious, adult animation, cult classic
Similar in 87%
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 159000
Genere: Animation, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, feel good, fairy tale, colorful, atmospheric, manga, inspirational, retro, epic
Similar in 77%
Belle (2021)
Plot Summary:
Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural town with her father. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world "U" and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U's eyes are fixed on Belle, when, suddenly, a mysterious dragon-like figure appears before her.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Music, Musical, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, disturbing, visual, adult animation, manga, 2d animation
Similar in 85%
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Plot Summary:
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 301000
Genere: Animation, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: depressing, anime, touching, heartbreaking, sad, emotional, harsh, dramatic, sentimental, tear jerker
Similar in 75%
Song of the Sea (2014)
Plot Summary:
The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, France
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, stylized, fairy tale, captivating, sweet, anime, sad, lyrical, visual
Similar in 84%
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Plot Summary:
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 368000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: anime, feel good, atmospheric, sweet, touching, fairy tale, offbeat, manga, uplifting, emotional
Similar in 83%
The Boy and the Beast (2015)
Plot Summary:
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, breathtaking, poignant, intense, visually appealing, manga, semi serious, feel good, epic
Similar in 84%
The Garden of Words (2013)
Plot Summary:
Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches ….
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, sweet, atmospheric, melancholic, serious, romantic, colorful, visual, manga
Similar in 75%
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Plot Summary:
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: anime, touching, feel good, humorous, manga, surreal, mind bending, mind twisting, psychological, funny
Similar in 76%
Your Name. (2016)
Plot Summary:
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 306000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: anime, sweet, touching, melancholic, romantic, captivating, surprise ending, sentimental, scenic, suspense
Similar in 90%
Patema Inverted (2013)
Plot Summary:
In an underground world where tunnels extend everywhere, even though they live in dark and confined spaces, people wear protective clothes and lead quiet and enjoyable lives. Patema, a princess in her underground village, loves to explore the tunnels. Her favorite place is a "danger zone" that her village prohibits people from entering. Even though she's scolded, Patema's curiosity can't be held back. No one ever explained what the supposed danger was. On her usual trip to the "danger zone," Patema faces unexpected events. When hidden secrets come to light, the story begins to unfold.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, semi serious, manga, colorful, mind bending, psychedelic, surreal, mind twisting, stylized