Best tv shows like Manuel on the Island of Wonders
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Manuel is a young boy who travels from long ago to the present and then to the future.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 250
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Portugal, France
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: avant garde
Best tv shows and movies like Manuel on the Island of Wonders (1984):
Similar in 81%
Love Torn in a Dream (2000)
Plot Summary:
Raul Ruiz's Love Torn in a Dream is introduced with a fake newsreel, taking place in postwar France, in which the cast of the film meet with the producer, who explains the film's complex weave of nine narratives. A diagram in which each story is represented by a letter of the alphabet explicates the intertwining of the nine tales. As the producer explains each actor's role, the film begins. The stories, rooted in folklore, bump up against each other as the film leaps back and forth in time.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 370
Genere: Drama, Fantasy
Country: France, Portugal, Chile
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: semi serious, enigmatic, offbeat, humorous, avant garde, art house, baroque
Similar in 86%
Litoral (2008)
Plot Summary:
Litoral is a four-part 2008 Chilean film written and directed by Raúl Ruiz.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 16
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Chile
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: folk tale
Similar in 88%
City of Pirates (1983)
Plot Summary:
A surreal odyssey in which a melancholic maidservant crosses paths with a homicidal little boy, travels to a tiny island of pirates and encounters a man with multiple personalities.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 904
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: France, Portugal
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: surreal, rough, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Les Galapiats: The Collection (1970)
Plot Summary:
Les Galapiats is a French-Belgian-Swiss-Canadian television series, composed of eight episodes lasting 26 minutes each, directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit broadcast in 1970 on the second channel of the ORTF and December 1969 in the RTB, Belgium.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 134
Genere: Adventure
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Treasure Island (1986)
Plot Summary:
Take a son and make sure he dreams; wake him up and start telling him a story. Rock him with your most beautiful voice, lower and lower, until he goes back to sleep but still listening, subliminally. Now, he must be dreaming, but completing the story you were whispering. When the son wakes up, he must feel like the story chose him and not the opposite. Immortal story, was the title of an Orson Welles' film (who also acted in a previous version of Stevenson's Treaure Island); but every story is immortal, is what any Raoul Ruiz's film tells us.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 251
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: surreal, independent film
Similar in 79%
Maramao (1987)
Plot Summary:
A coming-of-age story in which a young boy resists the adult world and the inevitable loss of the joys of childhood.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 95
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 76%
George's Island (1989)
Plot Summary:
This is a tale about two children who are put in a foster home, and then on Halloween they breakout and are rescued by their eccentric grandfather who is in a Halloween costume of an eyeball. They then go to George's island to try and find the treasure of Captain Kidd. Written by Andrew Hazeden.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 179
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: epic, independent film
Similar in 88%
The Blessed Girl (2021)
Plot Summary:
In a mysterious and unknown continent named "Suchuan", there are many beautiful legends of mythology. A catastrophe caused the gods to fall, and Suchuan was thrown into chaos. After many years, the young monarch Yuan Yi ascends to the throne and vows to end the troubled times. Yuan Yi believed that the source of chaos was the falling of the gods. He fled the imperial city and found a girl named Ling Long, who possesses a strong spiritual power of the god. Ling Long and her father, Chi Xin, lived in a remote village. Although Ling Long lost her mother since young, she is independent and outstanding. At the request of Yuan Yi, Chi Xin left the village with Ling Long and Yuan Yi and embarked on an adventure to save Suchuan. Evil can never rival justice, and the trio finally defeated the power of evil and led Suchuan to a beautiful new era.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 47
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama
Similar in 88%
Pirate Islands (2003)
Plot Summary:
A rip-roaring fantasy adventure, Pirate Islands sees 15-year old Kate and her younger brother and sister trapped inside a computer game set on an island controlled by swashbuckling pirates. They soon discover that the only way home is to finish the game-by beating the pirates and the castaway children to the hidden pirate treasure.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 324
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Australia
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sweet, captivating, stylized
Similar in 88%
Thunderstone (1999)
Plot Summary:
The year is 2020. Fifteen-year-old Noah lives with his family in the futuristic underground community of North Col. The world above is a frozen wasteland after a massive comet strike destroyed all other life in the world including the animals. One night, he accidentally time travels to the future and finds himself trapped in the year 2085 in a desolate desert place called Haven with a group of children, the Nomads, led by Arushka.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 401
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Australia
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: apocalyptic
Similar in 87%
Ever Night (2018)
Plot Summary:
They are both chosen in their own ways to protect their people and the country. Ning Que is the only survivor of General Lin Guang Yuan’s regime, which came under a calculated and brutal attack of another dangerous general. Ning Que manages to escape to Du City with his maid, Sang Sang, and joins the best martial arts academy there. When Sang Sang becomes ill with a mysterious illness, Ning Que takes her to a doctor, only to discover that Sang Sang is the reincarnation of Yong Ye, a mysterious and powerful being that is prophesied to bring about chaos. With evil forces now trying to get their hands on Sang Sang to channel her power, Ning Que must put his life on the line to save Sang Sang and his people.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 375
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: China
Duration:
Plot tags: exciting, sincere, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing, scenic, xianxia
Similar in 86%
Pinocchio (2008)
Plot Summary:
The enchanted story of Pinocchio.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Italy, UK
Duration: 179 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, sincere, thought provoking, captivating, entertaining, mysterious
Similar in 83%
The Holy Pearl (2011)
Plot Summary:
The Holy Pearl is a 2011 Chinese Television series starring Gillian Chung as the daughter of an archeologist. She time travels back in time to discovers she is a reincarnation a warrior priestess. She teams up with a human-dragon hybrid, to recover a broken magical vase. The story is an unofficial adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's popular Japanese manga series InuYasha.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 75
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, captivating, xianxia
Similar in 83%
Tales from the Neverending Story (2001)
Plot Summary:
Twelve-year-old Bastian Balthazar Bux had lost the wonderful imagination he had as a child somewhere between growing older, watching TV, going to school and playing with his Gameboy. But when his mother dies suddenly, Bastian's limitless imagination is reborn. Bastian comes across a magical book, 'The Neverending Story,' in a curious little bookstore. Inspired by the book, Bastian creates an enchanted world called Fantasia, inhabited by dragons, dark knights and assorted heroes and villains.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 923
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Germany, Canada
Duration: 375 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, stylized, semi serious, fairy tale, exciting, serious, nostalgic
Similar in 82%
The Odyssey (1992)
Plot Summary:
The Odyssey is a Canadian-produced half-hour adventure-fantasy television series for children, originally broadcast 1992-94 on CBC Television. It starred Illya Woloshyn as Jay Ziegler, Ashleigh Aston Moore as Donna/Alpha, Tony Sampson as Keith/Flash, Andrea Nemeth as Medea/Sierra Jones, Mark Hildreth as Finger, Ryan Reynolds as Macro, Janet Hodgkinson as Val Ziegler, and Devon Sawa as Yudo.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 802
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, feel good, serious, captivating
Similar in 76%
Freedom Is Paradise (1989)
Plot Summary:
Young Sasha is brought into a state-run children's home because his mother died early and his father spends most of his life in prison. The conditions are like in a penal institution. Sasha tries several times to escape and to search for his father.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 322
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: road movie, crying
Similar in 86%
Brooklyn Bridge (1991)
Plot Summary:
Brooklyn Bridge is an American television program which aired on CBS between 1991 and 1993. It is about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the middle 1950s. The premise was partially based on the childhood of executive producer and creator Gary David Goldberg. Brooklyn Bridge won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy Award as for outstanding television series in 1992, after its first season. The cast was led by Marion Ross; Art Garfunkel performed the theme song, which was titled "Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge." In 1997, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was ranked #46 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 453
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, period drama
Similar in 88%
Oliver Twist (1997)
Plot Summary:
Charles Dickens' classical story about the young orphan boy in 1837 England is again re-filmed in grand fashion. Richard Dreyfuss portrays Fagin, the unscrupulous leader of the young pick-pockets Oliver (Alex Trench) initially falls in with after escaping from a sweat shop and going to London to find his relatives. Written by John Sacksteder.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, period drama
Similar in 79%
Crossbones (2014)
Plot Summary:
It's 1715 on the Bahamian island of New Providence, the first functioning democracy in the Americas, where the diabolical pirate Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, reigns over a rogue nation of thieves, outlaws and miscreant sailors. Part shantytown, part marauder's paradise, this is a place like no other on earth - and a mounting threat to international commerce. To gain control of this fearsome society, Tom Lowe, a highly skilled undercover assassin, is sent to the buccaneers' haven to take down the brilliant and charismatic Blackbeard. But the closer Lowe gets, the more he finds that his quest is not so simple. Lowe can't help but admire the political ideals of Blackbeard, whose thirst for knowledge knows no bounds - and no law. But Lowe is not the only danger to Blackbeard's rule. He is a man with many villainous rivals and one great weakness - a passionately driven woman whom he cannot deny.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, stylized, historical drama, realistic, period drama
Similar in 76%
The Odyssey (1968)
Plot Summary:
Odysseus' journey told in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus spends years trying to return home to Itaka.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 836
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Italy, France, West Germany
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, breathtaking, epic, heroic, scenic, fairy tale
Similar in 90%
Hercules (2005)
Plot Summary:
Hercules is a 2005 RHI Entertainment television miniseries, chronicling the life of the legendary Greek hero, Heracles, called Hercules in this series. It is most often aired on television as a two-part miniseries: the first part documents his early life in Tiryns and his desire and marriage to the lady Megara; the second part follows the more widely-recognised part of his life, in seeking redemption for the madness-induced murder of his family. The series incorporates Hercules's murder of his family—usually not included in modern interpretations of the character—and includes five of his twelve labors from Greek mythology. The series alters some of the elements of the myths including placing the giant Antaeus as his father while in Greek myths his father was the king of the gods, Zeus.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, serious, captivating, fairy tale, baroque
Similar in 87%
Cursed (2020)
Plot Summary:
In this fresh take on the Arthurian legend, teenager Nimue joins forces with mercenary Arthur on a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, atmospheric, surprise ending, visually appealing, arthurian, dark fantasy, epic fantasy, breathtaking, scenic
Similar in 89%
Neverland (2011)
Plot Summary:
Raised on the streets of turn-of-the century London, orphaned Peter and his pals survive by their fearless wits as cunning young pickpockets. Now, they've been rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook to snatch a priceless, some believe, magical treasure which transports them to another world. Neverland is a realm of white jungles and legendary mysteries of eternal youth, where unknown friends and enemies snatched from time welcome the new travelers with both excitement and trepidation. These groups include a band of 18th century pirates led by the power-mad Elizabeth Bonny, and the Native American Kaw tribe led by a Holy Man, which has protected the secret of the tree spirits from Bonny and her gang for ages, and that has meant war. But as the fight to save this strange and beautiful world becomes vital, Hook, Peter, and the ragamuffin lost boys consider that growing old somewhere in time could be less important than growing up, right here in their new home called Neverland.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: exciting, fairy tale, serious, stylized, captivating, dark fantasy, period piece, period drama, fable
Similar in 85%
Knights of Bloodsteel (2009)
Plot Summary:
The adventure is set in the sorcerous land of Mirabilis, where a populace of elves, goblins, dwarves and humans hanker for the mystical element Bloodsteel; an ore with magical ability-giving properties. When a ruthless band of soldiers led by the wicked Dragon-Eye go seeking the powerful ore, a sorcerer elf Tesselink is given the task of finding its source - the legendary Crucible.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 693
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: exciting, semi serious, atmospheric, epic
Similar in 81%
Earthsea (2004)
Plot Summary:
A reckless youth is destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Fantasy, Drama, Adventure
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, stylized, epic, historical drama, epic fantasy, vintage
Similar in 77%
The Shannara Chronicles (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young Healer armed with an unpredictable magic guides a runaway Elf in her perilous quest to save the peoples of the Four Lands from an age-old Demon scourge.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, serious, suspense, apocalyptic, entertaining, sexy, costume drama, cliffhanger
Similar in 83%
Emerald City (2016)
Plot Summary:
A modern reimagining of the stories that lead to 'The Wizard of Oz'.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, breathtaking, fairy tale, epic fantasy
Similar in 81%
The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe (1988)
Plot Summary:
Four kids travel to the magical land of Narnia where they must battle an evil queen with the direction of the Lion, Aslan.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 171 min
Plot tags: exciting, offbeat, serious, mystical, mythical, cult classic, stylized
Similar in 77%
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Plot Summary:
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink in 'the Bathtub', a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe – for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack – temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 85000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: independent film, sad, touching, emotional, surreal, bleak, harsh, social, stylized, lyrical
Similar in 86%
His Dark Materials (2019)
Plot Summary:
Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. She is later joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, enigmatic, suspense, exciting, sad, apocalyptic, crying, costume drama, juvenile, dark fantasy