Movies Like The Survival of Sam the Pelican

If you liked The Survival of Sam the Pelican (1976), a adventure and family movie directed by Roy Edward Disney, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Storm Boy (2019)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and adventure
Storm Boy lives a lonely life with his reclusive father on a desolate coastline, but when he forms a close bond with a pelican, Mr. Percival, his life takes a new and unexpected turn.
2
Dolphin Tale (2011)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and family
A sea of animal rescuers — and a lonely boy in need of a friend – nurse an injured dolphin back to health after it loses its tail in a trap.
3
Eight Below (2006)
★ 7/10Also adventure and drama
In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren, the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snow storm. He ties his dogs to be…
4
A Dog's Purpose (2017)
★ 7.6/10Also adventure and family
A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.
5
Free Willy (1993)
★ 6.2/10Also family and adventure
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…
6
Life of Pi (2012)
★ 7.4/10Also adventure and drama
The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
7
Once Upon a Forest (1993)
★ 6.5/10Also family and adventure
A young mouse, mole and hedgehog risk their lives to find a cure for their badger friend, who's been poisoned by men.
8
My Penguin Friend (2024)
★ 7.4/10Also family and adventure
A lost penguin rescued from an oil spill transforms the life of a heartbroken fisherman. They become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them.
9
Blueback (2022)
★ 6.7/10Also family and drama
Based on the best-selling novel by Tim Winton, Blueback is a timely tale about the ocean, a beautiful marine creature, and a young girl’s power to change the world.
10
A Dog's Journey (2019)
★ 8.1/10Also family and adventure
A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
11
Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
★ 6.2/10Also adventure and drama
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize…
12
White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)
★ 6.9/10Also adventure and family
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.
13
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986)
★ 6.3/10Also adventure and family
True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse touch down on Earth to boost the spirits of some unhappy kids at summer camp. But the evil Dark Heart has other plans, and convinces one of the campers to help him capture the Care…
14
PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (2018)
★ 7.5/10Also adventure and family
When their latest scheme goes awry, Mayor Humdinger and his nephew Harold accidentally divert a meteor towards Adventure Bay. The meteor's golden energy grants the PAW Patrol superpowers. The heroic Mighty Pups are on…
15
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
★ 7/10Also family and adventure
12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged…
16
Dolphin Tale 2 (2014)
★ 6.9/10Also family and drama
The team of people who saved Winter's life reassemble in the wake of her surrogate mother's passing in order to find her a companion so she can remain at the Clearwater Marine Hospital.
17
Dog Gone (2023)
★ 6.2/10Also family and adventure
When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.
18
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
★ 7.2/10Also adventure and drama
When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expected to take on…
19
Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure (2003)
★ 6/10Also adventure and drama
Wilbur the pig knows how important friendship is - he learned that from a spider named Charlotte. So when Wilbur meets Cardigan, a lonely lamb, Wilbur immediately makes him his friend.
20
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009)
★ 6.8/10Also family and adventure
A blue harvest moon will rise, allowing the fairies to use a precious moonstone to restore the Pixie Dust Tree, the source of all their magic. But when Tinker Bell accidentally puts all of Pixie Hollow in jeopardy, she…