Movies Like When Monsters Were Real

If you liked When Monsters Were Real (2015), a movie directed by Sophie Farkas Bolla, 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
Tarzan (1999)
★ 7.4/10
Tarzan was a small orphan who was raised by an ape named Kala since he was a child. He believed that this was his family, but on an expedition Jane Porter is rescued by Tarzan. He then finds out that he's human. Now…
2
Slither (2006)
★ 6.5/10
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
3
Please Don't Feed the Children (2025)
★ 6.1/10
After a viral outbreak ravaged the country’s adult population, a group of orphans heads south in search of a new life, only to find themselves at the mercy of a deranged woman harboring a dangerous secret.
4
The Soul Eater (2024)
★ 6.2/10
When the disappearance of children and bloody murders multiply in a small mountain village, an old legend shrouded in sulphur reappears... Commander Guardiano and Captain of the Gendarmerie De Rolan are forced to join…
5
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
★ 6.5/10
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret…
6
The Legend of Ochi (2025)
★ 6.1/10
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a…
7
The Water Horse (2007)
★ 6.6/10
A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.
8
A Monster Calls (2016)
★ 7.3/10
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
9
The Jungle Book (1967)
★ 7.3/10
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare…
10
Willow (1988)
★ 7/10
The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with…
11
Wolfwalkers (2020)
★ 8.2/10
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…
12
Rampage (2018)
★ 6.5/10
Primatologist Davis Okoye shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle…
13
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
★ 6.2/10
When their bus is crippled on the side of a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discover an opponent they cannot defeat – and may not survive.
14
Alligator (1980)
★ 6/10
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a…
15
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
★ 6.3/10
As a child living in Africa, Jill Young saw her mother killed while protecting wild gorillas from poachers led by Andrei Strasser. Now an adult, Jill cares for an orphaned gorilla named Joe -- who, due to a genetic…
16
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
★ 6.8/10
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
17
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
★ 6.1/10
When a group of hunters genetically modify Graboid eggs, they face an all-out war against the larger, terrifyingly intelligent creatures, and swiftly multiplying Shriekers!
18
Tintin and the Temple of the Sun (1969)
★ 6.7/10
When seven archaeologists find an ancient Inca temple, they become victims of an ancient curse. Back in Europe, one by one they fall into a deep sleep and only once a day, all at the same time, they wake up for a few…
19
Chupa (2023)
★ 6.3/10
While visiting family in Mexico, a lonely boy befriends a mythical creature hiding on his grandfather's ranch and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.
20
Silent Hill (2006)
★ 6.6/10
Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to…