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Big Fish & Begonia poster

Movies that feel likeBig Fish & Begonia (2016)

Beyond the human realm, there is a magical race of beings who control the tides and the changing of the seasons. One of these beings, a young girl named Chun, seeks something more—she wants to experience the human world! At sixteen, she finally gets her chance and transforms into a dolphin in order to explore the world that has her fascinated. But she soon discovers that it's a dangerous place and nearly gets killed in a vortex. Luckily, her life is spared when a young boy sacrifices himself to save her. Moved by his kindness and courage, she uses magic to bring him back to life only to learn that this power comes at a serious price. On a new adventure, she’ll have to make her own sacrifices in order to protect his soul until it is ready to return to the human world.

If you loved Big Fish & Begonia, the closest films we have are Boy & the World (2014), The Painting (2011) and White Snake (2019). All three share Big Fish & Begonia's whimsical and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is House of Hummingbird (2019).

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If Big Fish & Begonia hit the spot, these will too

Boy & the World poster
Boy & the World
2014 · dir. Alê Abreu
🍅 93%★ 7.5animation · fantasy · adventure

One thread runs through both: growing up

The difference: Easier on the romance than Big Fish & Begonia

Suffering because of his father's departure to the big city, a boy leaves his village and discovers a fantastic world dominated by bug-engines and strange beings. An unusual animation with various artistic techniques that portrays the issues of the modern world through the eyes of a child.

The Painting poster
The Painting
2011 · dir. Jean-François Laguionie
🍅 82%★ 7.3fantasy · animation

The same mix in both: whimsy, then dream logic

The difference: Takes it somewhere less epic than Big Fish & Begonia does

Three characters living in an unfinished painting venture out into the real world in search of their creator to convince him to finish his work.

White Snake poster
White Snake
2019 · dir. Amp Wong
🍅 70%★ 7romance · animation · fantasy

Both lean on romance more than on animation

The difference: Leans harder into romance than Big Fish & Begonia does

One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. As they set off an a journey to discover her real identity, the pair develop feelings for each other.

Ne Zha poster
Ne Zha
2019 · dir. Jiao Zi
🍅 88%★ 7.3animation · fantasy · adventurePrime VideoPeacock

The same preoccupation in both: magic

A young boy is born as the reincarnation of a demonic power, into a society that hates and fears him. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, Nezha must choose between good and evil to see if he can change his fate.

Checkered Ninja poster
Checkered Ninja
2018 · dir. Thorbjørn Christoffersen
★ 7.1animation · comedy · adventurePrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: adult animation

The difference: Sits closer to comedy than Big Fish & Begonia does

A possessed Ninja doll teams up with a teenage boy to avenge the murder of a poor child factory worker.

House of Hummingbird poster
House of Hummingbird
2019 · dir. Kim Bora
🍅 98%★ 7.4dramaPrime Video

Common ground: growing up

14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Ignored by her parents and abused by her brother, she finds her escape by roaming the neighborhood with her best friend, going on adventures, and exploring young love.

Tales from Earthsea poster
Tales from Earthsea
2006 · dir. Goro Miyazaki
★ 6.3animation · fantasy · adventureMax

Both are built on the same subject: anime

As crops dwindle and dragons reappear, mankind stands on the verge of total chaos. Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, a powerful wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, search for the force behind this mysterious imbalance that threatens to destroy the land of Earthsea.

Ronal the Barbarian poster
Ronal the Barbarian
2011 · dir. Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen
★ 6.5animation · adventure · fantasy

Epic adventure in both cases

Ronal is a young barbarian with low self-esteem, the polar opposite of all the muscular barbarians in his village. He's a real wuss. However, as fate would have it, responsibility for the tribe's survival falls on Ronal's scrawny shoulders, when the evil Lord Volcazar raids the village and abducts every living barbarian with the exception of Ronal, who is forced to go on a perilous quest to save his enslaved clan and thwart Volcazar’s plot to rule the world.

Porco Rosso poster
Porco Rosso
1992 · dir. Hayao Miyazaki
🍅 96%★ 7.7animation · adventure · fantasyMax

The same preoccupation in both: anime

The difference: 24 years apart, and the 1990s show

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

I Am Dragon poster
I Am Dragon
2015 · dir. Indar Dzhendubaev
★ 6.8fantasy · romancePrime Video

Fantasy built on dream logic, twice over

In the midst of the wedding princess Miroslava is kidnapped by a dragon and carried away into his castle on the remote island. Mira left everything behind in the past - family, friends and groom. Now the only things she had were a stone cage and a mysterious young man named Arman ... but who is he and what is he doing on that island? Miroslava will know the truth too late: loving a dragon will reveal the bitter truth - love is scary.

The Legend of Hei poster
The Legend of Hei
2019 · dir. MTJJ
★ 7.4animation · fantasy · actionRent or buy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: magic

When cat spirit Luo Xiaohei's home is deforested by humans, he must find a new one. He runs into a group of other spirit creatures who take him under their wing with dreams of reconquering the land they say is rightfully theirs. However, they run into a human known as Wuxian who separates Luo Xiaohei from the other spirits and the two go on a journey, with the cat spirit learning to control his abilities as well as forming his own thoughts on whether or not he should ally with the spirits or the humans.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children poster
🍅 65%★ 6.7adventure · fantasyDisney+

Wistful adventure, and it commits to that

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

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.

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The best-reviewed films that share Big Fish & Begonia’s defining feeling.