Films like Madagascar
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines Madagascar, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A wholesome animated family film that is accessible, larger-than-life and breakneck. Best if you like warmth over edge. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of unlikely connections and underdogs, plus tags such as madagascar, zebra and giraffe.
Here are 15 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Madagascar (2005).
- 1
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Film7.0
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: friendship.
- 2
Klaus (2019)
Film8.3
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: cartoon, island, friendship.
- 3
The Lego Movie (2014)
Film7.4
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and warm-hearted, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friendship.
- 4
Scoob! (2020)
Film7.3
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and warm-hearted, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friendship.
- 5
Ferdinand (2017)
Film7.2
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: friendship.
- 6
Zootopia (2016)
Film7.7Darker
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: hippopotamus, lion, animal.
- 7
Film6.8
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light.
- 8
Up (2009)
Film7.9
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light, with themes of unlikely connections.
- 9
Trolls World Tour (2020)
Film7.5Darker
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of unlikely connections.
- 10
The Goonies (1985)
Film7.5
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light, with themes of unlikely connections.
- 11
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Film7.8Darker
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: cartoon, friendship.
- 12
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Film7.2
Why it's like Madagascar: Also warm-hearted and light. Common ground: cartoon.
- 13
The Iron Giant (1999)
Film7.9Darker
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friendship.
- 14
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Film7.6More intricate
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and warm-hearted, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: cartoon, friendship.
- 15
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Film7.9Darker
Why it's like Madagascar: Also heightened and light. Common ground: island.
Boxlist compares Madagascar with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Madagascar?
- Picks with a similar feel include The Secret Life of Pets 2, Klaus, The Lego Movie and Scoob!. Each shares part of Madagascar's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
- How are these films like Madagascar chosen?
- Boxlist compares Madagascar with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.