Movies like The Boy and the Heron

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

1. 

   01

   When Marnie Was There

   Strong story similarity

   2014 · 103 min · Animation · Drama · Family

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   Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • substantial genre overlap
   • similar audience response

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2. 

   02

   The Wind Rises

   Same director

   2013 · 126 min · Animation · Drama · History · Romance

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   A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • several principal cast members

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3. 

   03

   The Boy and the Beast

   Strong story similarity

   2015 · 119 min · Action · Adventure · Animation · Drama · Family · Fantasy

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   Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • shared themes: anime and coming of age
   • shared coming of age movie style

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4. 

   04

   From Up on Poppy Hill

   Shared cast

   2011 · 91 min · Animation · Drama

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   Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • principal cast overlap

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5. 

   05

   Suzume

   Strong story similarity

   2022 · 122 min · Adventure · Animation · Drama · Fantasy

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   Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • a closely matched era

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6. 

   06

   The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

   Strong story similarity

   2013 · 137 min · Animation · Drama · Fantasy

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   Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • similar audience response

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7. 

   07

   maboroshi

   Strong story similarity

   2023 · 112 min · Animation · Drama · Fantasy · Romance

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   A factory explosion plunges a small town into a timeless freeze, leaving teenage Masamune and his pals to grapple with a quickly collapsing reality.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: anime and coming of age
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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8. 

   08

   The Girl from the Other Side

   Strong story similarity

   2023 · 70 min · Animation · Drama · Fantasy · Mystery

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   Once upon a time, in a far, faraway place, there were two lands. The world was divided into an inner land and an outer land. People feared the outer land, inhabited by eerie beings, the carriers of curse. One day, on the border to the inner land inhabited by humans, one such being finds a girl on heaps of abandoned dead bodies. The girl says her name is Shiva and shows affection to the "being" who found her, calling him "Teacher." This is a story of two people—one human, one inhuman—who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • a closely matched era

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9. 

   09

   The Wonderland

   Strong story similarity

   2019 · 115 min · Animation · Family · Fantasy

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   The story follows Akane, a girl with no self-confidence. On the day before her birthday, she meets a mysterious alchemist, Hippocrates, and his student, Pipo, who both tell her they're on a mission to save the world. Together, they set out from the basement for "Wonderland," and Akane finds herself labelled Wonderland's savior.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: anime and coming of age
   • shared coming of age movie style

   Explore movies like The Wonderland
10. 

    10

    Weathering with You

    Strong story similarity

    2019 · 112 min · Animation · Drama · Fantasy · Romance

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    The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if taking its cue from his life. After many days of solitude, he finally finds work as a freelance writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then, one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    • a closely matched era

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