Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Sketch:
Inside Out 2
I found the overall package of Inside Out 2 enjoyable, with Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Joy (Amy Poehler) as captivating and cartoonishly real in the sequel as they were in the original. It’s a new entry worthy of the title, despite enough material here to expand on over the course of multiple movies.
A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie is a complete misfire—an example of what happens when a studio sees a brand, not a story. It fails both as an adaptation and as entertainment. It’s not funny, not charming, and not visually interesting. It’s just loud, dumb, and disposable. For a game that has inspired millions through endless creativity and player agency, this movie feels like the exact opposite: rigid, forced, and fundamentally joyless.
Wonka
In a surprising turn of events, Wonka emerges as one of the standout success stories of 2023, defying initial skepticism surrounding its release. Helmed by director Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet, this imaginative take on the world of Willy Wonka offers a refreshing and delightful experience that captivates audiences from the opening title sequence to the end.
Dog Man
Dog Man is quick, goofy, and genuinely entertaining—a rare kids movie that doesn’t insult its audience’s intelligence. For viewers expecting a hollow, IP-driven cash grab, this ends up being a pleasant surprise. It’s a mid-tier animated film that punches a little above its weight, and for families looking for something fast, funny, and a little off-kilter, it more than delivers.
Paddington in Peru
Paddington in Peru had an uphill climb from the start. Making a third Paddington movie without director Paul King—who turned the first two into modern family classics—already felt risky, and replacing Sally Hawkins with Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown only heightened that sense of change. King’s films struck a rare balance: sharp British wit, slapstick CGI bear hijinks, and an almost radical kindness that landed at a moment when audiences were desperate for warmth. Without him, it’s no surprise this third outing feels different.
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon is the latest in a long line of live-action remakes that feel more like box office insurance policies than artistic endeavors. Directed by Dean DeBlois, who also helmed the original animated trilogy, this version revisits the well-loved 2010 DreamWorks film, but with real actors, heavier visual effects, and—unfortunately—the same core issue plaguing nearly all these remakes: a lack of purpose beyond profit.
The Little Mermaid
As far as the collection of Disney live action remakes goes, The Little Mermaid is better than The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, and others. But it still has the same problems entrenched in it as the latter movies. There is still little reason for its existence beyond making a few dollars.
The Wild Robot
The overall package of The Wild Robot is ultimately quite honorable and noteworthy. The animated genre offers just a few great movies a year, and The Wild Robot falls into that category. It’s probably the frontrunner for Best Animated Picture at the Academy Awards, and I’d add that we’ve had much worse winners should this take home the prize. It’s sweet and effortlessly likeable, even if you can see the mechanisms of it working behind the scenes.
Elemental
Elemental acts as a surprising return to the roots of Pixar. It’s a movie with a host of relevant themes and messages rolled into a sincere and effective love story. It’s been a a minute since Pixar landed an original story with such a clear balance of narrative and comedy.
Lilo & Stitch
Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch lands a hair above the studio’s recent remake baseline, but that’s faint praise. Dean Fleischer Camp preserves some of the original’s charm—chiefly the inherent cuteness and chaos of Stitch and a relative lack of rubbery, wall-to-wall CG—while stretching the story to a heavier, slower, and less colorful feature that rarely justifies revisiting it over the 2002 animated Lilo & Stitch. Compared with glossy retreads like The Lion King, Mufasa, Dumbo, or The Little Mermaid, this is more tolerable; compared with the animated classic, it feels muted.
