Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like The Legend of Ochi:
Peter Pan & Wendy
I love many of David Lowery’s movies – but I do not love this one. Peter Pan & Wendy serves as the newest mixture of soulless Disney live action remakes and lauded directors trying to get their next movie financed. The results are not great. In fact, they are quite poor.
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.
Turning Red
Despite feeling a bit like Pixar is borrowing heavily from their contemporaries, Turning Red is the first movie from the studio to actually move the needle in a while. It’s a story for generations to enjoy, and I always prefer when Pixar aims to appeal to older audiences in conjunction with the usual kids demographic.
Strange World
It’s not that Strange World is bad, it just should’ve been much better. The movie has a third act with its positives (I particularly liked the main twist that I’ll avoid spoiling in this review, but it gave me some nice food-for-thought), but not enough to redeem a story that takes too long to set up without much fun or promise. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid lead a mixed voice cast.
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.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Chris Pine leads a team of ragtag thieves on a journey throughout an expansive world. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a movie that contains a mighty cast and includes many moving parts – all of which excel in harmony.
Read our full review of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
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.
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.
Wicked
Monetarily speaking, Wicked is shaping up to be the movie sensation of the fall. Each year, a few family-friendly blockbusters dominate the holiday season box office, drawing in swarms of extended families and raking in massive earnings. In 2024, Wicked is one such standout, serving as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and kicking off a two-part franchise. The film explores the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West, framed through the eyes of her closest classmate from years prior.
READ MORE: The Legend of Ochi (2025)
