30 Best Movies & TV Shows Like ‘Harry Potter’ To Watch Next
Harry Potter is one of the rare adaptations that both movie and book lovers love. Starting from amazing settings, so likable characters where almost every feels like it walked out of Rowling’s books, masterful effects, battles, love and much more. Really a dream come true for every fantasy lover.
Still, everything has to come to the end, and even though there are eight movies in the Harry Potter universe, we always want more. This is where this article will come in handy for you, because we are bringing you the 30 best movies like Harry Potter.
List of movies like Harry Potter
1. The Fantastic Beasts movies
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fantasy film directed by David Yates that was released in 2016.
It is a spin-off and prequel to the Harry Potter film series, produced jointly by the United Kingdom and the United States. J. K. Rowling produced and wrote it in her screenwriting debut, inspired by her 2001 “guide book” of the same name.
Newton “Newt” Scamander, a British magician and “magizoologist,” appears in New York City in 1926. Mary Lou Barebone, the non-magical (“No-Maj” or “Muggle”) head of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, who preaches that witches and wizards are true and dangerous, meets him.
When it comes to discovering movies that are similar to Harry Potter, there is no better way than to watch a film set in the same universe.
The first Fantastic Beasts film is based on J.K. Rowling’s “Hogwarts Library Book,” which discusses various supernatural beings. The film introduces a whole different cast of characters, though you can hear some common names spoken. Despite the new faces, the film is very much in the style of Harry Potter.
2. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians Movies
Percy Jackson & the Olympians (also known as Percy Jackson) is a fictional movie franchise based on Rick Riordan’s book series of the same name.
The films explore the exploits of demigod Percy Jackson and his fellow demigods at Camp Half-Blood, a demigod testing site.
When Percy starts spending time with two best friends – one boy, one girl – they both embark on a mission to stop a massive, evil power from emerging into the world, and the film becomes ever more Harry Potter-like.
If none of that screams Harry Potter, you may have watched different things. There is still a lot of magic in the film, but it comes from their divine abilities rather than wands and spells.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia Trilogy
Based on the first three novels of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, which consists of seven books in all, it may be the most similar to Harry Potter.
The Pevensie siblings, like Harry, are leaving a miserable life, but theirs is due to war rather than a dysfunctional home.
The series takes place in the fictitious kingdom of Narnia, a magical land filled with sorcery, ancient beasts, and talking animals.
It tells the stories of numerous children who play pivotal roles in the Narnian world’s evolving past.
4. The Lord of the Rings Movies and The Hobbit Movies
The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of historical fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson and based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name.
The titles of the films are The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
When you watch these shows, you get the same incredibly magical, overwhelming feeling as you get when you watch Harry Potter.
Both Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit immerse you in vast, breathtaking universes that you’re almost disappointed to know you will not get to visit in person.
5. The Hunger Games Movies
The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction adventure film directed by Gary Ross that is based on Suzanne Collins’ 2008 novel of the same name.
The film is set in Panem, a bleak post-apocalyptic world in which a boy and a girl from each of the nation’s 12 Districts are selected annually as “tributes” and required to participate in The Hunger Games, an elaborate televised battle to the death.
The film depicts Katniss Everdeen, a bold young woman who does all she can to defy a crooked government regime.
6. The Maze Runner movies
The plot of the Maze Runner movies revolves around sixteen-year-old Thomas, played by O’Brien, who wakes up in a rusted elevator with no recollection of who he is, only to discover that he has been brought to the center of a complex maze, along with several other boys who have been attempting to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth—all while creating a working civilization in what they call the Glade.
Thomas enters a world of about thirty teenage people, all of who have no recollection of their lives, and who have learned to live under their own set of laws in a fully enclosed climate, subsisting on their agriculture and supplies.
The party has been in “The Glade” for three years, attempting to find a way out of the Maze that covers their living room and is patrolled by cyborg mutants, with a new boy coming every thirty days.
7. Twilight movies
There are no witches or goblins in Twilight, but there are vampires and werewolves, and all of the vampires have superhuman abilities, such as the ability to read minds, see the future, and inflict suffering with a single glance.
Bella Swan, a seventeen-year-old outcast, moves from Phoenix to Forks, a tiny town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, to live with her father, Charlie, the town’s police chief.
Renée, her mother, is happily married to Phil, a minor league baseball player whose career has the two on the road a lot. If you wish to see how well Cedric Diggory was doing after tragically dying in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, here you get to see him as the main vampire who was resurrected.
In any case, if you’re looking for some young adult wonder, these films are worth a look.
8. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Abe Portman has told his grandson Jake tales of fighting monsters and growing up at “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” on Cairnholm, an island off the coast of Wales.
The children of the household, as well as their headmistress, Miss Alma Peregrine, have paranormal powers and are referred to as “Peculiars.”
Fans of the Miss Peregrine’s series weren’t impressed with the first book’s film version, if you’ve not read the novels, they’re a perfect mirror to Harry Potter.
Unlike several of Burton’s previous films, this one is not based on his initial concept.
9. Inkheart
Inkheart is a YA fantasy novel written by German author Cornelia Funke and released in 2003. It is the first book in the Inkworld trilogy.
The plot revolves around Meggie, a bookish twelve-year-old, and her father Mortimer, or Mo.
Mo Folchart is a father who has a hidden talent for bringing stories from books to life as he reads them aloud.
However, when Mo unintentionally introduces to life a power-hungry villain from a rare children’s fable, the villain kidnaps Mo’s daughter and insists that Mo bring other wicked fictional characters to life.
In an attempt to save his daughter, Mo gathers a motley crew of true and magical friends and embarks on a mission to save her and put things right.
There’s something Potter-like about Mo and his mates’ camaraderie. Give it a try – you won’t regret it.
10. The Golden Compass
The story follows Lyra Belacqua, an orphan living in an alternate world where a dogmatic ruling power known as the Magisterium forbids free inquiry. Children are being abducted in that world by an enigmatic entity known as the Gobblers, who are backed by the Magisterium.
Lyra follows a seafaring tribe on a journey to the far North, the land of armored polar bears, in search of the lost children.
She finds a mysterious aspect called Dust while listening to her uncle Lord Asriel speak with the college elders. Dust, in theory, is discovered in the north and is said to unite all realms.
There’s some sorcery, a bunch of mythical animals, and a powerful, young girl determined to defeat evil.
11. Pan’s Labyrinth
The bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army colonel disappears into an unsettling yet captivating dream world.
In 1944 Falangist Spain, a girl obsessed with fairy tales is sent to live with her new stepfather, a cruel captain of the Spanish army, along with her pregnant mother.
Anyone who has seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire can immediately see the parallel between Ofelia’s challenges in the labyrinth and Harry solving the hedge labyrinth to obtain the goblet of fire.
Del Toro has confirmed that the plot is a parable inspired by fairy tales and that it addresses and extends themes from his previous film The Devil’s Backbone.
Regarding whether the fantasy underworld was actual or creation of Ofelia’s imagination, del Toro claimed in an interview that, though he thinks it is real, the film is a work of fiction that should speak to everyone differently.
12. A Monster Calls
Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Lewis MacDougall, and Liam Neeson star in the film, which tells the tale of Conor, a boy whose mother is terminally ill; one night, he is visited by a creature in the shape of a giant anthropomorphic yew tree.
Conor uses the monster as a coping tool to help him find a sense of mortality and loss in his life. Finally, it is through the beast that he is forced to deal with his emotional chaos.
Despite its flaws, there are aspects of this film that are difficult to shake; after all, the film’s ultimate insight and underlying love make it unlikely that you would choose to shake them.
13. Matilda
Matilda is a bright young lady who is excited to learn.
Her insensitive parents eventually send her to Miss Trunchbull’s prep. She is a ruthless tyrant who despises children.
Miss Honey, Matilda’s schoolteacher, becomes a mentor to her. The book’s main message is that bad people get what they deserve and that justice successes over evil.
The Most Progressive ’90s Kids Film Is ‘Matilda.’
Matilda is without a doubt one of the best movies of the 1990s, in the opinion of any millennial.
It’s one of the seminal films that came out at the perfect moment for many of us growing up in the decade.
It may come as no surprise that Matilda passes the Bechdel Test, but it may come as a surprise that it does so before the 10-minute mark.
14. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A little boy wins a tour of the world’s most magnificent chocolate factory led by the world’s most rare candy manufacturer.
Willy Wonka plans to let five children into his chocolate shop, so he hides five golden tickets in five different chocolate bars, creating chaos. Charlie takes Willy Wonka’s offer to take over the chocolate factory and thereby abandons his family.
However, he soon learns that a family is the most valuable thing in the world for a child, and so he asks Willy to see his estranged father, and Wonka, too, realizes the love for his family.
15. The Spiderwick Chronicles
Strange things begin to happen when the Grace family leaves New York for the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick.
The family blames Jared for the strange disappearances and events that seem to happen regularly.
When he, Simon, and Mallory look at what’s going on, they discover the amazing reality about the Spiderwick estate and the beings that live there.
16. Stardust
Tristan, a young boy from the fictional city of Wall in Great Britain, is the protagonist of the story. Wall is a town on the outskirts of Stormhold, a mythical fantasy realm.
Tristan enters the enchanted realm to retrieve a falling star for his beloved Victoria in exchange for her hand in marriage.
Based on Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel of the same name, this film includes witches, sorcery, a fallen star who turns out to be a stunning young lady, a soaring sky pilot, and other elements.
17. A Wrinkle In Time
This film, about three children and three supernatural beings seeking to find a lost scientist and stop evil from taking over the world, is as disconnected from the modern experience as its human characters are from their lives back on Earth.
Meg Murry, thirteen, is struggling to adapt at school due to bullying and mild depression, four years after the disappearance of her father, renowned astrophysicist Alex.
Meg and her talented younger brother Charles Wallace are sent to the principal after Charles reprimands a pair of yapping teachers, and Meg retaliates against Veronica, Meg’s friend, and former bully.
Meg and her mother Kate come across Charles with a strange guest, Mrs. Whatsit, who insists that the tesseract – a form of space transport Alex was researching – is possible.
The force of passion and the importance of personality are among the central themes, or prevalent ideas, of A Wrinkle in Time. The major plot, or conflict of ideas or characters, is the battle between good and bad.
18. Nanny McPhee
Based on Christianna Brand’s Nurse Matilda novels, Mr. Cedric Brown is now a widower with seven misbehaving children who have already scared away seventeen nannies.
However, as a strange voice instructs Cedric to recruit Nanny McPhee, she appears at the Brown residence and the children practice proper conduct. How? by using magic, of course!
Cedric finds several references to a “Nanny McPhee” in the house one day.
During a storm that night, when the children are wreaking havoc in the kitchen, Cedric opens the door to discover a disgusting woman who introduces herself as Nanny McPhee.
She changes the lives of the family through discipline and a touch of enchantment.
19. Coraline
Coraline Jones, a young girl, is the protagonist of the novel. One day while exploring, she comes across a bricked-up door in her family’s new flat.
But it’s not bricked up as Coraline opens it, and through it, she discovers the Other World that’s almost identical to her own. Coraline can frighten young children, so parents should be aware of this.
The film is somewhat less scary than the novel it is based on, but it is still very grim, and the “other” world that Coraline encounters turns out to be a terrifying, deadly place where she might indeed die.
Anime like Harry Potter
20. Spirited Away
A sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a realm ruled by devils, goblins, and ghosts, and where humans are transformed into beasts, after her family’s relocation to the suburbs.
Much to Chihiro’s displeasure, her parents are relocating to a remote Japanese town in the countryside.
In addition to the themes of the larger films, the film Spirited Away contains themes of belonging, vanity and alienation, and lack of the past.
21. Howl’s Moving Castle
The Witch of the Waste transforms a teenage girl named Sophie into a 90-year-old lady in this fantasy anime. She seeks shelter in a movable castle owned by the sorcerer Howl.
When viewing it, it seemed that the whole film was a metaphor or allegory for a love story. But there are witches, and magic, and fights, and friendship – just like in Harry Potter! Not to mention it is beautiful to watch.
22. Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki is thirteen years old and lives on her own. When a witch reaches the age of thirteen, she must seek out a city to live in for a year to finish her witch’s research.
This is her moment, and we get to accompany her while she tries to live in the world on her own. Kiki and her talking cat Jiji take off to live in the seaside town of Koriko.
Since launching her delivery service, she has used her broom as a delivery tool. Kiki must now learn to adapt to her new life.
TV shows like Harry Potter
23. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some countries, is a Nickelodeon Animation Studios anime television series.
The series follows the story of 12-year-old Aang, the new Avatar and last survivor of his country, the Air Nomads, as well as his friends Katara, Sokka, and later Toph, as they attempt to end the Fire Nation’s war against the rest of the planet.
It also follows the story of Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation who seeks to reclaim his lost glory by capturing Aang with the help of his wise uncle Iroh, and his determined sister Azula.
The show is portrayed in a style that incorporates anime and American animation, and it is based on images mostly from East Asian society, with some South Asian, New World, and Inuit and Sireniki references.
Avatar has been called one of the best (animated) tv shows of all time.
24. The Legend of Korra
The series, which are a sequel to Konietzko and DiMartino’s previous series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which broadcasted from 2005 to 2008, is animated in an anime-influenced format.
The story, as its precursor, is set in a fantasy world where certain people can control, or “bend,” the elements of water, earth, fire, or air.
Just one human, the “Avatar,” can bend all four elements and is in charge of keeping the world in order.
The series follows Avatar Korra, Aang’s counterpart and reincarnation from the previous series, as she deals with political and theological turmoil in an urbanizing world.
The series was also lauded for tackling sociopolitical concerns like civil instability and extremism, as well as for pushing the limits of youth entertainment in terms of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
The series’ final scene, which was supposed to show the start of a same-sex relationship between Korra and Asami Sato, was groundbreaking at the time and has been credited for paving the way for LGBT inclusion in children’s tv programming.
25. The Order
The Order is a suspense thriller television series that airs on Netflix in Canada and the United States.
The Order follows Jack Morton, a college student who joins the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, a secret society that teaches and performs magic.
When Jack delves further into the past of the organization, he discovers sinister family secrets and an underground struggle between werewolves and the dark arts.
26. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The series is based on Kiernan Shipka’s portrayal of the Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes place in the fictitious town of Greendale. It’s a grim coming-of-age tale with elements of horror and witchcraft, so it is not suitable for the youngest. But hey, neither are some of the Harry Potter movies!
Sabrina Spellman must overcome her dual identity as a half-witch and half-mortal while battling the dark powers that endanger her, her kin, and the daytime world in which humans live.
27. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket, a detective, starts writing a report on the whereabouts of the Baudelaire children in a clock tower.
Violet Baudelaire, her twelve-year-old brother Klaus, and their baby sister Sunny are orphaned after their house is destroyed and their parents are killed in a mysterious fire.
Mr. Poe, the family’s banker, oversees their finances and leaves them in the possession of Count Olaf, their nearest relative and stage performer.
Olaf is determined to gain their family fortune, which will be held by the bank before Violet becomes of age.
Snicket completes his paperwork and locks it in the clock tower for his publisher to discover.
He comes to the conclusion that considering the sibling’s latest tragic developments, they are both lucky to have each other.
Mr. Poe drives the Baudelaires to their next destination. While the story is not based on magic itself, it will give you a magical, warm feeling. It is great for all ages, shapes, and sizes. It is beautifully done, it is clever and funny.
28. The Witcher
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich produces The Witcher, a Polish-American adventure thriller streaming television series.
It is based on the same-named book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher is set on a futuristic, medieval-inspired landmass known as “the Continent,” and it investigates the legend of Geralt of Rivia and princess Ciri, who are fated to meet.
The display initially tracks Geralt of Rivia, Crown Princess Ciri, and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg at various points in time, investigating formative events that formed their personalities before combining into a single timeline describing the Nilfgaard invaders.
29. Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix original science fiction-horror television series produced by the Duffer Brothers.
The first season, set in the 1980s in the fictitious town of Hawkins, Indiana, centers on the investigation into the death of a young boy after supernatural occurrences in the town, such as the presence of a child with psychokinetic powers.
The adjacent Hawkins National Laboratory officially conducts scientific research but conducts occult and supernatural activities, including those involving human test subjects. They have unintentionally built a gateway to an alternate world known as “the Upside Down.”
30. Fate: The Winx Saga
Fate: The Winx Saga is a Nickelodeon animated series based on the Nickelodeon series Winx Club.
Bloom, a fire fairy, enrolls at Alfea College, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld. Stella (a light fairy), Aisha (a water fairy), Terra (an earth fairy), and Musa (a mind fairy) share a suite with her.
Bloom begins to discover more about her life with the aid of her four new friends.
Meanwhile, the Burned Ones, mythical beings from the Otherworld, have returned to Alfea and pose a danger to all.