Best Movies like Barbie (2023)

The Lego Movie shares with Barbie the concept of popular toys experiencing an existential journey as they move between their manufactured world and human reality, blending comedy, fantasy, and adventure with an exploration of identity and purpose.

An ordinary Lego mini-figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil Lego tyrant from conquering the universe. The Lego Movie is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.4 by 8,608 people. The movie made an estimated total of $470,759,687 in the box office.

Enchanted relates through its central theme of characters originally from an artificial, colorful world crossing into the real world, prompting both comedic and heartfelt discoveries about life beyond a perfect fantasy setting.

The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world? Enchanted is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 47m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.8 by 5,770 people. The movie made an estimated total of $340,487,652 in the box office.

Pleasantville explores how characters accustomed to an idealized, artificial environment are confronted with the complexity of real human emotions and situations, mirroring Barbie's transition from a fantastical world into reality.

Geeky teenager David and his popular twin sister, Jennifer, get sucked into the black-and-white world of a 1950s TV sitcom called "Pleasantville," and find a world where everything is peachy keen all the time. But when Jennifer's modern attitude disrupts Pleasantville's peaceful but boring routine, she literally brings color into its life. Pleasantville is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 4m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 7.3 by 1,928 people. The movie made an estimated total of $49,800,000 in the box office.

The Truman Show mirrors Barbie's exploration of what happens when someone shaped by a constructed, picture-perfect world breaks free to encounter authentic life, raising questions about reality, self-awareness, and happiness.

In a picture-perfect seaside town, an insurance salesman begins to realize that his entire existence may be staged and observed by a vast unseen audience as part of a long-running real-time reality TV show. The Truman Show is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 8.2 by 20,555 people. The movie made an estimated total of $264,118,712 in the box office.

The Purple Rose of Cairo features the crossing of boundaries between fictional and real worlds, as a character steps out from a constructed universe into everyday human life, resonating with the journey at the core of Barbie.

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again. The Purple Rose of Cairo is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 22m runtime, released in 1985 with an average rating of 7.4 by 1,157 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,631,333 in the box office.

Life-Size follows a doll magically brought into the human world, echoing Barbie's premise of a toy grappling with the joys and perils of real existence and highlighting similar questions about identity and self-discovery.

Sad and lonely after the death of her mother, Casey would do anything to see her again. But when a series of mystic mishaps mistakenly brings her fashion doll “Eve” to life instead, it changes Casey’s world forever! Life-Size is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 28m runtime, released in 2000 with an average rating of 6.5 by 484 people.

Spirited Away, like Barbie, blends fantasy and adventure as a protagonist leaves a familiar, extraordinary world to navigate challenging new realities, transforming through unexpected encounters and self-realization.

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family. Spirited Away is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 2h 5m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 8.5 by 18,641 people. The movie made an estimated total of $274,925,095 in the box office.

Paddington 2 depicts a lovable character's journey from an idyllic home into the complexities of human society, much like Barbie's transition into the real world, blending lighthearted humor with deeper questions about belonging.

Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen. Paddington 2 is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.5 by 2,851 people. The movie made an estimated total of $290,132,513 in the box office.

Elf follows a character from a fantastical, joyful land who attempts to understand and adapt to everyday human life, paralleling the comedic and heartfelt conflicts faced in Barbie's adventure beyond Barbie Land.

When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic. Elf is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 6.7 by 4,627 people. The movie made an estimated total of $228,500,000 in the box office.

Splash features a fantasy outsider entering the human world and navigating its complexities, connecting closely with Barbie’s story of acclimating to real life after leaving a magical, idealized home.

A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a mermaid. Splash is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 1984 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,505 people. The movie made an estimated total of $69,800,000 in the box office.

Toy Story, like Barbie, centers on the secret life of toys and how they navigate the transition between their toy world and real-life challenges among humans, exploring themes of identity and self-worth.

Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences. Toy Story is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 21m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 8.0 by 20,270 people. The movie made an estimated total of $962,301,978 in the box office.

Big revolves around a character swept from one stage of existence into another, confronting the adult world with a childlike perspective—in much the same way Barbie finds herself growing while adjusting to new environments.

When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman. Big is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 1988 with an average rating of 7.2 by 4,104 people. The movie made an estimated total of $151,927,281 in the box office.

Ralph Breaks the Internet connects to Barbie through its narrative of an iconic character leaving a familiar, constructed world to interact with a vibrant, unpredictable human-influenced environment, driving self-discovery and change.

Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz must risk it all by traveling to the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope's video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet — the netizens — to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss, who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site BuzzzTube. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.2 by 8,197 people. The movie made an estimated total of $529,323,962 in the box office.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stands out for blending a heightened, surreal style with a journey of self-discovery, aligning with Barbie's playful, reality-bending approach and her confrontation with real-world complexities.

As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 7.5 by 8,738 people. The movie made an estimated total of $51,825,248 in the box office.

Ruby Sparks explores themes of creation, self-identity, and navigating the boundary between fantasy and reality, much as Barbie confronts her origins and individuality when entering the human world.

Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby, in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person. Ruby Sparks is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 7.1 by 1,809 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,368,803 in the box office.

Nimona, released in 2023 like Barbie, uses fantasy and adventure to tell a story about transformation and challenging expectations, with both films centering on characters who disrupt their surroundings and question what defines them.

A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence. Nimona is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 2023 with an average rating of 7.9 by 1,454 people.

MirrorMask offers a surreal blend of fantasy and real-world crossover, as its protagonist leaves an unusual, rigid home for a strange new reality—echoing Barbie’s transition and the search for self in unknown environments.

In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home. MirrorMask is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 6.4 by 370 people. The movie made an estimated total of $973,613 in the box office.

Horton Hears a Who! revolves around fantastical characters from a unique, self-contained world grappling with the larger human world’s effects on their existence, paralleling the scale and perspective shift central to Barbie.

An imaginative elephant named Horton hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Horton suspects there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community, who thinks he has lost his mind, he is determined to save the tiny particle. Horton Hears a Who! is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 26m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 6.5 by 3,595 people. The movie made an estimated total of $298,572,799 in the box office.

Stranger Than Fiction features a character unaware that his life is orchestrated by outside forces until reality intrudes, mirroring Barbie’s awakening to self-determination beyond her manufactured world.

Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life. Stranger Than Fiction is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.3 by 2,587 people. The movie made an estimated total of $53,653,224 in the box office.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle places its protagonists in a fantastical, game-inspired universe, forcing them to confront unexpected challenges and adjust to new identities, reflecting themes found in Barbie’s world-crossing journey.

Four teenagers in detention discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of. When they decide to play, they are immediately sucked into the jungle world of Jumanji in the bodies of their avatars. They’ll have to complete the adventure of their lives filled with fun, thrills and danger or be stuck in the game forever! Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 59m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 6.8 by 14,674 people. The movie made an estimated total of $995,339,117 in the box office.

Bee Movie presents a non-human protagonist entering and trying to understand the human world, echoing Barbie’s experience of discovering the unpredictable joys and difficulties of real people’s lives.

Barry B. Benson, a recent college graduate who wants more out of his life than making honey, decides to sue the human race after learning about the exploitation of bees at the hands of mankind. What will happen next? Bee Movie is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 31m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.1 by 5,359 people. The movie made an estimated total of $287,594,577 in the box office.

Paddington shares with Barbie a tone of gentle humor and an outsider’s perspective, as a character raised in an ideal environment must discover how to fit into and make sense of a bustling human society.

A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven. Paddington is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.1 by 4,298 people. The movie made an estimated total of $333,960,862 in the box office.

The Little Prince combines animated fantasy with themes of growing up and understanding human complexity, resonating with Barbie’s blend of colorful artificial worlds and the emotional stakes of entering real life.

Based on the best-seller book 'The Little Prince', the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met. The Little Prince is a movie from France in English, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 7.6 by 3,007 people. The movie made an estimated total of $101,281,211 in the box office.

Freaky Friday centers on dramatic perspective shifts and the life-changing realization that comes from inhabiting a different reality, similar to the transformation Barbie undergoes moving between worlds.

Mother and daughter bicker over everything -- what Anna wears, whom she likes and what she wants to do when she's older. In turn, Anna detests Tess's fiancé. When a magical fortune cookie switches their personalities, they each get a peek at how the other person feels, thinks and lives. Freaky Friday is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 6.6 by 4,325 people. The movie made an estimated total of $160,846,332 in the box office.

A Wrinkle in Time, like Barbie, is a fantastical adventure involving protagonists who travel from familiar realities into unknown realms, learning more about themselves as they confront new challenges.

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him. A Wrinkle in Time is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 5.1 by 1,872 people. The movie made an estimated total of $132,675,864 in the box office.

Coraline features a protagonist leaving a seemingly perfect but artificial home for a more complex and sometimes unsettling world, paralleling Barbie’s journey between perfection and authenticity.

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice. Coraline is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.9 by 9,223 people. The movie made an estimated total of $185,860,104 in the box office.

Monsters, Inc. presents characters who cross boundaries between their insulated, fantastic world and the everyday human world, mirroring Barbie's negotiation between manufactured perfection and real life’s surprises.

Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home. Monsters, Inc. is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.9 by 20,036 people. The movie made an estimated total of $579,700,000 in the box office.

The Book of Life uses fantasy and adventure to follow its leads on a journey between realms, echoing Barbie’s structure of leaving a magical origin to explore new perspectives and understand true belonging.

The journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. The Book of Life is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.5 by 2,978 people. The movie made an estimated total of $97,437,106 in the box office.

Eighth Grade, though rooted in realism rather than fantasy, shares with Barbie a focus on coming-of-age self-discovery, as its protagonist confronts deeply personal anxieties and aspirations in a challenging new environment.

Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school. Eighth Grade is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 34m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.1 by 1,681 people. The movie made an estimated total of $13,539,709 in the box office.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium brings characters from a magical, visually distinctive realm into interactions with the ordinary world and its challenges, much like the contrast between Barbie Land and human reality.

Molly Mahoney is the awkward and insecure manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium—the strangest, most fantastic and most wonderful toy store in the world. After Mr. Magorium bequeaths the store to her, a dark and ominous change begins to take over the once-remarkable Emporium. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,327 people. The movie made an estimated total of $69,500,000 in the box office.

The Wizard of Oz famously takes its heroine from a bright, fantastical home into another extraordinary world, requiring adaptation, self-growth, and the discovery that reality can hold its own kind of magic, reflecting Barbie’s journey.

Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them. The Wizard of Oz is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 42m runtime, released in 1939 with an average rating of 7.6 by 6,186 people. The movie made an estimated total of $33,754,967 in the box office.

Mary Poppins Returns involves a magical character entering and changing the lives of ordinary people, akin to Barbie’s impact after leaving her fantasy home for the real world and learning to bridge both spaces.

Mary Poppins returns to the Banks family and helps them evade grave dangers by taking them on magical, musical adventures. Mary Poppins Returns is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 11m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.5 by 3,493 people. The movie made an estimated total of $348,807,090 in the box office.

Alice in Wonderland deals with a journey from ordinary life into a surreal, colorful world and back, aligning with Barbie’s traversal between starkly different realities and her transformation through these experiences.

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. Alice in Wonderland is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 48m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.6 by 14,954 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,025,467,110 in the box office.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 matches Barbie in genre mix—blending comedy, adventure, and fantasy—and follows characters who grapple with questions of family, belonging, and identity beyond their original, unconventional home.

The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 17m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.6 by 23,174 people. The movie made an estimated total of $863,756,051 in the box office.