Movies Like Zoo (2018)

Zoo is a 2018 family, history, war film from Colin McIvor with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Kneecap and Hannibal Brooks.

Family History War

Kneecap

2024

When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed "low life scum" Naoise and Liam Óg, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish, they lead a movement to save their mother tongue.

7.3

MagicScore

Hannibal Brooks

1969

A POW in World War II is put to work in a Munich zoo, looking after an Asian elephant. The zoo is bombed by the Americans and the director of the zoo decides it is not safe for his Asian elephant Lucy to remain there. So he sends Brooks to safety with Lucy. They escape and go on the run in order to get to Switzerland.

6.3

MagicScore

Twelve O'Clock High

1949

In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a 'hard luck' bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

7.1

MagicScore

Secrets of War

2014

Tuur and Lambert are best friends. But the war is closing in and is about to change their lives forever. Tuurs dad joined the resistance and even his big brother seems so be part of it. Lamberts family on the other hand choose to obey the Germans. Then a new girls from the city shows up, befriending the boys but telling her secret to only one of them. A choice that separates the boys and ultimately gets her in trouble.

6.6

MagicScore

Le Bal

1983

In a French nightclub, choreographed song and dance routines are performed, rather than a streamlined narrative. They tell the story of Parisian culture and politics from the 1920s—1980s. A disparate, anachronistic series of characters, including an ordinary waiter, a Nazi collaborator, resistance fighters, and 1960s student protestors gather to celebrate and satirize 20th century France's icons, demons, and social changes.

7.0

MagicScore

Goodnight, Mister Tom

1998

A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.

6.9

MagicScore

Winter in Wartime

2008

During World War II in the freezing winter of 1944-45 the western Netherlands are in the grip of a famine. Many people move east to provide for their families. Fourteen year old Michiel can't wait to join the Dutch resistance, to the dismay of his father, who, as mayor, works to prevent escalations in the village.

6.7

MagicScore

Jojo Rabbit

2019

Jojo, a lonely German boy during World War II has his world shaken when he learns that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Influenced by a buffoonish imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, he begins to question his beliefs and confront the conflict between propaganda and his own humanity.

8.0

MagicScore

Ivan's Childhood

1962

In WW2, twelve year old Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev works for the Soviet army as a scout behind the German lines and strikes a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers.

7.8

MagicScore

#10

The Island on Bird Street

1997

Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all his relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through his eyes.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Hope and Glory

1987

A middle-aged man recalls his childhood growing up in and around London during World War II.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Lore

2012

After being abandoned by their Nazi parents at the end of World War II, five German siblings embark on a harrowing journey across their war-torn country. Led by the eldest, 14 year-old Lore, the children are forced to confront their parents’ actions and the reality of a new world.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

Hunger

2008

The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike during The Troubles in which Irish Republican prisoners tried to win political status.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

'71

2014

A young British soldier must find his way back to safety after his unit accidentally abandons him during a riot in the streets of Belfast.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

In the Name of the Father

1993

A small-time Belfast thief, Gerry Conlon, is wrongly convicted of an IRA bombing in London, along with his father and friends, and spends 15 years in prison fighting to prove his innocence.

7.9

MagicScore

#16

Mickybo and Me

2005

The film tells the story of two boys who become friends at the start of the Troubles in 1970. The boys share an obsession with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the consequence that they run away to Australia.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Hidden Agenda

1990

In Ireland, American lawyer Ingrid Jessner and her activist partner, Paul Sullivan, struggle to uncover atrocities committed by the British government against the Northern Irish during the "Troubles." But when Sullivan is assassinated in the streets, Jessner teams up with Peter Kerrigan, a British investigator acting against the will of his own government, and struggles to uncover a conspiracy that may even implicate one of Kerrigan's colleagues.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Boogaloo and Graham

2014

In 1970s Belfast two young boys discover the facts of life, aided by the help of their pet chickens.

6.4

MagicScore

#19

Born to Be Wild

2011

Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Saving Private Ryan

1998

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

8.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Zoo?

The top films similar to Zoo by MovieMagicScore are Kneecap (7.3), Hannibal Brooks (6.3), Twelve O'Clock High (7.1). Each shares family/history/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Zoo worth watching?

Zoo holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 104 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Zoo?

Zoo (2018) is a family, history, war film directed by Colin McIvor, starring Art Parkinson, Emily Flain, Toby Jones.

Where can I find more recommendations like Zoo?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more family recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Kneecap Movies like Hannibal Brooks Movies like Twelve O'Clock High Movies like Secrets of War Movies like Le Bal Movies like Goodnight, Mister Tom

About movies like Zoo

This ranked list pairs Zoo (2018), a family and history and war film from Colin McIvor, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Art Parkinson take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Zoo