Movies Like Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... (1955)

Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... is a 1955 comedy, family, fantasy film from Bořivoj Zeman with a MovieMagicScore of 8.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Little Matchgirl and The Princess with the Golden Star.

Comedy Family Fantasy

The Little Matchgirl

2006

An animated short based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale about a poor young girl with a burning desire to find comfort and happiness in her life. Desperate to keep warm, the girl lights the matches she sells, and envisions a very different life for herself in the fiery flames filled with images of loving relatives, bountiful food, and a place to call home.

7.5

MagicScore

The Princess with the Golden Star

1959

A Czech fairy tale about a princess named Lada who runs away from home in a mouse fur disguise in order to escape an unwanted and forced marriage.

6.8

MagicScore

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

2018

When Clara’s mother leaves her a mysterious gift, she embarks on a journey to four secret realms—where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.

6.1

MagicScore

Pearls of the Deep

1966

A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression and the versatility of the movement’s directors. Based on stories by the legendary writer Bohumil Hrabal, the shorts range from the surreally chilling to the caustically observant to the casually romantic, but all have a cutting, wily view of the world.

5.9

MagicScore

The Love Bug

1968

Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of its own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.

6.6

MagicScore

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

2022

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.

8.2

MagicScore

Pete's Dragon

1977

Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora, and her father, Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue.

6.3

MagicScore

The Three Veterans

1984

It is a story of three veterans released from the army. During one night spent camping in the country they one by one wake up and meet three elvish brothers. Each of the veterans is given a magic item - one gets magic harp that provides him with servants by wish, other one endless pouch of gold and the last one owns magic hat that can create all the staff excluding money and people.

7.8

MagicScore

Shrek

2001

It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.

7.8

MagicScore

#10

Princes and Princesses

2000

In this episodic animated fantasy from France, an art teacher interprets a series of six fairy tales (each involving a prince or princess) with the help of two precocious students. Princes and Princesses was created using a special style of cutout animation, with black silhouetted characters performing the action against backlit backdrops in striking colors.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Shrek 2

2004

Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey set off to Far, Far Away to meet Fiona's mother and father, the Queen and King. But not everyone is happily ever after. Shrek and the King find it difficult to get along, and there's tension in the marriage. The Fairy Godmother discovers that Fiona has married Shrek instead of her son Prince Charming and plots to destroy their marriage.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits

2016

A contemporary musical version of the classic Cinderella story in which the servant step daughter hope to compete in a musical competition for a famous pop star.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

Alesha Popovich and Tugarin the Dragon

2004

Alesha Popovich has to catch Tugarin Zmey and bring back the stolen money with the help of a talking Horse (which talks all the time and has an opinion on everything), a wise granny, a donkey and a beauty Lyubava.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

Enchanted

2007

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?

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Hook

1991

The boy who wasn't supposed to grow up—Peter Pan—does just that, becoming a soulless corporate lawyer whose workaholism could cost him his wife and kids. During his trip to see Granny Wendy in London, the vengeful Capt. Hook kidnaps Peter's kids and forces Peter to return to Neverland.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

Tangled: Before Ever After

2017

Rapunzel grapples with the responsibilities of being a princess and the overprotective ways of her father. While she wholeheartedly loves Eugene, Rapunzel does not share his immediate desire to get married and settle down within the castle walls. Determined to live life on her own terms, she and her tough-as-nails Lady-in-Waiting Cassandra embark on a secret adventure where they encounter mystical rocks that magically cause Rapunzel's long blonde hair to grow back. Impossible to break and difficult to hide, Rapunzel must learn to embrace her hair and all that it represents.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

Disenchanted

2022

Disillusioned with life in the city, feeling out of place in suburbia, and frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been so easy to find, Giselle turns to the magic of Andalasia for help. Accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy, she must race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

Cinderella

1947

In the fairy kingdom live stepmother, her evil daughters — Anna and Maryana, a limp husband-forester and his daughter from his first marriage — Cinderella. The stepmother exploits the poor girl as a housekeeper. With the help of her godmother-fairy, Cinderella gets to the royal ball, where a beautiful and very kind prince falls in love with her. At midnight, the magic ends, and poor Cinderella has to return to her former life. But on the crystal shoe that Cinderella lost while fleeing the palace to the battle of the palace chimes, the prince searches for the bride.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Angel

2005

An angel who ruins everything he touches is sent to Earth to learn about love, forgiveness and selflessness -- and he has just one day to do it.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

Puss in Boots

2011

Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town. This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend... The Boots.

6.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...?

The top films similar to Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... by MovieMagicScore are The Little Matchgirl (7.5), The Princess with the Golden Star (6.8), The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (6.1). Each shares comedy/family/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... worth watching?

Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... holds a MovieMagicScore of 8.0/10 from 28 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...?

Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... (1955) is a comedy, family, fantasy film directed by Bořivoj Zeman, starring Jan Werich, Vlasta Burian, Irena Kačírková.

Where can I find more recommendations like Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like The Little Matchgirl Movies like The Princess with the Golden Star Movies like The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movies like Pearls of the Deep Movies like The Love Bug Movies like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

About movies like Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...

This ranked list pairs Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... (1955), a comedy and family and fantasy film from Bořivoj Zeman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jan Werich 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.

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