Movies Like Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978)

Koko: A Talking Gorilla is a 1978 documentary film from Barbet Schroeder with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Documentary

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011

A highly intelligent chimpanzee named Caesar has been living a peaceful suburban life ever since he was born. But when he gets taken to a cruel primate facility, Caesar decides to revolt against those who have harmed him.

7.3

MagicScore

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

2014

A group of scientists in San Francisco struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes.

7.3

MagicScore

War for the Planet of the Apes

2017

Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

7.2

MagicScore

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

2024

Several generations following Caesar's reign, apes – now the dominant species – live harmoniously while humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all he's known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

7.1

MagicScore

Born to Be Wild

1995

Rick Heller is a juvenile delinquent who keeps getting himself into trouble. To keep him out of trouble his mother puts him to work cleaning the cage of a gorilla named Katie which she is teaching to communicate through the use of sign language. When the owner of the gorilla takes her back to become a flea market freak Rick takes it upon himself to break Katie out and take her on an adventurous journey to get her out of the country.

5.3

MagicScore

Zookeeper

2011

Kindhearted Griffin Keyes is one of the best-loved caretakers at the Franklin Park Zoo, but he's more comfortable with the animals than with females of his own species as proven by his failed marriage proposal to the self-absorbed Stephanie several years ago. The animals have listened to Griffin pine over her for years and, after she reappears in his life, they decide to help Griffin rekindle the relationship and become the alpha male she wants him to be. They inadvertently reveal their secret ability to talk and, after Griffin's initial shock, teach him the rules of courtship, animal-style. Surprisingly, the animals' advice really works and Griffin is about to get everything he's ever dreamed of--or is he?

5.4

MagicScore

Buddy

1997

An eccentric socialite raises a gorilla as her son.

4.8

MagicScore

Arrival

2016

Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.

7.6

MagicScore

Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven

1975

After a worker kills a superior and commits suicide, each of his family members attempts to forge a path forward in life.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Love Life

2022

Taeko and her husband, Jirō, are living a peaceful existence with her young son, Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy's long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with the pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man.

7.2

MagicScore

#11

The Love Letter

1998

20th century computer games designer Scott, Civil War buff, buys an antique desk from that era and, while polishing it, he discovers a secret compartment in which sits an unmailed letter--a letter written by a young poet named Lizzie over a century earlier. Touched by her yearning for passion, he writes her back, egged on by his mystically inclined mother. Magically, his letter reaches Lizzie and they begin a correspondence that threatens Scott's impending marriage but promises to bring fulfilment to Lizzie. Spanning the Civil War to the present, the perils of Lizzie's war-torn situation threaten her safe passage into the future. Will their love endure the test of time?

6.4

MagicScore

#12

Domain

2017

After a deadly virus wipes out most of humanity, the survivors are forced to wait alone in self-sustaining bunkers while the viral threat runs its course. Able to communicate through a networked video interface, the survivors wait for years and slowly become a motley family of sorts. But their fragile social ecosystem is shattered when, one by one, they start mysteriously disappearing from their bunkers.

5.7

MagicScore

#13

Aloha

2015

A celebrated military contractor returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs and re-connects with a long-ago love while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog assigned to him.

5.5

MagicScore

#14

Chatô, The King of Brazil

2015

The true story of Assis Chateaubriand, the first magnate of communications in Brazil. Due to his influence during the late 1930s up to the early 1960s, he has come to be called 'the Brazilian Citizen Kane'.

5.1

MagicScore

#15

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

2020

Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.

7.2

MagicScore

#16

Dominion

2018

Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.

8.4

MagicScore

#17

Virunga

2014

Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the land. Among this ongoing power struggle, Virunga also happens to be the last natural habitat for the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The only thing standing in the way of the forces closing in around the gorillas: a handful of passionate park rangers and journalists fighting to secure the park’s borders and expose the corruption of its enemies. Filled with shocking footage, and anchored by the surprisingly deep and gentle characters of the gorillas themselves, Virunga is a galvanizing call to action around an ongoing political and environmental crisis in the Congo.

7.9

MagicScore

#18

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough

2026

Veteran naturalist Sir David Attenborough tells the story of a remarkable group of gorillas, from his first encounter in the '70s to the present day.

7.5

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

Lion, London Zoological Gardens

1896

A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.

5.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Koko: A Talking Gorilla?

The top films similar to Koko: A Talking Gorilla by MovieMagicScore are Rise of the Planet of the Apes (7.3), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (7.3), War for the Planet of the Apes (7.2). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Koko: A Talking Gorilla worth watching?

Koko: A Talking Gorilla holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 21 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Koko: A Talking Gorilla?

Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978) is a documentary film directed by Barbet Schroeder, starring Penny Patterson, Koko, Saul Kitchener.

Where can I find more recommendations like Koko: A Talking Gorilla?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Rise of the Planet of the Apes Movies like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Movies like War for the Planet of the Apes Movies like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Movies like Born to Be Wild Movies like Zookeeper

About movies like Koko: A Talking Gorilla

This ranked list pairs Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978), a documentary film from Barbet Schroeder, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Penny Patterson 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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