Movies Like Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 animation, comedy, family, fantasy film from Pete Docter with a MovieMagicScore of 7.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Monsters University and Toy Story.

Animation Comedy Family Fantasy

Monsters University

2013

A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren't necessarily the best of friends.

7.0

MagicScore

Toy Story

1995

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.

8.0

MagicScore

Up

2009

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

8.0

MagicScore

Toy Story 2

1999

Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggen, owner of Al's Toy Barn kidnaps Woody. Andy's toys mount a daring rescue mission, Buzz Lightyear meets his match and Woody has to decide where he and his heart truly belong.

7.6

MagicScore

Cars

2006

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.

7.1

MagicScore

How to Train Your Dragon

2010

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.

7.9

MagicScore

Zootopia

2016

Determined to prove herself, Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny on Zootopia's police force, jumps at the chance to crack her first case - even if it means partnering with scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery.

7.8

MagicScore

Big Hero 6

2014

A special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.

7.7

MagicScore

Inside Out 2

2024

Teenager Riley's mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Toy Story 5

2026

When Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet as a gift and becomes obsessed, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs become exponentially harder when they have to go head to head with the all-new threat to playtime.

8.3

MagicScore

#11

WALL·E

2008

After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E— a robot designed to clean up the earth—discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.

8.1

MagicScore

#12

Toy Story 3

2010

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys haven't been played with in years. With Andy about to go to college, the gang find themselves accidentally left at a nefarious day care center. The toys must band together to escape and return home to Andy.

7.8

MagicScore

#13

Inside Out

2015

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

7.9

MagicScore

#14

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

1997

Two not-too-bright party girls reinvent themselves for their high school reunion. Armed with a borrowed Jaguar, new clothes and the story of their success as the inventors of Post-It notes, Romy and Michele descend on their alma mater, but their façade crumbles quickly.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

The Lego Movie

2014

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.

7.4

MagicScore

#16

Despicable Me

2010

Determined to prove he's the world's greatest supervillain, Gru hatches an audacious plan to steal the Moon. To pull it off, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as pawns in his scheme. But the unexpected bond they form forces him to question the criminal life he's always known.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

Ratatouille

2007

In one of Paris's finest restaurants, Remy, a determined young rat, dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. Torn between his family's wishes and his true calling, Remy and his pal Linguini set in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City of Lights upside down.

7.8

MagicScore

#18

Sing 2

2021

Buster and his new cast now have their sights set on debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City. But with no connections, he and his singers must sneak into the Crystal Entertainment offices, run by the ruthless wolf mogul Jimmy Crystal, where the gang pitches the ridiculous idea of casting the lion rock legend Clay Calloway in their show. Buster must embark on a quest to find the now-isolated Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.

7.8

MagicScore

#19

Monsters vs Aliens

2009

When Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches. The military jumps into action and captures Susan, secreting her away to a covert government compound. She is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters...

6.2

MagicScore

#20

Elio

2025

Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Monsters, Inc.?

The top films similar to Monsters, Inc. by MovieMagicScore are Monsters University (7.0), Toy Story (8.0), Up (8.0). Each shares animation/comedy/family/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Monsters, Inc. worth watching?

Monsters, Inc. holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.9/10 from 20,223 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Monsters, Inc.?

Monsters, Inc. (2001) is a animation, comedy, family, fantasy film directed by Pete Docter, starring John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs.

Where can I find more recommendations like Monsters, Inc.?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Monsters University Movies like Toy Story Movies like Up Movies like Toy Story 2 Movies like Cars Movies like How to Train Your Dragon

About movies like Monsters, Inc.

This ranked list pairs Monsters, Inc. (2001), a animation and comedy and family and fantasy film from Pete Docter, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Goodman 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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