Movies Like The Painted Hills (1951)

The Painted Hills is a 1951 action, adventure, drama, family film from Harold F. Kress with a MovieMagicScore of 4.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Lassie Come Home and Son of Lassie.

Action Adventure Drama Family

Lassie Come Home

1943

Hard times come for the Carraclough family and they are forced to sell their dog, Lassie, to the rich Duke of Rudling. Lassie, however, is unwilling to remain apart from young Carraclough son Joe and sets out on a long and dangerous journey to rejoin him.

6.7

MagicScore

Son of Lassie

1945

Laddie (Son of Lassie) and his master are trapped in Norway during WW2 - has he inherited his mothers famous courage?

6.0

MagicScore

Courage of Lassie

1946

Bill's separated from his litter, making friends with the wild creatures until he's found and adopted by young Kathie. An accident separates him from her, and he's drafted into K-9 duty in the trenches until battle fatigue takes its toll and he turns vicious. And even though he finds his way back home, he may be condemned as a killer.

5.7

MagicScore

Lassie

1994

On their way to start a new life at a sheep farm in rural Virginia, the Turner family are halted by a wreck on the highway that has claimed the life of a truck driver. Spotting the trucker's now-abandoned collie on the side of the road, they take pity on the dog and adopt her. As the city family copes with the change to rural life, including a feud with a neighboring farm family who resent the city interlopers, the ever-loyal Lassie helps them adjust to their new surroundings.

6.1

MagicScore

Lassie

2005

A family in financial crisis is forced to sell Lassie, their beloved dog. Hundreds of miles away from her true family, Lassie escapes and sets out on a journey home.

6.4

MagicScore

Old Yeller

1957

Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog.

6.9

MagicScore

Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues

2015

September, 1945. Sebastian impatiently waits for the return of his friend Angelina, whom he has not seen for two years. When the plane carrying the young woman to her small village in the Alps is reported to have crashed in the mountains, Sebastian is convinced that Angelina is still alive. Along with his faithful dog Belle, Sebastian embarks on the most dangerous adventure of his life.

6.9

MagicScore

Think Like a Dog

2020

A 12-year-old tech prodigy, whose science experiment goes awry, forges a telepathic connection with his best friend, Henry-his dog! The duo join forces and use their unique perspectives on life to comically overcome complications of family and school.

6.6

MagicScore

Belle and Sebastian 3: The Last Chapter

2018

12 year-old Sebastian has decided not to follow his father and Angelina to Canada, deciding to stay in the alps to watch over Belle who has now become the mother of three beautiful pups. When a stranger arrives claiming to be Belle’s rightful owner, Sebastian will do all it takes to protect his best friend and her little ones.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

A Dog of Flanders

1999

Poor but happy, young Nello and his grandfather live alone, delivering milk as a livelihood, in the outskirts of Antwerp, a city in Flanders (the Flemish or Dutch-speaking part of modern-day Belgium). They discover a beaten dog (a Bouvier, a large sturdy dog native to Flanders) and adopt it and nurse it back to health, naming it Patrasche, the middle name of Nello's mother Mary, who died when Nello was very young. Nello's mother was a talented artist, and like his mother, he delights in drawing, and his friend Aloise is his model and greatest fan and supporter.

6.1

MagicScore

#11

Skippy

1931

Skippy, the mischievous son of a wealthy doctor, meets Sooky in poverty-ridden Shantytown, and together they try to save Sooky's pet from a cruel dogcatcher.

6.1

MagicScore

#12

Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season

1999

When Shiloh's abusive previous owner, Judd Travers, tries to retake Shiloh again, Ray tries to find a way to end the rivalry and open up the hidden kindness within the town drunk.

6.0

MagicScore

#13

Shiloh

1996

An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.

5.7

MagicScore

#14

White Fang

1991

Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Seventeen

2019

To find his therapy dog, a 17-year-old escapes from juvie and embarks on a journey of reconnection with his brother and grandmother through Cantabria.

7.3

MagicScore

#16

Belle and Sebastian

2013

Belle and Sebastian is set high in the snowy Alps during the Second World War. The resourceful Sebastian is a lonely boy who tames and befriends a giant, wild mountain dog, Belle – even though the villagers believe her to be ‘the beast’ that has been killing their sheep.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

A Boy and His Dog

1975

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

6.3

MagicScore

#18

Air Bud

1997

A lonely boy befriends a stray dog who has a natural talent for basketball and together they experience the highs and lows of life as their friendship remains solid through a series of escapades.

5.6

MagicScore

#19

Air Bud: Golden Receiver

1998

Josh and Buddy move from basketball to football in this first of several sequels to the original Air Bud.

5.1

MagicScore

#20

Billy and Buddy

2013

Buddy is an abandoned young cocker spaniel waiting dejectedly in his cage for a kind, new owner to adopt him. Suddenly, Billy, a little boy whose hair is as red as Buddy's, appears. It's love at first sight and the beginning of a great friendship. But for Billy's parents, this is where the trouble begins.

4.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Painted Hills?

The top films similar to The Painted Hills by MovieMagicScore are Lassie Come Home (6.7), Son of Lassie (6.0), Courage of Lassie (5.7). Each shares action/adventure/drama/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Painted Hills worth watching?

The Painted Hills holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.0/10 from 23 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Painted Hills?

The Painted Hills (1951) is a action, adventure, drama, family film directed by Harold F. Kress, starring Gary Gray, Paul Kelly, Bruce Cowling.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Painted Hills?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Lassie Come Home Movies like Son of Lassie Movies like Courage of Lassie Movies like Lassie Movies like Lassie Movies like Old Yeller

About movies like The Painted Hills

This ranked list pairs The Painted Hills (1951), a action and adventure and drama and family film from Harold F. Kress, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Gary Gray 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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