Movies Like Grave of the Fireflies (2005)

Grave of the Fireflies is a 2005 drama film from Tōya Satō with a MovieMagicScore of 7.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Island on Bird Street and Jojo Rabbit.

Drama

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

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

Grave of the Fireflies

1988

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

8.4

MagicScore

Come and See

1985

The invasion of a village in Belarus by German forces sends young Flyora into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Flyora finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.

8.2

MagicScore

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2008

When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.

7.8

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

Forbidden Games

1952

Orphaned after a Nazi air raid, Paulette, a young Parisian girl, runs into Michel, an older peasant boy, and the two quickly become close. Together, they try to make sense of the chaotic and crumbling world around them, attempting to cope with death as they create a burial ground for Paulette's deceased pet dog. Eventually, however, Paulette's stay with Michel's family is threatened by the harsh realities of wartime.

7.8

MagicScore

Barefoot Gen

1983

A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.

7.5

MagicScore

Empire of the Sun

1987

Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

The Book Thief

2013

While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

7.5

MagicScore

#11

Europa Europa

1990

A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

The Diary of Anne Frank

1959

The true, harrowing story of a young Jewish girl who, with her family and their friends, is forced into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

The War Is Over

1989

The film is set in France in August 1944 at the end of the war. German troops are in retreat as the allies are coming in. Two French boys run from home and on their journey they stumble upon a German soldier. Soon they become friends and together they head towards Lyon...

7.1

MagicScore

#14

Diamonds of the Night

1964

Two Jewish boys escape from a train transporting them from one concentration camp to another. Ultimately, they are hunted down by a group of old, armed home-guardists.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

Before the Fall

2004

In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's boxing skills get him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA) – high schools that produce Nazi elite. Over his father's objections, Friedrich enrolls. During his year in seventh column, Friedrich encounters hazing, cruelty, death, and the Nazi code. His friendship with Albrecht, the ascetic son of the area's governor, is central to this education.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

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

#17

The Boys

1962

When Continuation War started in Summer 1941, German soldiers arrived to Oulu. With their charm they conquered women and town boys. Finnish boys communicated with them on many levels: had trades, worked as interpreters, rotated business, spied on German love adventures and fought with each other about the favor of soldiers. In autumn 1944, the war was ending. Germans left Oulu by leaving behind fragile relationships, bastard kids and unfinished businesses. The most shocking of all was the faith of young Jake...

6.8

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

For a Lost Soldier

1992

In the occupied Netherlands near the end of WWII, a young teenager, Jeroen Boman (Maarten Smit) is sent to the Dutch countryside to avoid the war in Amsterdam. While living with his adopted family, Jeroen meets and becomes friends with a Canadian soldier named Walt Cook, who is stationed at the same town he is staying at. Joroen and Walt spend a lot of time playing around and eventually a romantic relationship develops between them. The boy’s sexual curiosity leads him to have a sexual experience with Walt, an encounter that is shown with some vague detail but without actually showing any nudity, even though sexual intimacy between the two of them is implied. Overall, the movie handles this difficult subject with an elegant style and feeling, without having the adult-child relationship overwhelm the viewer and thus allowing the movie to be seen as just a wartime relationship between two people that marks an important time in a young boy’s life.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

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

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Grave of the Fireflies?

The top films similar to Grave of the Fireflies by MovieMagicScore are The Island on Bird Street (7.1), Jojo Rabbit (8.0), Grave of the Fireflies (8.4). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Grave of the Fireflies worth watching?

Grave of the Fireflies holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.9/10 from 112 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Grave of the Fireflies?

Grave of the Fireflies (2005) is a drama film directed by Tōya Satō, starring Hoshi Ishida, Mao Sasaki, Ikki Sawamura.

Where can I find more recommendations like Grave of the Fireflies?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like The Island on Bird Street Movies like Jojo Rabbit Movies like Grave of the Fireflies Movies like Come and See Movies like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Movies like Ivan's Childhood

About movies like Grave of the Fireflies

This ranked list pairs Grave of the Fireflies (2005), a drama film from Tōya Satō, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Hoshi Ishida 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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