Movies like Hotarubi no Mori e (2011)

Name: Hotarubi no Mori e
Released: 2011

10 films to watch after Hotarubi no Mori e, ranked by how well they match its tone — not just its genre.

One hot summer day a little girl gets lost in an enchanted forest of the mountain god where spirits reside. A young boy appears before her, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. And so a wondrous adventure awaits...

1

Spirited Away (2001)

Fit 73%

Shares Animation and Fantasy with Hotarubi no Mori e.

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
2

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)

Fit 72%

Shares Animation and Fantasy with Hotarubi no Mori e.

The film centers on Asuna, a young girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her late father as a memento. One day while walking home she is attacked by a fearsome monster and saved by a mysterious boy named Shun. However, Shun disappears and Asuna embarks on a journey of adventure to the land of Agartha with her teacher Mr. Morisaki to meet a Shun again. Through her journey she comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.
3

Arrietty (2010)

Fit 70%

Shares Fantasy and Animation with Hotarubi no Mori e.

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
4

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Fit 67%

Shares Fantasy and Animation with Hotarubi no Mori e.

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
5

Children of the Sea (2019)

Fit 64%

Shares Animation and Fantasy with Hotarubi no Mori e.

Ruka is a young girl whose parents are separated and whose father works in an aquarium. When two boys, Umi and Sora, who were raised in the sea by dugongs, are brought to the aquarium, Ruka feels drawn to them and begins to realize that she has the same sort of supernatural connection to the ocean that they do. Umi and Sora's special power seems to be connected to strange events that have been occurring more and more frequently, such as the appearance of sea creatures far from their home territory and the disappearance of aquarium animals around the world. However, the exact nature of the boys' power and of the abnormal events is unknown, and Ruka gets drawn into investigating the mystery that surrounds her new friends.
6

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Fit 58%

Shares Fantasy and Animation with Hotarubi no Mori e.

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
7

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999)

Fit 49%

Shares Fantasy and Animation with Hotarubi no Mori e.

Sakura Kinomoto, a Card Captor, wins a game of chance and is awarded a trip to Hong Kong, along with her best friend Tomoyo and her rival, Syaoran Li. It turns out that the ancient rival of Clow Reed, the creator of the mysterious and powerful Clow Cards, summoned them, and she's out for revenge. A battle ensues, and secrets are revealed about Clow Reed's shady past and Sakura's connection to him.
8

Her Blue Sky (2019)

Fit 45%

Shares Animation and Romance with Hotarubi no Mori e.

High school student Aoi Aioi lives with her elder sister, Akane, after a tragic accident took their parents away 13 years ago. Because Akane has since been taking care of her single-handedly, Aoi wants to move to Tokyo after her graduation to relieve her sister's burden and pursue a musical career, inspired by Akane's ex-boyfriend Shinnosuke "Shinno" Kanamuro. Shinno was part of a band until he left for Tokyo to become a professional guitarist after the sisters' parents passed away, and he was never to be seen again.
9

My Oni Girl (2024)

Fit 44%

Shares Animation and Fantasy with Hotarubi no Mori e.

A shy teenage boy's inability to say no is tested when a headstrong girl drags him on a mystical journey amid summer snow to find her missing mom.
10

Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024)

Fit 35%

Shares Animation and Fantasy with Hotarubi no Mori e.

In the chambers of the Edo harem, two newcomers uncover political intrigue, rivalry and a vengeful spirit only one traveling medicine seller can vanquish.