50 Movies Like Mars Attacks! (1996) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View Mars Attacks! details →Tim Burton turns the alien-invasion movie into a gleeful comedy of manners in this 1996 blend of science fiction and fantasy. When a fleet of Martian saucers surrounds Earth's great cities, President James Dale trusts a professor's assurance that the visitors come in peace, only for a supposedly friendly exchange to end in the wholesale destruction of Congress and calls for nuclear retaliation. Burton stages the chaos with deadpan glee, skewering political vanity and human self-importance rather than aiming for suspense. It rewards viewers who enjoy campy, satirical spectacle and a large ensemble played for absurdity, and it will frustrate anyone expecting a straight-faced invasion thriller.
If you loved Mars Attacks! (1996) by Tim Burton, here are 50 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are CJ7, Lilo & Stitch, Space Jam. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Movies Similar to Mars Attacks!
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with Mars Attacks! in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
CJ7
2008 · Stephen Chow
A poor construction worker, who struggles to keep his son in private school, mistakes an orb he finds in a junkjard for a toy which proves to be much, much more once the young boy starts to play with
In common: Comedy
Lilo & Stitch
2025 · Dean Fleischer Camp
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Space Jam
1996 · Joe Pytka
With their freedom on the line, the Looney Tunes seek the help of NBA superstar Michael Jordan to win a basketball game against a team of moronic aliens.
In common: Comedy
Home
2015 · Tim Johnson
When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when
In common: Comedy
Love and Monsters
2020 · Michael Matthews
Seven years since the Monsterpocalypse began, Joel Dawson has been living underground in order to survive. But after reconnecting over radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee, Joel decides to vent
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Avatar: Fire and Ash
2025 · James Cameron
In the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora: the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Na'vi tribe led by
In common: Fantasy · Science Fiction
PK
2014 · Rajkumar Hirani
A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, the man's innocent questions and childlike curiosity take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting go.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch
2005 · Michael LaBash
Now, we find the rowdy extraterrestrial getting used to life with his new ʻohana. However, a malfunction in the ultimate creation of Dr. Jumba soon emerges, which reinstates his destructive programmin
In common: Comedy
Weird Science
1985 · John Hughes
Two unpopular teenagers, Gary and Wyatt, fail at all attempts to be accepted by their peers. Their desperation to be liked leads them to "create" a woman via their computer. Their living and breathing
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Paul
2011 · Greg Mottola
For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Bugonia
2025 · Yorgos Lanthimos
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Lilo & Stitch
2002 · Dean DeBlois
As Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien "puppy" of an independent little girl named Lilo and learn
In common: Comedy
Pixels
2015 · Chris Columbus
Video game experts are recruited by the military to fight 1980s-era video game characters who've attacked New York.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Critters
1986 · Stephen Herek
Carnivorous aliens arrive unannounced at a Kansas family farm; two intergalactic bounty hunters soon follow, determined to blow them off the planet.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
The Addams Family
1991 · Barry Sonnenfeld
When a man claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after 25 years lost, the family plans a celebration to wake the dead. But the kids barely have time to warm up the electric chair before Mort
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Elf
2003 · Jon Favreau
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shak
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Good Fortune
2025 · Aziz Ansari
A well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy capitalist.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Freaky Friday
2003 · Mark Waters
Mother and daughter bicker over everything -- what Anna wears, whom she likes and what she wants to do when she's older. In turn, Anna detests Tess's fiancé. When a magical fortune cookie switches the
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Nanny McPhee
2005 · Kirk Jones
Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Evan Almighty
2007 · Tom Shadyac
God contacts Junior Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Mary Poppins Returns
2018 · Rob Marshall
Mary Poppins returns to the Banks family and helps them evade grave dangers by taking them on magical, musical adventures.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Hocus Pocus
1993 · Kenny Ortega
After 300 years of slumber, three sister witches are accidentally resurrected in Salem on Halloween night, and it is up to three kids and their newfound feline friend to put an end to the witches' rei
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Addams Family Values
1993 · Barry Sonnenfeld
Siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Addams will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez and Morticia. Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, De
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010 · Susanna White
Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny discovers that the children are fighting
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Meet the Spartans
2008 · Jason Friedberg
The heroic Leonidas, armed with nothing but leather underwear and a cape, leads a ragtag group of thirteen Spartans to defend their homeland against the invading Persians (whose ranks include Ghost Ri
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Charlotte's Web
2006 · Gary Winick
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
2022 · Matthew Warchus
An extraordinary young girl discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny. Standing u
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Doctor Dolittle
1998 · Betty Thomas
A successful physician and devoted family man, John Dolittle seems to have the world by the tail, until a long suppressed talent he possessed as a child, the ability to communicate with animals is sud
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Tooth Fairy
2010 · Michael Lembeck
When minor-league hockey player Derek Thompson -- who has a penchant for knocking out his opponents' teeth every time he plays -- disillusions a fan, he is sentenced to a stint for one week as a bona
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Family Switch
2023 · McG
When the Walker family members switch bodies with each other during a rare planetary alignment, their hilarious journey to find their way back to normal will bring them closer together than they ever
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Ted 2
2015 · Seth MacFarlane
Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Freakier Friday
2025 · Nisha Ganatra
Years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess a
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Ted
2012 · Seth MacFarlane
John Bennett, a man whose childhood wish of bringing his teddy bear to life came true, now must decide between keeping the relationship with the bear or his girlfriend, Lori.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Wonka
2023 · Paul King
Willy Wonka – chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time – is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Matilda
1996 · Danny DeVito
Matilda Wormwood is an brilliant and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia, fail to see that fact. As time passes, she finally starts school and has a kind teacher, loy
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Scary Movie 3
2003 · David Zucker
In the third installment of the Scary Movie franchise, news anchorwoman Cindy Campbell has to investigate mysterious crop circles and killing video tapes, and help the President stop an alien invasion
In common: Comedy
IF
2024 · John Krasinski
After discovering she can see everyone's imaginary friends, a girl embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends with their kids.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Night at the Museum
2006 · Shawn Levy
Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a Tyrannosaurus rex and other exhibi
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Bruce Almighty
2003 · Tom Shadyac
Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst da
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Casper
1995 · Brad Silberling
Casper is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Dark Shadows
2012 · Tim Burton
Vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate and family have fallen
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
The Hot Chick
2002 · Tom Brady
Not only is Jessica Spencer the most popular girl in school -- she is also the meanest. But things change for the attractive teen when a freak accident involving a cursed pair of earrings and a chance
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
1971 · Mel Stuart
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a
In common: Fantasy · Comedy
Ghostbusters
1984 · Ivan Reitman
After losing their university jobs, three parapsychologists start a ghost-catching business in New York City and uncover a supernatural threat that could destroy the world.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Beetlejuice
1988 · Tim Burton
A newly dead New England couple seeks help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Spaceballs
1987 · Mel Brooks
When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Y
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000 · Ron Howard
The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...
In common: Comedy · Fantasy
Small Soldiers
1998 · Joe Dante
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.
In common: Comedy
Elio
2025 · Domee Shi
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
In common: Comedy
Slither
2006 · James Gunn
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
In common: Comedy · Science Fiction
Popular Comedy series
Rick and Morty
2013 · Rob Schrab
Follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on adventures across the universe.
The Owl House
2020
Luz, a self-assured teenage human girl, accidentally stumbles upon a portal to a magical new world where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and an adorably tiny warrior, King.
Fighting Spirit
2000
Makunouchi Ippo is an ordinary high school student in Japan. Since he spends most of his time away from school helping his mother run the family business, he doesn't get to enjoy his younger years lik
Kamisama Kiss
2012 · Sadakazu Kikuchi
Nanami was just a normal high school girl down on her luck until a stranger’s lips marked her as the new Land God and turned her world upside down. Now, she’s figuring out the duties of a deity with t