50 Movies Like The Goonies (1985) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View The Goonies details →Richard Donner's 1985 adventure-comedy-family romp is a template for kids-on-a-quest storytelling. Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set out to find the treasure of pirate One-Eyed Willie, hoping to save their neighbourhood homes from demolition. Their hunt takes a wilder turn when they cross paths with a family of recently escaped criminals equally determined to reach the treasure first. It's built for viewers who love scrappy ensembles of kids, booby-trapped tunnels and the mix of danger and goofiness that defines 1980s family adventure. If you want an energetic, big-hearted treasure hunt to enjoy with children or revisit with nostalgia, this remains a spirited, quotable classic of its kind.
If you loved The Goonies (1985) by Richard Donner, 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 Paddington in Peru, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Buen Camino. 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 The Goonies
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with The Goonies 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.
Paddington in Peru
2024 · Dougal Wilson
Paddington travels to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
2004 · Brad Silberling
Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Buen Camino
2025 · Gennaro Nunziante
Checco's life is a comfortable and luxurious one, and it couldn't be otherwise, considering he's the only son of Eugenio Zalone, a wealthy sofa manufacturer. Stranded by the pool in his luxurious vill
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Paddington
2014 · Paul King
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Bean
1997 · Mel Smith
Childlike Englishman, Mr. Bean, is an incompetent watchman at the Royal National Gallery. After the museum's board of directors' attempt to have him fired is blocked by the chairman, who has taken a l
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Dora and the Lost City of Gold
2019 · James Bobin
Dora, a girl who has spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, now must navigate her most dangerous adventure yet: high school. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself lead
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Paddington 2
2017 · Paul King
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
2021 · Will Gluck
Peter Rabbit runs away from his human family when he learns they are going to portray him in a bad light in their book. Soon, he crosses paths with an older rabbit who ropes him into a heist.
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Major Payne
1995 · Nick Castle
Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Mortdecai
2015 · David Koepp
An art dealer, Charles Mortdecai, searches for a stolen painting rumored to contain a secret code that gains access to hidden Nazi gold.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
1993 · Duwayne Dunham
Before the Seavers leave for a family vacation to San Francisco, they drop off their pets -- Chance, an adventurous American bulldog; Shadow, a wise golden retriever; and Sassy, a cautious cat -- at a
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Strays
2023 · Josh Greenbaum
When Reggie is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. But once Reggie falls in with Bug, a fast-talki
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Crocodile Dundee
1986 · Peter Faiman
When a New York reporter plucks crocodile hunter Mick Dundee from the Australian Outback for a visit to the Big Apple, it's a clash of cultures and a recipe for good-natured comedy as naïve Dundee neg
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
1992 · Chris Columbus
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin r
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Jingle All the Way
1996 · Brian Levant
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying a
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Holes
2003 · Andrew Davis
After being wrongfully convicted for stealing a pair of shoes, Stanley Yelnats is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a boys detention facility where inmates are forced to dig holes all day in the hot deser
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Vacation
2015 · John Francis Daley
Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood vacation for his own kids, a grown up Rusty Griswold takes his wife and their two sons on a cross-country road trip to the cool
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Road Trip
2000 · Todd Phillips
After a student at the University of Ithaca films his one-night stand with a beautiful sorority girl, he discovers one of his friends has accidentally mailed the homemade sex tape to his girlfriend in
In common: Adventure · Comedy
National Lampoon's Vacation
1983 · Harold Ramis
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Darjeeling Limited
2007 · Wes Anderson
Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004 · Danny Leiner
Nerdy accountant Harold and his irrepressible friend, Kumar, get stoned watching television and find themselves utterly bewitched by a commercial for White Castle. Convinced there must be one nearby,
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Secret Life of Pets 2
2019 · Chris Renaud
Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intoler
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Boss Baby: Family Business
2021 · Tom McGrath
The Templeton brothers — Tim and his Boss Baby little bro Ted — have become adults and drifted away from each other. But a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude is about to
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Angry Birds Movie
2016 · Clay Kaytis
An island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red, a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck, and the volatile Bomb have always been outsiders. But whe
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Over the Hedge
2006 · Karey Kirkpatrick
A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating – and learns a le
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
2014 · Shawn Levy
When the magic powers of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah begin to die out, Larry Daley spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
The Angry Birds Movie 2
2019 · Thurop Van Orman
Red, Chuck, Bomb and the rest of their feathered friends are surprised when a green pig suggests that they put aside their differences and unite to fight a common threat. Aggressive birds from an isla
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Bee Movie
2007 · Simon J. Smith
Barry B. Benson, a recent college graduate who wants more out of his life than making honey, decides to sue the human race after learning about the exploitation of bees at the hands of mankind. What w
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
2024 · Gil Kenan
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Baby's Day Out
1994 · Patrick Read Johnson
Baby Bink couldn't ask for more: he has adoring (if somewhat sickly-sweet) parents, lives in a huge mansion, and he's just about to appear in the social pages of the paper. Unfortunately, not everyone
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Bolt
2008 · Chris Williams
Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks it's real. After he's accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, B
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009 · Wes Anderson
The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his famil
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Flushed Away
2006 · David Bowers
London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for a madcap adventure deep in the sewer bowels of Ratropolis, where Roddy meets the resourceful Rita, t
In common: Adventure · Comedy
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1961 · Wolfgang Reitherman
When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
2021 · Mike Rianda
A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
2005 · Steve Box
Cheese-loving eccentric Wallace and his cunning canine pal Gromit run a business ridding the town of garden pests. Using only humane methods, which turns their home into a halfway house for evicted ve
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Aristocats
1970 · Wolfgang Reitherman
When Madame Adelaide Bonfamille leaves her fortune to Duchess and her children—Bonfamille’s beloved family of cats—the butler plots to steal the money and kidnaps the legatees, leaving them out on a c
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Isle of Dogs
2018 · Wes Anderson
In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old
In common: Adventure · Comedy
The Lion King 1½
2004 · Bradley Raymond
Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog are best pals and the unsung heroes of the African savanna. This prequel to the smash Disney animated adventure takes you back -- way back -- before Simba's ad
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Armour of God
1986 · Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan stars as Asian Hawk, an Indiana Jones-style adventurer looking to make a fortune in exotic antiquities. After Hawk discovers a mysterious sword in Africa, a band of Satan-worshipping monks
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
2002 · Alain Chabat
History's favorite Gauls assist Queen Cleopatra when she wagers that the Egyptian people can build a palace for Julius Caesar in just three months.
In common: Adventure · Comedy · Family
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
1995 · Steve Oedekerk
Summoned from an ashram in Tibet, Ace finds himself on a perilous journey into the jungles of Africa to find Shikaka, the missing sacred animal of the friendly Wachati tribe. He must accomplish this b
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Winnie the Pooh
2011 · Stephen J. Anderson
During an ordinary day in Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh sets out to find some honey. Misinterpreting a note from Christopher Robin, Owl convinces Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, and Eey
In common: Adventure · Comedy
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2000 · Joel Coen
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Scooby-Doo
2002 · Raja Gosnell
When the Mystery Inc. gang is invited to Spooky Island, a popular amusement park, they soon discover that the attractions aren't the only things that are spooky. Strange things are happening, and it's
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Kelly's Heroes
1970 · Brian G. Hutton
A misfit group of World War II American soldiers goes AWOL to rob a bank behind German lines.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Girls Trip
2017 · Malcolm D. Lee
Four girlfriends take a trip to New Orleans for an annual festival and, along the way, rediscover their wild sides and strengthen the bonds of sisterhood.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
ParaNorman
2012 · Sam Fell
In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock can speak to the dead, but no one other than his eccentric new friend believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's eccentric uncle tells him of a ritual
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Barbarella
1968 · Roger Vadim
In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.
In common: Adventure · Comedy
Shaun the Sheep Movie
2015 · Mark Burton
When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City an
In common: Adventure · Comedy
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