
20 Movies Like When Marnie Was There (2014) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View When Marnie Was There details →If you loved When Marnie Was There (2014) by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, here are 20 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 Look Back, Whisper of the Heart, From Up on Poppy Hill. 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 When Marnie Was There
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with When Marnie Was There 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.

Look Back
2024 · Kiyotaka Oshiyama
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful ar
In common: Animation · Drama

Whisper of the Heart
1995 · Yoshifumi Kondo
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."
In common: Animation · Drama · Family

From Up on Poppy Hill
2011 · Goro Miyazaki
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation strugg
In common: Animation · Drama

A Silent Voice: The Movie
2016 · Naoko Yamada
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. Whe
In common: Animation · Drama

The Boy and the Heron
2023 · Hayao Miyazaki
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking
In common: Animation · Drama

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
2020 · Kotaro Tamura
With dreams of diving abroad, Tsuneo gets a job assisting Josee, an artist whose imagination takes her far beyond her wheelchair. But when the tide turns against them, they push each other to places t
In common: Animation · Drama

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
2018 · Shinichiro Ushijima
After his classmate and crush is diagnosed with a pancreatic disease, an average high schooler sets out to make the most of her final days.
In common: Animation · Drama

5 Centimeters per Second
2007 · Makoto Shinkai
Three moments in Takaki's life: his relationship with Akari and their forced separation; his friendship with Kanae, who is secretly in love with him; the demands and disappointments of adulthood, an u
In common: Animation · Drama

Wolf Children
2012 · Mamoru Hosoda
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be
In common: Animation · Drama · Family

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2013 · Isao Takahata
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But,
In common: Animation · Drama

The Wind Rises
2013 · Hayao Miyazaki
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
In common: Animation · Drama

The Garden of Words
2013 · Makoto Shinkai
Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the
In common: Animation · Drama

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth
1997 · Hideaki Anno
Originally a collection of clips from the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, Death was created as a precursor to the re-worked ending of the series. Rebirth was intended as that re-worked ending, but
In common: Animation · Drama

Perfect Blue
1998 · Satoshi Kon
Rising pop star Mima quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings
In common: Animation

Animal Farm
1954 · Joy Batchelor
Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.
In common: Animation · Drama

The Lion King
1994 · Roger Allers
Young lion prince Simba, eager to one day become king of the Pride Lands, grows up under the watchful eye of his father Mufasa; all the while his villainous uncle Scar conspires to take the throne for
In common: Animation · Drama · Family

Belle
2021 · Mamoru Hosoda
Suzu is a 17-year-old high-school student living in a rural town with her father. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world "U" and dives into t
In common: Animation · Drama

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
2018 · Mari Okada
Fleeing the war, the immortal Machia, graced with eternal youth, finds a baby abandoned in the forest and decides to raise it as her own child, sparking a moving story between a mortal and a being who
In common: Animation · Drama

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
2012 · Hideaki Anno
Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have
In common: Animation · Drama

Your Name.
2016 · Makoto Shinkai
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence conti
In common: Animation · Drama
Popular Animation series

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023 · Kazutaka Yamanaka
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s m


Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 · Michael Dante DiMartino
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.


Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
2009
Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philoso

Attack on Titan
2013 · Manabu Otsuka
100 years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress.