20 best movies like A Whale of a Tale (1977)

Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be.

Dylan Schoenfield is the pink princess of the upscale Los Angeles Woodlands Academy. She has the coolest boyfriend, the most popular friends, and a brand-new it bag that everyone covets. But when she accidentally tosses her Serge Sanchez bag into a fountain, this princess comes face-to-face with her own personal frog, self-professed film geek Josh Rosen. In return for rescuing Dylan's bag, Josh convinces Dylan to let him film her for his documentary on high school popularity. Reluctantly, Dylan lets F-list Josh into her A-list world, and is shocked to realize that sometimes nerds can be pretty cool. But when Dylan's so-called prince charming of a boyfriend dumps her flat, her life and her social status comes to a crashing halt. Can Dylan win the Woodlands Academy Fall Formal Blossom Queen crown? Can Josh win the Woodlands Academy 10th Annual Film Festival? Can Dylan, with Josh's help, pull the pieces together to create her own happily-ever-after?

A struggling writer is forced to fake a relationship to save her career, while overlooking the love of a longtime friend.

Ramona is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus, who's just trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that anything's possible when you believe in yourself and rely on each other.

After her sister and brother-in-law's tragic death, an American woman who is the guardian for her young niece and nephew is invited to a royal European castle for Christmas by her late brother-in-law's father, the Duke of Castlebury. Feeling out of place as a commoner, she is determined to give her family a merry Christmas and surprises herself when she falls for a handsome prince.

What would you do if you told the world you heard God's voice and no one believed you? Steps of Faith, is a light-heart dramedy about Faith Houston an accountant, who is directed by God to move to a small town to work on a Hippotherapy farm helping children. Faith is mocked by her family since she doesn't have a rapport with children or animals and is not a devout Christian.

After failing to make it on Broadway, April returns to her hometown and reluctantly begins training a misfit group of young dancers for a competition.

Allie Foster, a struggling New York artist, reluctantly accepts to act as a governess to a rebellious Princess Theodora of Winshire. When Allie forms an unlikely bond with the princess, she attracts the attention of the handsome King Maximillian, who’s facing an arranged marriage against his heart’s wishes. As Christmas Eve draws near, Allie finds herself swept up in romance, royalty and the spirit of the holidays.

When single mom Megan Nolan moves to a new town, she feels guilty for uprooting her ten-year-old daughter Caitlin. Seeing that the little girl's only friend is a neighbor's dog, Megan decides to adopt a shelter pet for Caitlin. She immediately regrets her decision when Caitlin gravitates to the biggest, sloppiest dog in the pound, Jake. Megan's beautiful new home is now in shambles and, as Megan considers returning Jake to the shelter, handsome ballplayer Ben shows up claiming Jake is his dog, the regrettable outcome of his roommate leaving a gate open. Megan and Ben butt heads. Ben wants to take his dog and leave, until he sees that Caitlin loves Jake as much as he ever could. Now it is clear: the pound puppy everyone loves deserves no less than joint custody.

Laurel, a Chicago-based business executive, travels to Memphis to secure one of the city's oldest family-owned banks. While in Memphis, Laurel reunites with old flame Clay, a local music promoter with loftier aspirations. Though Laurel tries to keep her eye on the prize of the business acquisition, Clay is very persuasive reminding her of the days when they were a performing duo on the brink of stardom. Now Laurel's focus turns to the home of the Blues and dreams of making music again.

Sally and Jason Danville's life are turned upside down when a tragic accident suddenly names them the caretakers of four young children.

As a child, Michael Walker wished every day could be Christmas. That is, until a tragic accident crushed his holiday spirit. Thirty years later, Michael still can't muster any joy for the holidays, despite encouragement from his playful wife and well-intentioned parents. But when his young son faces a tragedy, Michael needs to make amends with his past. A mysterious man named Nick gives Michael a gift and instills in him the courage to find the joy that he lost.

A foster boy is befriended by a lost dog who turns out to belong to the President of the United States. The boy decides to run away from the foster home to return the canine to the White House -- "Because it's the right thing to do!"

A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.

A 12-year-old tech prodigy whose science experiment goes awry and he forges a telepathic connection with his best friend, his dog. The duo join forces and use their unique perspectives on life to comically overcome complications of family and school.

Valley Inn tells the story of Emily Mason, a New Jersey college student, who finds herself in a dusty dying small southern town, a thousand miles from home, selling Christian books door-to-door. Through a series of misadventures in 'the Book field,' and her growing friendships with the endearing and often comical local residents, Emily begins to discover what is most valuable in life, at the Valley Inn. More than a movie, Valley Inn is a love-letter to small town America. A tribute to a quickly vanishing way of life. And above all, as all movies should, Valley Inn entertains and transports the audience. Just like Emily, audiences will fall in love with the Valley Inn, the small town setting and all its quirky characters.

Christopher Robin, the boy who had countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood, has grown up and lost his way. Now it’s up to his spirited and loveable stuffed animals, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and the rest of the gang, to rekindle their friendship and remind him of endless days of childlike wonder and make-believe, when doing nothing was the very best something.

Two teenage girls travel across the U.S. in 1962, during the chaos of the Cuban missile crisis, in search of Eleanor Roosevelt.

A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.

Charlie Fitzpatrick is the most successful high school basketball coach in Georgia history. While many of his players think of him as a father, his relationship with his own "bookworm" son, Evan, is strained. With the help of his wife, Laura and Evan's wife, Heather, Charlie determines the best way to connect and bond is to take his son and grandson, Markie, who has just announced he's dropping out of college to tour with his folk band, to a rustic mountain cabin for a weekend retreat. Only this cabin is the same site where he took his many winning teams to test their mettle over a grueling military-style obstacle course, the same one Evan, as a student never got the chance to complete. This is Charlie's idea of fun, Evan's idea of a nightmare, and Markie's idea of-well he's young and idealistic; he's just going with the flow. .

When the five puppies stumble upon the Five Power Rings of Inspiron (alien artifacts abandoned on Earth 16 years ago), they all develop super powers, and are enlisted in Captain Canine's battle against the evil Darkon alien Commander Drex. Captain Canine is commander of space ship Megasis and is from the planet Inspiron. He is the mortal enemy of the Commander Drex. In charge of protecting Princess Jorala and the Five Power Rings from Drex, Megasis places the rings in hiding on the planet Earth, and takes the form of a German Shepherd, intending to stay on earth in very deep cover. Adopted by aspiring young comic book artist Ian Shaeffer, and renamed Captain Canine, he spends 16 happy years on Earth, as Ian recounts the stories of his space adventures. But when the five Buddies discover the Power Rings and instantly develop superpowers, Captain Canine has to train them very quickly indeed - for Commander Drex is headed back to earth, and this time he's determined to succeed.

A coming of age story about a washed up twenty something year old, the onetime hometown hero and track star, who is convinced by a local sweetheart to run a marathon and get his life back on track.

Set in 1985, Manila, 3 siblings spend an extended summer waiting to immigrate to the United States, while their country gets ready to evict their homeland's notorious dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.

When event planner Chloe is hired to plan the local Christmas Festival, she is beyond thrilled to embrace the challenge. Professionally, everything is going great, but much to the dismay of her mother, Chloe confesses she has given up on ever finding Mr. Right. That all changes the night of the opening of the festival when she meets Evan. The two begin a whirlwind romance, but as Christmas Day nears, Chloe learns that Evan is being transferred overseas for work. What follows is three more Christmases where Chloe and Evan cross paths at the annual festival, but each year something - or someone - stands in the way of true love. Will a touch of Santa's magic on their fourth Christmas Eve finally bring them together?

An attorney returns to his small home town in Alaska and quickly rocks the boat by getting an injunction against the nativity display tradition and attacking Christmas.

As a last wish, a recently hospitalized grandmother, Evie, tasks her daughter and granddaughter, Sara, with a list of festive accomplishments to do together before Christmas, hoping that the adventure of the experience will repair their relationship. Along the way, Sara discovers an unlisted Christmas adventure of her own.

Dave Peterson is a successful and handsome career-driven attorney who barely spends time with his teenage daughter, Karen. Their routine regularly consists of Dave choosing work over spending time with her, and Karen retreating into her journal or iPod. When Dave opens up his 25th high school reunion invitation to see photos of himself - a person he no longer resembles - he begins reconnecting with old friends, including members of his old high school band, The Groaners. Suddenly Dave begins to find ways to spend more time with Karen, and, for the first time, he puts his career on hold.