Film
Gulliver's Travels
Other titles called Gulliver's Travels: the 1939 film.
- Action
- Light-hearted
Jack Black's fish-out-of-water romp transplants Swift's Lilliput to a modern island of tiny people. It's broad, energetic slapstick with genuine heart beneath the scale jokes—a family film that trusts kids understand absurdity. Best for those who like Black's shambling charm and don't mind watching a grown man fall into things repeatedly.
If you liked this
Jumanji1995
Similar spirit of a regular person dropped into a fantastical world and forced to adapt. Adventure, whimsy, and genuine stakes wrapped in comedy that works for all ages without talking down.
But The action sequences feel dated now, and some jokes land softer than intended. It's more earnest than ironic, which isn't for everyone.

The Mummy1999
Brendan Fraser and the same DNA: a likeable lead getting battered by circumstance, quips that earn their laughs, and adventure that doesn't take itself seriously without becoming stupid about it.
But It's operating at a different energy level—slicker, more knowing. If you want pure Jack Black chaos, this is more controlled and action-heavy.

Enchanted2007
A fairy tale fish-out-of-water that works because it understands both the world it's leaving and the one it's entering. Sharp writing, genuine affection for its own premise, and laughs that work on multiple levels.
But The musical elements might feel like a detour if you're there purely for comedy. It's sweeter and more romantic than Gulliver's Travels.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gulliver's Travels
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Paddington in Peru2024
Both are fundamentally about an outsider adapting to an alien world and discovering that his outsider-ness is actually his strength, not his weakness.
A grown character out of place in a strange environment, learning that kindness and optimism are survival tools. It's hilarious and visually inventive, but also genuinely moving in ways Gulliver reaches for but never quite finds.
But It's a recent film and might feel like you're watching something similar twice. The tone is more sophisticated—it's not interested in broad slapstick the way Black's film is.

More like this (6)
Night at the Museum2006
Ben Stiller in a similar trap: bewildered man in an impossible situation, relying on charm and pratfalls while everything escalates. It knows how silly it is and commits fully.
But The plot is threadbare and the film seems aware of it. Some stretches feel like filler between set pieces, and the comedy is very much of its moment.

The Wizard of Oz1939
The ancestor of all fish-out-of-water fantasy. Dorothy's journey into Oz has the same logic as Gulliver's: wonder, danger, oddness, and the slow realisation that home is the real destination.
But It's slow by modern standards, and its vision of fantasy is deeply saturated in colour and emotion rather than zippy jokes. Patience required.

Paddington2014
Another film about an outsider navigating a world that doesn't quite know what to do with him. It's charming rather than hilarious, but the affection it has for its characters and its world is genuine.
But It's gentle and thoughtful in ways that might feel slow if you came for Jack Black's energy. The comedy is whimsy, not slapstick.

Zathura: A Space Adventure2005
Two kids trapped in a house turned inside-out by a magical board game. It has the same escalating-chaos structure and the belief that watching people get knocked around by circumstance is its own form of comedy.
But It's more interested in adventure spectacle than character. The plotting can feel mechanical, and the emotional beats don't land as well as the visual gags.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe2005
Children stumbling into a world that operates by different rules, learning to navigate it. The scale is grander and the tone more serious, but the core experience—disorientation, discovery, growth—is identical.
But It's epic fantasy rather than comedy. If you want laughs as the primary function, this film has long stretches where it prioritises wonder and peril instead.

Sinbad the Sailor1947
Both films use the shipwreck-on-a-strange-island structure as an engine for discovery and wonder. But where Gulliver's Travels does it with jokes, Sinbad does it with genuine artistry and genuine danger.
A Technicolor fantasy adventure from the golden age, full of practical effects, whimsy, and genuine spectacle. It has the same belief in the joy of impossible worlds, but rendered with craftsmanship that predates digital shortcuts.
But It's slow, it's earnest, and it assumes you'll sit quietly and enjoy atmosphere. There's barely a joke—it's visual storytelling, not comedy. Very different register.

People
Cast
Jack BlackLemuel Gulliver
Jason SegelHoratio
Emily BluntPrincess Mary
Amanda PeetDarcy Silverman
Billy ConnollyKing Theodore
Chris O'DowdGeneral Edward
T.J. MillerDan
James CordenJinks
Catherine TateQueen Isabel
Emmanuel QuatraKing Leopold
Olly AlexanderPrince August
Richard LaingNigel Travel Writer
Directing
- Rob LettermanDirector
- Cliff LanningFirst Assistant Director
- Annie PennScript Supervisor
- Trudy RamirezScript Supervisor
Writing
- Jonathan SwiftNovel
- Joe StillmanScreenplay
- Nicholas StollerScreenplay
Production
- Cliff LanningAssociate Producer
- Jeanne McCarthyCasting
- Priscilla JohnCasting
- Amelia HashemiCasting Assistant
- Leslie WooCasting Associate
- Nicole Abellera HallmanCasting Associate
- Brian ManisCo-Producer
- Ben CooleyExecutive Producer
- Drew JonesExecutive Producer
- Jack BlackExecutive Producer
- Carn BurtonLocation Manager
- Finlay BradburyLocation Manager
- James GrantLocation Manager
- John CefaluLocation Manager
- Nick FultonLocation Manager
- Richard HillLocation Manager
- Gregory GoodmanProducer
- John DavisProducer
- Andrew ZolotProduction Coordinator
- Meredith HumbrachtProduction Coordinator
- Paige ChaytorProduction Coordinator
- Victoria HawdenProduction Coordinator
- Vincent AgostinoProduction Manager
- Scott PuckettProduction Supervisor
- Gregory GoodmanUnit Production Manager
- Janine ModderUnit Production Manager