Traveling circus movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant traveling circus movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, captivating, humorous, semi serious, feel good and melancholic films and TV shows about / with traveling circus, circus, friendship, family relations, escapades, friends, family drama, clown, coming of age and love plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Family genres shot in USA, France, UK and other countries.
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TOP 10 movies tagged as traveling circus: Water for Elephants (2011), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Behind the Sun (2001), The Big Show (1961), Black Butler: Book of Circus (2014), Magique ! (2008), Cirque du Soleil: Corteo (2006), Windstorm: The Great Hurricane (2021), Incanto (2025), Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse (2000).
Best films
New films
List of traveling circus movies
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
In this captivating Depression-era melodrama, impetuous veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins a celebrated circus as an animal caretaker but faces a wrenching dilemma when he's transfixed by angelic married performer Marlena.
Style:
romantic, sexy, emotional, touching, stylized ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, date night, teens
Plot:
circus, love story, forbidden love, older woman younger man relationship, love and romance, couple relations, performer's life, lovers, couples, love affair, animal abuse, artists and showbiz ...
Time:
year 2011, 2010s, 50s, 20th century, 1920s ...
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ...
Style:
humorous, light, feel good, slapstick, mysterious ...
Audience:
kids, pre-teens, family outing
Plot:
circus, small town, farm, acrobat, workplace, misfit, traveling circus, love triangle, fall in love, fat woman, farmer, fiance fiancee relationship ...
Place:
california
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil, France, Switzerland
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Brazilian badlands, April 1910. Tonho is ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother. The young man knows that if he commits this crime, his life will be divided in two: the twenty years he has already lived and the few days he ...
Style:
bleak, intense, tense, serious, rough ...
Plot:
family feud, vengeance, coming of age, circus, rivalry, family problems, youth, uninhibited rivalry, family values, parents and children, family in crisis, revenge ...
Time:
1910s, 20th century, year 2001, 19th century, 70s
Place:
brazil, south america, latin america, tokyo, argentina ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
A European circus family is torn apart by greed and jealousy.
Style:
period piece, melancholic, bleak, tragic
Plot:
circus, exploitation, family drama, traveling circus, greed, betrayal, jealousy, showbiz, european, dysfunctional family, power struggle, corruption ...
Place:
germany
Is relevant?
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Genre: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min.
TV show
Story:
Ciel Phantomhive, the queen's watch dog, is given two tickets to go to a traveling circus for himself and his demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis. His job is to enter the circus and look for multiple missing children that are believed to be ...
Style:
anime, disturbing, semi serious, captivating, shounen ...
Plot:
investigation, butler, demon, traveling circus, uncover truth, kidnapped, crime solving, teamwork, secret, kidnapping, lgbtq, supernatural power ...
Time:
victorian era
Is relevant?
143
Genre: Comedy
Country: France
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Tommy, un petit garçon qui vit seul avec sa mère, voit un cirque s'installer près de chez lui. Il part à la découverte de ce nouveau monde.
Style:
satirical, captivating, psychological, disturbing, humorous ...
Plot:
mother and son, circus, single mother, missing father, traveling circus, family relations, family problems, circus performer, relationships, family secret, humour, satire ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Family, Fantasy, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Corteo, which means "cortege" in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical ...
Style:
satirical, captivating, psychological, entertaining, disturbing ...
Audience:
family outing, family friendly
Plot:
circus, clown, acrobatics, live performance, spectacle, circus performer, traveling circus, satire, fantasy world, music, parallel world, theatrical troupe ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Family
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Due to the sudden outbreak of a hurricane, a traveling circus, famous for its stunning numbers with horses, calls into the small German estate of Kaltenbach. Soon, Ari realizes that one of the horses of this circus, named Orcan, is in mortal danger. ...
Style:
suspense, disturbing, captivating
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
horse, horse riding, girl horse relationship, circus, racehorse, escapades, characters in danger, traveling circus, stallion, redheaded woman, problem, tractor ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Short, Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 24 min.
Story:
When the circus comes to town, Snoopy naturally pays a visit. There he falls for a beautiful poodle performing there. He soon runs away to join it. While he quickly becomes a star performer, Charlie Brown is distraught by Snoopy's decision ...
Style:
lighthearted, sentimental, slapstick, semi serious, feel good ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
peanuts, circus, showbiz, friendship, families, traveling circus, children, heartwarming, loyalty, childhood, runaway, family drama ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Family
Country: Italy, Belgium
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
On his deathbed, Ludovico entrusts his daughter Margot to the housekeeper, Felicia, asking that the family villa be transformed into an orphanage so that the little girl can grow up in joy with other children. But the wicked Felicia only wants the ...
Style:
heartfelt, uplifting, suspenseful, melancholic, whimsical
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
circus, traveling circus, family drama, identity, magic realism, resilience, surrogate family, exploitation, escape, performance art, coming of age, rescue ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Country: Canada, China, UK
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
The show follows the adventures of a circus who has a variety of different acts including a tap dancing horse.
Style:
semi serious, humorous, light hearted, captivating, feel good ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
circus, friendship, youth, tap dance, children, talking horse, companionship, anthropomorphic animal, traveling circus, backstage, heartwarming, music and dance ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
The life of the owners of Circus Esperança, Puro Sangue e Pangaré, father and son, who plays two clowns. At a certain point, Pangaré starts showing tiredness and sadness for being an unhappy clown.
Style:
realistic, touching, humorous, semi serious, road movie ...
Plot:
circus, self discovery, clown, introspection, follow your dream, identity crisis, family relations, on the road, parents and children, escapades, countryside, father son relationship ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
brazil, latin america
Is relevant?
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Genre: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 65 min.
Story:
Ringmaster Rick rose to success with his children's show, Circus Town, by making a deal with a demon to bring his marionette, Charlie Chowderhead, to life!
Style:
creepy, sinister, dark fantasy, suspense, horror comedy
Audience:
adult
Plot:
puppet, killer clown, deal with the devil, supernatural, clown, unsettling, puppet master, circus, curse, traveling circus, backstage, macabre ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Martta and Otto are a pair of traveling tailors who claim to be bastard descendents of the Romanovs and wander from town to town in Finland seeking work, accompanied by their two half-witted adult sons, Hippo , Repe and equally silly son-in-law ...
Style:
family saga, road movie, touching, captivating, tense ...
Plot:
strong female lead, matriarchy, strong female character, family relations, ancestry, male female relationship, criminal gang, generation, past, family honor, honor, mother son relationship ...
Place:
eastern europe
Is relevant?
2K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
The son of a ruined millionaire and a horsewoman becomes a clown.
Style:
surreal, mind bending, psychedelic, silent, slapstick ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
crazy love, loss of fortune, circus, love letter, great depression, elephant, traveling circus, stock market crash, family relations, power relations, dull life, hopes ...
Time:
year 1965, 1920s, 20th century, 1930s, 1940s ...
Place:
france, europe, brittany
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.
Style:
surreal, sexy, humorous, black and white, philosophical ...
Plot:
serial killer, murder, vigilante, false accusation, investigation, vigilantism, circus, lone hero, disorder, danger, comedy of errors, mistaken identity ...
Time:
1930s, year 1991, 1920s, 20th century
Place:
new york, central europe, eastern europe, new jersey
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min.
TV show
Story:
Remi lives with his mother in a French village. His father, Barberin, works in Paris. When he returns wounded and hard-hearted, Remi discovers he is actually a foundling. Barberin sells Remi to a traveling artist, Vitalis, and his animals troop. ...
Style:
anime, emotional, dramatic, sentimental, tear jerker ...
Plot:
orphan, coming of age, journey, adoption, friendship, family drama, child protagonist, countryside, poverty, surrogate family, loss, foster home ...
Place:
england
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
On their way through the Battle Frontier, Ash and friends meet up with a Pokémon Ranger who's mission is to deliever the egg of Manaphy to a temple on the ocean's floor. However, a greedy pirate wants the power of Manaphy to himself.
Style:
anime, entertaining, captivating, light, crying
Audience:
kids
Plot:
pokemon, mission, pikachu, baby, mother, parenting, twists and turns, friendship, supernatural, betrayal, legend, friends ...
Time:
2000s
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
When a group of nightclub performers – including Pervo the clown, Zeus, a flatulent dwarf, and Skye, a feisty rock chick – arrive on a remote farm for a cable TV interview, they soon discover the dark secret of the sinister family who live there ...
Style:
sexy, parody, not serious, suspense, captivating ...
Plot:
experiment gone awry, zombie, supernatural, danger, deadly creature, escapades, missing person, gory, mad scientist, walking dead, zombie attack, experiment ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Western
Country: Italy
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Victims of oppressive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers
Style:
spaghetti western, euro western, funny, cult classic, action comedy ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
cowboy, native american, old west, circus, heroes, small town, traveling circus, partner, friends, social relations, vengeance, good versus evil ...
Time:
year 1969, 60s, 19th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: UK, France, Thailand
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Two tigers are separated as cubs and taken into captivity, only to be reunited years later as enemies by an explorer (Pearce) who inadvertently forces them to fight each other.
Style:
sincere, compassionate, scenic, captivating, sad ...
Audience:
family outing, kids, girls' night, pre-teens, adult
Plot:
jungle, tiger, animal, survival, animal abuse, sibling relationship, nature, danger, getting home, captivity, coming of age, human animal relationship ...
Time:
year 2004, 1920s, 20th century
Place:
cambodia, france, indochina, thailand
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical, Romance
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 68 min.
Story:
Now that Frollo is gone, Quasimodo rings the bell with the help of his new friend and Esmeralda's and Phoebus' little son, Zephyr. But when Quasi stops by a traveling circus owned by evil magician Sarousch, he falls for Madellaine, ...
Style:
semi serious, feel good, humorous, psychotronic, 2d animation
Audience:
kids, pre-teens, family outing
Plot:
true love, circus, hunchback, happy ending, halloween, robbery, social misfits, danger, church, best friend, self discovery, heroes ...
Time:
15th century, 90s
Place:
france, madagascar, paris france, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration: 74 min.
Story:
Middle-aged Antonin and his friends, the major, now retired, and the canon, are in the river, swimming and philosophizing. Then it starts to rain. It just seems to be that sort of summer. Antonin runs the swimming bath with his portly wife ...
Style:
realistic, semi serious, feel good, sentimental, humorous ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
circus, magic realism, renaissance, adultery, wine, young woman, magic, military officer, summer, bittersweet, friendship, rich and poor ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, 1920s
Place:
balkan, eastern europe, central europe
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
An ornithologist mistaken for an explosives expert is sent alone into a small French town during WWI to investigate a garbled report from the resistance about a bomb which the departing Germans have set to blow up a weapons cache.
Style:
political, humorous, thinking, cult classic, realistic ...
Plot:
world war one, anti war, cello, insanity, mental illness, wartime, great war, soldier, hospital, psychopath, small town, duchess ...
Time:
1910s, year 1966, year 1918, 18th century
Place:
france, germany
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: Germany
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Remake of 1943 movie based on Eric Knight's book, "Lassie Come Home"
Style:
captivating, entertaining, sweet, realistic, touching ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, pre-teens
Plot:
pets, dog, animal life, pet dog, best friend, human animal relationship, dog actor, north sea, journey, multiple storylines, family relations, danger ...
Time:
1940s
Is relevant?
Genre: Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Growing up at a zoo, young ballet dancer Sophie always loved animals - but none as much as her pet elephant Sheba. When her parents are forced to sell Sheba to a travelling circus, Sophie has no choice but to runaway and join him on the road to get ...
Style:
semi serious, humorous, sentimental, captivating, light ...
Audience:
family outing, kids
Plot:
friendship, circus, family relations, teenage love, performer's life, elephant, zoo, ballet, girl, child, wild animal, friends ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Poland
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
The action takes place somewhere among fields, meadows, and forests. The protagonists are simple but extraordinary people: Janka, a dwarf; Morka, a monster who escaped from the circus where he was put on public display; Kostucha, straight out of ...
Style:
modern fairy tale, fairy tale
Plot:
pagan, magic realism, giantess, angel of death, traveling circus, tall woman, violinist, symbolism, elderly man, sideshow, old man, dying ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Silent since losing his hearing to meningitis, young Toby Wyler takes a bitter stance against the world and his family, refusing to accept his new stepfather. But when a highly trained orangutan named Casey is thrown from a truck near Toby's ...
Plot:
sign language, deaf, business, monkey, coming of age, car crash, zebra, family relations, deaf child, traveling circus, girl, friendship ...
Place:
oregon, africa, san francisco
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 157 min.
Story:
The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who move to Denmark to find work. They find employment at a large farm, but are treated as the lowest ...
Style:
emotional, disturbing, compassionate, meditative, touching ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
father son relationship, coming of age, boy, farm, poverty, immigrant, corporal punishment, working class, bullying, children, youth, nordic ...
Time:
19th century, year 1987, 1870s, turn of the century, 1890s
Place:
denmark, europe, eastern europe
Is relevant?
348K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and ...
Style:
touching, visually appealing, period piece, visually stunning, fairy tale ...
Audience:
family outing, family friendly, kids, girls' night, teens ...
Plot:
steampunk, orphan, friendship, filmmaking, boy, childhood, street kid, longing, robot, harry potter, magical, destiny ...
Time:
year 2011, post world war one, 20th century, year 1931, 1930s ...
Place:
paris france, france, madagascar, iran, europe
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
