Look, let’s be real. There’s a specific brand of "early 2000s adventure" that just doesn’t exist anymore. You know the vibe. It's that weird, beautiful middle ground where hand-drawn characters were suddenly dropped into massive, sweeping CGI oceans. It was experimental. It was risky. And for a brief moment, it gave us some of the most kinetic action sequences in animation history.
If you are looking for movies like Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas, you’re probably chasing that specific high. You want the swashbuckling. You want the snarky hero who definitely has "rogue" as his character class. Most of all, you want that feeling of a grand, mythological quest that doesn't feel like a toy commercial.
DreamWorks basically bet the farm on this style in 2003, and honestly, they lost. Sinbad was a massive box office bomb that effectively killed 2D animation at the studio. But the irony? The movie is actually a blast. Between Michelle Pfeiffer’s chaotic-evil Eris and the sheer scale of the monsters, it’s a cult classic for a reason.
If you've already rewatched it a dozen times, here is where you should head next.
The "Tradigital" Triple Threat
Before DreamWorks went full Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, they were obsessed with "tradigital" animation—blending 2D and 3D. If you like the look of Sinbad, these two are the mandatory next steps.
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
This is the closest you will ever get to the Sinbad/Marina dynamic, but cranked up to eleven. Tulio and Miguel are essentially two halves of Sinbad’s personality split into separate people. It’s got the same witty, slightly-too-mature-for-kids banter and a legendary soundtrack by Elton John.
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Where Sinbad leans into Greek mythology, El Dorado leans into the myth of the City of Gold. The chemistry between the leads is arguably better, and the humor hits a bit harder. It’s a buddy-comedy adventure that feels like a spiritual precursor.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Disney’s big swing at the same time was this "Treasure Island in space" epic. It uses the exact same technology—2D characters in a 3D environment—to create some of the most breathtaking sailing sequences ever put to film. Instead of the Seven Seas, you have the "Etherium."
The stakes feel a bit more personal here. While Sinbad is trying to save a friend, Jim Hawkins is looking for a father figure and his own identity. It’s a masterpiece that suffered the same fate at the box office as Sinbad, but it’s essential viewing for any adventure fan.
Deep Sea and Lost Worlds
Sometimes it’s not just about the art style; it’s about the setting. The ocean is terrifying and beautiful, and few movies capture that "unknown horizon" feeling better than these.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
If you enjoyed the creature designs in Sinbad, you need to see what the legendary Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy) did for Atlantis. This isn't a musical. It’s a pulp action-adventure movie in the vein of Indiana Jones.
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You get a ragtag crew, a massive submarine, and ancient technology that feels like magic. It’s grittier than your average Disney flick. It’s also one of the few movies that captures that same sense of large-scale mythological discovery.
The Sea Beast (2022)
Fast forward to the modern era. The Sea Beast is basically a love letter to movies like Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. It’s full 3D animation, sure, but the heart is pure swashbuckler.
The ship combat is tactile. The monsters are gargantuan. It captures that "sailor's lore" atmosphere perfectly. If you can get past the change from 2D to 3D, this is arguably the best "pirate" movie made in the last twenty years.
The Mythological Epics
Sinbad’s journey was dictated by Eris, the Goddess of Chaos. That divine interference is a classic trope that makes the world feel huge.
Hercules (1997)
Disney’s Hercules is the obvious cousin here. It shares the Greek pantheon and the "zero to hero" trajectory. However, Hercules is much more of a musical comedy. If you liked the Eris segments in Sinbad, you’ll love James Woods’ performance as Hades. It has that same 90s/early 2000s energy where the animators weren't afraid to make the characters move in incredibly fluid, almost rubbery ways.
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Prince of Egypt (1998)
Wait, hear me out. On the surface, a biblical epic doesn't seem like a "swashbuckling" movie. But this was DreamWorks at the peak of their 2D powers. The scale is unmatched. The chariot race at the beginning has the same adrenaline as Sinbad’s ship escaping the Sirens. It’s a much more serious film, but if you appreciate the craft behind Sinbad, this is the gold standard.
Why Don't They Make Them Like This Anymore?
The "flopping" of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas really was a turning point. At the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg (DreamWorks co-founder) basically said the era of traditional animation was over because the audience didn't want it.
That wasn't actually true.
The problem was that Sinbad came out the same year as the first Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo. It was squeezed between a live-action pirate masterpiece and a CGI ocean revolution. It never stood a chance.
Today, we see a return to stylized animation (think Spider-Verse or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), but the "tradigital" look remains a relic of a very specific window between 1999 and 2004.
What to watch tonight?
If you want the humor and the duo-dynamic, go with The Road to El Dorado.
If you want the visual spectacle and the sailing, go with Treasure Planet.
If you want a modern take on sea monsters, go with The Sea Beast.
Go find a copy of Treasure Planet on 4K if you can; the way they blended the 3D backgrounds with the hand-drawn characters holds up shockingly well on a modern screen. It's the best way to see what that era was trying to achieve before the industry moved on.