Look, let’s be honest for a second. The Emoji Movie isn't winning any Oscars. Critics absolutely shredded it when it dropped back in 2017, and it currently sits with a pretty brutal score on Rotten Tomatoes. But here’s the thing: people still search for it. Families keep watching it. There is something undeniably addictive about the "secret life of objects" trope, especially when those objects are the little icons we use to text our moms or ghost our exes.
When you’re looking for movies like The Emoji Movie, you aren't necessarily looking for high-brow cinema. You’re looking for that specific brand of bright, colorful, high-concept world-building where everyday things have feelings, jobs, and existential crises. It’s about the "Hidden World" formula. We love the idea that when we turn off our phones or leave our rooms, a whole civilization starts buzzing.
The Digital Frontier and the "Inside the Machine" Vibe
If you liked Gene and his journey through Textopolis, you probably liked it because of the digital landscape. The most obvious comparison is Wreck-It Ralph. Disney basically perfected the "internet as a city" concept before anyone else. Ralph and Vanellope live in a world governed by code, but they have these messy, human-sized emotions.
Ralph Breaks the Internet took this even further by personifying the literal web. You've got personified search engines—Knowsmore is basically a nervous librarian—and the physical manifestation of "the cloud." It’s the same DNA as The Emoji Movie, just with a much bigger budget and a more coherent plot. While Gene wants to be a "meh," Ralph just wants to not be a "bad guy." Same vibe, different hardware.
Then there’s Tron: Legacy. Okay, stay with me here. It’s way darker and has a Daft Punk soundtrack that absolutely slaps, but it’s the granddaddy of the "humanity inside the computer" genre. If you’re an older viewer who liked the concept of the emoji world but wanted more neon and high-stakes action, this is where you go. It’s about programs struggling against their programming. Sound familiar?
Why the "Secret Life" Trope Never Dies
We have to talk about The Lego Movie. Honestly, it’s probably the best version of this entire sub-genre. It took a product that should have been a 90-minute commercial and turned it into a meditation on creativity and corporate conformity.
What makes it feel like The Emoji Movie?
It’s the rules.
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In Textopolis, you have to be your icon. In the Lego world, you have to follow the instructions. Both movies are about a "glitch" or an "average Joe" (or Emmet) who realizes that being a singular, defined thing is a trap. It’s that classic Hero’s Journey wrapped in plastic or pixels.
The Secret Life of Pets is another one that hits that same itch. It takes the "what are they doing when we aren't looking" premise and applies it to dogs and cats instead of smartphone apps. It's fast-paced, relies heavily on physical comedy, and features a protagonist who feels out of place in his own home. If the appeal of Gene was his "malfunction," the appeal of Max is his sudden displacement by Duke.
The Weird World of Brand-Centric Animation
Let’s get a bit more obscure. Ever heard of Foodfight!?
Probably not, or if you have, it’s because it’s often cited as one of the worst movies ever made. But it’s the spiritual cousin to the emoji flick. It features brand mascots (like Mr. Clean and Charlie the Tuna) living in a supermarket that turns into a city at night. It’s a fascinating, if horrifying, look at what happens when you try to turn literal groceries into action heroes.
On the much better side of the spectrum, you’ve got Inside Out.
Pixar took the "internal world" concept and applied it to the human brain. Instead of emojis representing emotions in a text bar, you have literal emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger—running a control console. It’s the smartest version of this trope. It explains why we feel things by showing us the "mechanics" of the mind. While The Emoji Movie uses apps like Dropbox and Candy Crush as set pieces, Inside Out uses the "Long Term Memory" archives and "Abstract Thought" chambers.
Does Tone Matter?
Sometimes you don't want the digital world; you just want the fast-talking, slapstick energy.
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- Trolls: It’s neon, it’s musical, and it’s about a society where everyone has to be one specific way (happy!).
- Pixels: If you want the real-world crossover where digital characters invade our space.
- The Angry Birds Movie: Another app-to-screen adaptation that deals with a protagonist who doesn't fit the "expected" social mold of his community.
The Psychology of Why We Watch
Why do we keep making these?
Because we’re obsessed with our tools.
Social psychologists often talk about "media equation theory," the idea that humans tend to treat computers and other media as if they were real people. We get mad at our phones. We feel "bad" for a robot vacuum when it gets stuck. The Emoji Movie and its peers just take that natural human tendency to anthropomorphize and turn the volume up to eleven.
We see ourselves in Gene because we all feel like we have to put on a "face" for the world. Sometimes you’re a "meh" when you actually feel like a "heart-eyes." It’s a relatable struggle, even if it’s being told by a sentient piece of digital corn or a yellow circle.
Breaking Down the "Hidden World" Mechanics
Most movies like The Emoji Movie follow a very specific structural blueprint. You can almost set your watch by it.
First, you have the world-building. You see how the society functions. In Bee Movie (another cult classic in this "weirdly specific world" category), we see the honey factory and the legal system of bees. We get the "rules."
Second, the protagonist breaks a rule. Gene makes the wrong face. Barry the Bee talks to a human. Wreck-It Ralph leaves his game.
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Third, the journey into the "Wilds." This is usually the part of the movie where the characters travel through different "zones." In The Emoji Movie, they go through Spotify and Instagram. In Ralph, they go through Hero's Duty and Sugar Rush. It’s a tour of the IP.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Movie Night
If you’re staring at your streaming queue trying to find something that hits that specific Emoji Movie sweet spot, don’t just click on the first thing you see. You have to categorize what you actually liked about it.
If you liked the tech/internet setting:
Go straight to Ralph Breaks the Internet or The Mitchells vs. the Machines. The latter is actually a masterpiece. It’s about a robot apocalypse, but it’s heavily themed around our relationship with technology, filters, and YouTube culture. It’s frenetic, hilarious, and much better written than the adventures in Textopolis.
If you liked the "Secret Life" of objects:
Watch The Lego Movie or the original Toy Story. If you want something a bit more modern and fast-paced, The Secret Life of Pets is your best bet for keeping kids (or your own distracted brain) occupied.
If you want something "so bad it's good":
Check out Foodfight! or Shark Tale. There’s a specific kind of joy in watching a movie where the character designs are slightly horrifying and the celebrity cameos are baffling. Will Smith as a fish is the same energy as Patrick Stewart as a poop emoji.
If you want the "Internal World" concept handled with actual depth:
Inside Out and its sequel are the gold standard. It’s the only movie in this entire list that might actually make you cry while also explaining the neurological basis of personality.
Final Thoughts on the Digital Animation Trend
We aren't going to stop seeing movies like this. As our lives move further into the digital "metaverse," our stories will follow. We’re already seeing it with movies like Free Guy, which is basically a live-action version of the "glitch in the machine" story.
The charm of these films isn't usually the plot. It’s the "Aha!" moments when you see a clever visual gag about how a firewall works or how a certain app is personified. It makes our cold, glass-and-silicon devices feel a little more human.
To get the most out of this genre, stop looking for cinematic perfection. These movies are pop-art. They are bright, loud, and designed to be consumed like the apps they depict. Grab some popcorn, put your phone on "Do Not Disturb" (to give your emojis a break), and dive into a world where your favorite icons have more drama than a reality TV show.