12 Atmospheric Cottagecore Movies (And Where To Stream Them)

Look up cottagecore in the dictionary. The idyllic Shire sequence in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed movie – Frodo reading in a meadow, Gandalf’s wagon wheels spinning by a gentle path, Shire-folk in a bright yellow flower field, rolling hills absorbing hobbit homes – should be the first entry. While The Fellowship Of The Ring’s story doesn’t stay in the Shire (Frodo has a big journey ahead), you’ll fall in love with the lushness of the area (and understand why Hobbits love cozy hobbies like gardening). No matter what happens in The Lord Of The Rings (LOTR), the Shire’s spirit stays with you (making LOTR, even in its darkest moments, a cozy trilogy to binge).

The Princess Bride is over-the-top. It’s a movie that thrives on being clever (and it is). Rob Reiner’s adventure flick (based on William Goldman’s cult classic) amps up tropes; it leans into them, pushes their boundaries without crossing lines. In a way, The Princess Bride’s effortless fairy tale parody makes the story gentle. Loyalty is an unbreakable thread. True love conquers all. Happily ever afters do exist. The narrative asks you to trust that, as you should. Buttercup and Westley’s journey begins in the most cottagecore landscape. Brace yourself for the small farm feels of Florin: thatched bungalows, bays of hay, clucking chickens, a bright green countryside. The tone shifts after Westley’s departure, but there are still ample cottagecore scenes to enjoy.

Every Studio Ghibli film (Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, When Marnie Was There) belongs on a list of cottagecore movies. The Secret World Of Arrietty is no exception. Arrietty is part of a family of Borrowers, little people who only take what they need, simple things to survive. And let’s just say her house is peak cottagecore, especially her room: flower-patterned walls, a bloom-shaped light, a quilted bedspread, books slanting on a small ledge, large stalks of lavender, big red droplets of fruit, leaves filling in every gap. Elsewhere in the Clock home, you’ll see ornate green cabinets, small pots hanging on the wall, and a table laden with tea and biscuits. Even Sho’s (the “human bean” Arrietty meets, a young, sick boy who accidentally endangers her family) space is wholesome with its sugar cookie-colored wallpaper, vase of yellow flowers, and wooden bed frame. Watch this movie for all the cottagecore feels.

Tuck Everlasting is built on long scenes, quiet shots, and soft narration. Winnie Foster is kidnapped by the Tucks, a family who sips from a magic spring and lives forever. Winnie is drawn to the Tucks’ cottagecore way of life (one of my favorite quotes from the movie is, “It seemed to Winnie that the Tucks lived in a way the rest of the world had forgotten. They were never in a hurry and did things the slow way”). So Winnie stays with the Tucks. She falls for Jesse (say hello to a problematic age gap that rivals Twilight’s Bella and Edward’s). Iffy love story aside, Tuck Everlasting is a coming-of-age tale about making the best of mortality. Watch it for the nighttime dots of fireflies, Winnie’s flowy white dresses, the sounds of rushing streams and falling waters, and the visual feast of forest landscapes.

While cottagecore lends itself to springtime sunshine and winter’s cozy nights in, there’s an autumnal movie that still fits the mold. Practical Magic (starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two orphaned magical siblings struck by a no-love curse) is a cult classic drama about the bonds of sisterhood, the strength of women, and the pain of heartbreak. It’s a movie that flip-flops between moods: enchanting, tense, playful, and tragic. Dark, broody scenes sever light comedy. Realism shoots down whimsy. But there are picture-perfect sets (a cozy greenhouse stacked with plants, Sally’s white clapboard shop, an airy kitchen) and moments (sitting outside a coastal small town Victorian manor. tables piled high with fruit) that make Practical Magic one of the best witchy cottagecore movies to watch.

In a world where Wes Anderson is used as an adjective (to describe a sense of style reliant on symmetry, modish colors, and nostalgia), Fantastic Mr. Fox is just one film. But it is, like all Wes Anderson films, an aesthetic one. Smart, quick-witted Mr. Fox steals food from three beastly farmers. He goes far; he gets into trouble. And he needs to fight to save his family (and community). The Fox family’s below-ground burrow makes Fantastic Mr. Fox one of the best cottagecore movies. There’s more too: Mrs. Fox’s apple print yellow dress, fixed at her knees; Mrs. Fox sharing a stack of pancake-shaped bread with her partner (his acorn-decorated plate, jams and jelly to the side); the spread of farmland that inches up to Boggis, Bunce, and Bean’s plots; Mrs. Fox painting thunderstorms for fun; Mr. Fox’s flood-interrupted speech.

La Fine Fleur is a French film that feels like it’s bloomed from the seeds of a cottagecore dream. It’s a hybrid, a marriage of unforced comedy and natural sentimentality. Eve Vernet is the rose maker, a no-nonsense, straight-talking (or perhaps just French) Victor Frankenstein of roses struggling to save her business. Her wide-eyed secretary, Vera, hires three unexpected contractors (in rehabilitation) to uproot weeds and spread fertilizer in a lush and lucidly imagined garden. The Rose Maker frames the ethereal beauty of roses: their pearly petals, soothing shades, and sweet scents. Through Eve, Catherine Frot channels a vivid character, one who, despite moments of unlikeability, feels deserving of an independently run, rose-filled Eden. 

Pick an adaptation of Anne Of Green Gables (Kevin Sullivan’s 1985 miniseries, Isao Takahata’s 1979 anime, George Nicholls, Jr.’s 1934 film), and you’ll be immersed in the cottagecore aesthetic. Our pick? Anne With An E. Oh, the cottagecoreness of season one! Period pieces by designers Anne Dixon and Alex Reda. Prince Edward Island from afar. Ontario up-close. Amin Bhatia’s and Ari Posner’s piano-rich soundtrack.

This wholesome series stars Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley, a young woman who is sharp and intelligent, expressive and outspoken. Anne With An E’s Anne is fleshed-out; the scars of her past creep into her present. The show addresses Anne’s trauma more than most other renditions (so if you don’t have the emotional bandwidth to watch the first few episodes, that’s okay. There are plenty more Anne Of Green Gables adaptations to choose from).

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is praised for being fiercely feminist, bold, and contemporary. It is loved for its nuance and deft display of emotions. Gerwig’s Little Women doesn’t escape the book’s economic underpinnings; it does not wish fulfill romance. This ambitiously cast film (Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, Laura Dern as Marmee, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Florence Pugh as Amy, Emma Watson as Meg, Eliza Scanlen as Beth) artfully shows sisterhood and friendship, individuality and chasing dreams. The costumes are radiantly cottagecore, a brilliant blend of character and period. Unsurprisingly, Jacqueline Durran (the designer behind Little Women) won the 2020 Academy Award for Costume Design. Hands-down one of our favorite cottagecore movies of all time.

A Korean film based on a Japanese movie based on a slice-of-life manga, Little Forest presents a return to rural living, the tightness of childhood friendships that never quite snap into a love triangle, and the charms of fresh food (noodles topped with violet and white petals, spring cabbage swallowed raw). Little Forest reverently shows the preparation of Korean dishes; early montages are musicless, so you can hear water splashing against beans, rice scraping against a basket, flour sifting and swirling. Kim Tae-ri carries the complexities of Hye-won through subtle facial expressions: the ruefulness of a daughter returning home to find her mother isn’t there, the disillusionment of a small-town dreamer staying in Seoul, and the earnestness of a city girl hungry for a simpler, fuller life.

Marc Munden’s The Secret Garden embraces cottagecore. It delights in the aesthetic. This 2020 adaptation is filled with fantasy and magic; it draws energy from a pool of childlike wonder. Mary Lennox starts as bitter and disagreeable (just like in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tale), but then she blossoms into something else. The gardens in this movie are a balm for the eyes. They are pure beauty, a poetic spillage of flowers and moss, palms and vines.

One of the most underrated cottagecore movies is Miss Potter, a biopic about the life and imagination of Beatrix Potter (the author and illustrator behind Peter Rabbit). Miss Potter is a charming film, suffused with comedy and whimsy. Sweeping scenes of England’s lovely Lake District (side note: check out this list of Miss Potter locations by Rebecca Sharp) only add to the idyllic, cottagecore atmosphere.