There’s no one size fits all for set and setting. That goes for movie choices, too. Movies to watch on shrooms can be animated or documentaries, live-action fantasy, or sci-fi.
Sometimes, the trip is destined for a forest walk where psychonauts marvel at fungi and bird calls. Other times call for burrowing into blankets like a human burrito and watching trippy movies.
Watching movies and television while tripping
Not every trip calls for watching a movie, in fact, it can be hard to focus on a full-length feature while peaking on mushrooms. While sometimes peaking with a show on can feel just right, oftentimes a movie is best saved for the comedown.
Also, please note that psilocybin and magic mushrooms are not legal or decriminalized in every state, though there are legal psychedelic mushroom gummies.
Whatever moment feels right for a movie during a mushroom trip, these films will have something that fits the moment.
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Finding Nemo
Cartoon movies are often a good choice for a shroom trip because they feature wholesome stories with an easy-to-digest moral. Finding Nemo is one of the best. The classic Pixar animation follows Marlin through the ocean as he searches for his son Nemo. Travel through the oceans along the Great Barrier Reef, meeting groovy turtles, shocking jellies, and a new forgetful best friend named Dory.
It is an adventure punctured by comforting characters and a full-circle ending making it a solid choice for a trip.
Toys
The 1992 Robin Williams film Toys is a fantasy comedy centering on a toymaker who is fighting against the powers that be to keep war toys out of kids’ play. Williams and his somewhat odd sister, played by the legendary Joan Cusack, attempt to keep the whimsy of their early-90s wonderland in place as General Leland fights to introduce games about killing and battle.
It is a harrowing tale for those who turn on the flick after eating some shrooms, but it’s also ripe with fodder for a highly analytical brain. Ponder the necessity of war, the indoctrination of children through toys, and the cool colors with Toys.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki’s Delivery Service is especially perfect for this list, though almost all Studio Ghibli films would be fun for a trip. The animated features are void of harrowing villains and complex concepts like war and environmental policy–through Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke would probably be ok for most, too.
Kiki is a young witch who flies to a new town with her talking cat. The adventure takes the viewer on a ride through the excitement of personal growth, a loss of faith, and the determination to pick back up and try again. It’s the perfect hero’s journey, just like someone under the influence of psychedelics.
Hook
The plot of Hook is an excellent fit for a psychedelic experience since it starts with the main characters traveling to a new land. Those in the room will be immersed the minute Jack makes it to Never Never Land in this live-action adaptation of a classic tale. The fanciful world of Hook will have the viewer hooked.
From fairies to Lost Boys, this film brings the memories with an exciting live-action twist. Action, adventure, and a raucous fun time await those who watch this film while tripping.
Interstella 5555
This science fiction animated musical is set to the second studio album from film creators Daft Punk, Discovery. Follow along as an alien pop band is kidnapped and subsequently rescued to an album that harbors some of the most iconic Millennial bops of the era.
There’s a guitar-shaped ship, a magical jet pack, and a sci-fi allegory for what it’s like to be an artist in the entertainment industry. Whether you’re a Millennial nostalgic for the good old days or curious about the 00s culture, Interstella 5555 will provide–especially on shrooms.
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Turtle: The Incredible Journey
While some might prefer cartoons or fantastical stories after eating boomers, others may opt for realism with a nature documentary. Turtle: The Incredible Journey is one film that enraptures the viewer in its first moments with a POV shot of baby turtles taking their dangerous first steps. Viewers will learn something about the courage of a turtle, and possibly make some relevant connections to their own lives along the way. When it comes to nature documentaries, there are many, but this one strikes a personal tone off the jump that is appreciated by day trippers.
Yellow Submarine
This classic has to make the list of movies to watch on shrooms as the music of The Beatles bounces alongside psychedelic animation. Yellow Submarine marries the mind-bending animated art of films like Pink Floyd’s The Wall with a silly, comfy vibe. Join the famed musicians as they take on the music-hating Blue Meanies. The bright colors paired with the familiar accents of the band are a lovely fit for a shroom movie night.
Save this one for those who appreciate classics, as it has animation from 1968. Nobody wants to listen to someone explain CGI while enjoying some old-school cartoons.
Fantastic Fungi
The documentary crowd might also enjoy the lush imagery featured in Fantastic Fungi. Mushrooms on mushrooms– what could go wrong? The beautiful sped-up shots of fruiting bodies emerging from the earth and learning about the benefits of various mushroom species.
Forage alongside mycologist Paul Stamets, nature and food journalist Eugenia Bone, wellness educator Andrew Weil, M.D., and other experts to learn about these great teachers while already clocked into a psilocybin lesson.
Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse
Bend through time and space with Miles Morales in the most recent animated Spiderman, Across the Spider-Verse. The heartfelt plot keeps viewers engaged, and the 2.5D animation style may be enticing to someone experiencing visuals. Tow the delicate line of being a superhero pursued by his own cop father in this telling of the classic comic heroes story.
This is a very long movie, so be warned that it might take about two and a half hours. It also has some heavy, dark themes, including family stresses. Those dealing with these things in their waking life might want to refrain from watching this one.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Famed historical German liar Baron Munchausen is the focus of this fantasy adventure film imagining the exploits of his life. The 1989 movie stars John Neville alongside a young Robin Williams and Uma Thurman. Stunning cinematography is coupled with an outrageous tale of war and heroism.
Lovers of Monty Python and Time Bandits will appreciate the humor and visual experience of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Those who prefer classic films might choose 2001: A Space Odyssey, a 1968 Stanley Kubrick sci-fi flick that features long shots accompanied by music with very little dialogue. Roger Ebert famously reviewed the film that “fails on the human level but succeeds magnificently on a cosmic scale.” This lack of humanity leaves space for the brain on psilocybin to connect its own dots. When it comes to films to watch while tripping, the science fiction classic 2001 is always on the list.
Elemental
Feel-good animation is at an all-time high in the latest Disney Pixar film Elemental. Two young people from different worlds embark on an adventure in their wondrous world where the fire, water, earth, and air citizens thrive. Ponder the minute parts of society that separate people from one another, and how to break down those barriers.
The G-rated film features only good vibes, even in the action-packed moments, making it ideal for a mind altered by psychedelics.
Being John Malkovich
Don’t expect bright colors and trippy visuals with this mend-bending film from 1999 starring John Malkovich, an almost unrecognizable Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and more. The thought-provoking fictional movie features a puppeteer who finds a doorway to the mind of John Malkovich, a caricature of the real thing played by the man himself.
Someone experiencing the ego loss of a mushroom trip may find this kind of film specifically satisfying, though it may not be the right choice for everyone.
Alice in Wonderland
Whether it is the animated or live-action version, Alice in Wonderland was built for a psychonaut. Viewers go on a wild ride with toe-headed Alice as she shrinks in size, meets shape-shifting animals, and has unhinged tea parties with curious characters. The film might as well be a mushroom trip.
There are some frantic moments in this film, but all in all, it is a jaunty trip perfect to parallel and actual trip.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Many request to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998 film based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, when on mushrooms. Both the book and the film feature excessive drug use, with psychedelics included. The 90s classic starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro takes viewers on a mystifying, drug-soaked trip to Sin City.
The undertones of the film critique the failures of 1960s counterculture, but it is possible those who eat magic mushrooms might miss the nuance amid the visual and psychological trip.
Have a Good Trip
Sometimes, the best thing to put on during a trip is the stories of others who traveled the same road. Have a Good Trip is a 2020 documentary featuring psychedelic animation alongside true tellings of hallucinogenic experiences from the celebrities who had them.
Nick Offerman hosts the doc that hears trip testimony from the likes of music superstar Sting, A$AP Rocky, Nick Kroll, Carrie Fisher, Natasha Lyonne, and more. The star-studded list of subjects is only made better by the accompanying cartoon depictions of their words.
Don’t watch: Shrooms
In the research for this article, some Reddit users requested people on mushrooms watch the 2007 horror flick Shrooms. GreenState does not agree. Though the name might imply this is a great thing to watch in a group of tripping friends, or alone for that matter, it isn’t.
In Shrooms, friends go camping in the forest and identify species of magic mushrooms. As the night unfolds, the group experiences terrifying circumstances that they have trouble discerning from reality. No person who is actually tripping needs to see a piece of art that implies they could experience mortal trauma while under the influence.
Not every trip calls for a movie, but sometimes it’s just what the mushrooms are calling for. These are films to watch while tripping for everyone. A nature documentary might establish the perfect vibe, but another time a comfortable, wholesome cartoon will keep everything grooving.