Best documentary, horror, & animation shows on Prime Video, ranked.
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- #1100

Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005–2008 · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyBest Animation SeriesIn a war-torn world of elemental powers, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
NetflixParamount+Prime Video - #996
Man on Wire
2008 · Movie · 1h 34mDocumentary · Biography · Crime
1 OscarA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Prime Video - #2393

Gleason
2016 · Movie · 1h 50mDocumentary · Biography
After he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease pr...
Prime Video - #2992
20 Feet from Stardom
2013 · Movie · 1h 31mDocumentary · Biography · History
1 OscarBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Prime Video - #3092
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
2004 · Movie · 2h 2mDocumentary · Biography · History
The story of Z Channel, one of the first U.S. pay cable stations and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974 in LA, their eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.
Prime Video - #3392
Little Dieter Needs to Fly
1997 · Movie · 1h 20mDocumentary · Biography · Drama
German-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Viet Cong, recreating many events for the camera.
Prime Video - #3792
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014 · Movie · 1h 37mDocumentary · Action
A behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).
Prime Video - #5691
The Legend of Vox Machina
2022– · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again-this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma C...
Prime Video - #5791
Great Teacher Onizuka
1999–2000 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Drama
About Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-gangster member and a virgin. He has one ambition that no one ever expected from him. His sole life purpose is to become the greatest high school teacher ever.
NetflixPeacockPrime Video - #6290
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary · Family · History
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.
Prime Video - #6890
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story
2017 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Biography
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is the harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema's most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching, but inspiring, documentary. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back - an uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters.
Prime Video - #8289

Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
2017 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Action · Biography
Fred Beckey is the legendary American "Dirtbag" mountaineer whose name is spoken in hushed tones around campfires. This rebel climber's pioneering ascents and lifestyle form an iconic legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Prime Video - #8489

Red vs. Blue
2003–2024 · Series · 19 seasonsAnimation · Action
After the Halo event of 2552, there is a brief but violent period of civil war among the humans. Two armies on opposite sides of a canyon, the Reds and Blues, fight in the most worthless piece of real estate in the galaxy.
PeacockPrime Video - #9988
The Universe
2007–2015 · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · History
This educational show explores many scientific questions and topics about the universe (Big Bang, the Sun, the planets, black holes, other galaxies, astrobiology etc.) through latest CGI, data and interviews with scientists.
Prime Video - #10388
Lucy and Desi
2022 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · Comedy
2 EmmysThis film explores the rise of comedy icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom "I Love Lucy" forever changed Hollywood, cementing her legacy long after her death in 1989.
Prime Video - #10488
Dororo
2019– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
Sightless Hyakkimaru wields fearsome prosthetics in place of the limbs his father traded to 12 demons. When he encounters the young thief Dororo, the pair sets out to reclaim Hyakkimaru's body parts and survive the demon-infested ...
HuluPrime Video - #10588
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
2019 · Movie · 1h 37mDocumentary
The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were ev...
Prime Video - #11788
Silicon Cowboys
2016 · Movie · 1h 17mDocumentary · History
Three friends dream up the Compaq portable computer at a Texas diner in 1981, and soon find themselves battling mighty IBM for PC supremacy. Their improbable journey altered the future of computing and shaped the world we now know.
Prime Video - #12787

George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya!
2008 · Movie · 1h 10mDocumentary · Comedy
It's Bad For Ya, Carlin's Emmy-nominated 14th and final HBO special from March of 2008 features Carlin's noted irreverent and unapologetic observations on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected...
Prime Video - #13087
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
2025 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Comedy
Cult musician Swamp Dogg and housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty have turned their suburban LA home into an artistic haven. They journey through the turbulent music business, forming a special friendship transcending eras.
Prime Video - #13187
Fragments of Paradise
2022 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary
Jonas Mekas chronicled life via diary films over 70+ years, from his 1949 NYC arrival until 2019. The Lithuanian exile shaped avant-garde cinema while building indie film institutions. "Fragments of Paradise" delves into his archives
Prime Video - #13787
This Is Not a Movie: Robert Fisk and the Politics of Truth
2019 · Movie · 1h 46mDocumentary · Action · Biography
The groundbreaking and often game-changing reporting of legendary foreign correspondent and author Robert Fisk is profiled in the latest from acclaimed documentarian Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze).
Prime Video - #14487
American: An Odyssey to 1947
2022 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary
In the early 1930s, Orson Welles ascends to unprecedented stardom while President Franklin Delano Roosevelt navigates a nation in crisis. As WWII begins, an American boy visits abroad, and an American soldier enlists in the army.
Prime Video - #15787
Citizen K
2019 · Movie · Russian · 2h 6mDocumentary
The strange case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, who rocketed to prosperity and prominence in the 1990s, served a decade in prison, and became an unlikely martyr for the anti-Putin movement.
Prime Video - #16087
Exposing Muybridge
2021 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · Biography · History
Exposing Muybridge tells the story of trailblazing 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who changed the world with his camera. Muybridge set the course for the development of cinema when he became the first photographer t...
Prime Video - #16887
Gintama: The Very Final
2021 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 44mAnimation · Action · Comedy
Three former students must stop their immortal mentor's evil alter-ego from destroying Earth. As the final battle approaches, allies and enemies unite to save their world, while one companion fights for survival.
Prime Video - #17786
Hondros
2018 · Movie · 1h 30mDocumentary · Biography · War
HONDROS follows the life and career of famous war photographer Chris Hondros by exploring the poignant and often surprising stories behind this award-winning photojournalist's best-known photos. Driven by a commitment to bear witn...
Prime Video - #18786
A.rtificial I.mmortality
2021 · Movie · 1h 14mDocumentary
If you could create an immortal version of yourself, would you? Once the stuff of science fiction, A.I. experts now see it as possible. This feature documentary explores the latest thinking and technological advancements in AI.
Prime Video - #18886
James May: Our Man in…
2020–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsDocumentary · Action · Comedy
James May embarks on a remarkable journey across Japan, from its icy north to its balmy south. He'll see the sights, meet the locals, and eat the noodles in a bid to truly understand the Land of the Rising Sun.
Prime Video - #18986
Helluva Boss
2020– · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
In Hell, imp Blitzø runs an assassin business targeting the world of the living, using a spell book borrowed from a prince of Hell. With employees Moxxie, Millie, and Loona, they attempt to survive each other while keeping busines...
Prime Video - #19385
Puffin Rock and the New Friends
2023 · Movie · 1h 20mAnimation · Family
Follow the disappearance of the final Little Egg of the season in strange circumstances, leading Oona and her friends to embark on a race against time to try to save it before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the island in da...
Prime Video - #21085
Satan Wants You
2023 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · Crime · Horror
It tells the story of how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by "Michelle Remembers", a memoir by psychiatrist and his patient. The book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle's abduction by baby-stealing S...
Prime Video - #21985
Valentine Road
2013 · Movie · 1h 29mDocumentary · Crime
On February 12, 2008 in Oxnard, California, eighth-grade student Brandon McInerney shot his classmate Larry King twice in the back of the head during first period. When Larry died two days later, his murder shocked the nation. Was...
MAXPrime Video - #22185
Smile 2
2024 · Movie · 2h 7mHorror · Mystery · Thriller
About to embark on a world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her past.
Paramount+Prime Video - #22285

Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime
2016–2021 · Series · 8 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy · Crime
Conspiracy theory enthusiast Ryan deep-dives into mysteries surrounding notorious unsolved crimes, in order to convince his dubious friend Shane that, sometimes, the evidence isn't always as it seems.
HuluPrime Video - #22684

Antarctica: A Year on Ice
2013 · Movie · 1h 31mDocumentary · Action · Biography
A visually stunning chronicle of what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters isolated from the rest of the world, and enduring months of darkness in the coldest place on Earth.
Prime Video - #23584
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
2022 · Movie · 2h 14mDocumentary
A classically trained actor and director, Robert Englund has become one of the most revolutionary horror icons of our generation. Throughout his career, Englund starred in many well-known movies, but shot to super-stardom with his...
Prime Video - #23684
All or Nothing
2016– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Sport
For the first time in history, Amazon and NFL Films present an unprecedented inside look at the lives of players, coaches and owners of a franchise over the course of an entire NFL season. Witness the real life, behind the scenes ...
Prime Video - #23784
The House of the Devil
2009 · Movie · 1h 35mHorror · Mystery
In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.
Prime Video - #24184

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
2008 · Movie · 1h 26mDocumentary · Biography
The Murrow, Polk, and IDA Award-winning documentary Boogie Man is about Lee Atwater, a blues-playing rogue whose rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a political rock star. He mentored George W. Bush and Karl Rove w...
Prime Video - #24384

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
2010–2019 · Series · 9 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
After learning that her friends, as well as herself, are the magical Elements of Harmony, studious unicorn Twilight Sparkle is sent by her mentor, Princess Celestia, to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship with help from her...
NetflixPrime Video - #24584
Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Biography
Multi-platinum country music superstar and recent Academy of Country Music Awards "Entertainer of the Year" recipient, Luke Bryan, as he experiences the ups, downs, triumphs and tragedies along the road to unprecedented success.
Prime Video - #24884
The Wolfpack
2015 · Movie · 1h 30mDocumentary · Biography
Confined in an apartment from a New York housing project, the six Angulo brothers learned everything they know about the world through watching films and spend their time reenacting their favorite movies with intricate homemade co...
Prime Video - #25184
Merry Little Batman
2023 · Movie · 1h 36mAnimation · Comedy · Family
Damian Wayne is left alone at home while his father, Batman, goes out to help the Justice League on Christmas Eve, but ends up discovering a plot in Gotham to steal Christmas and take the chance to be a superhero like Batman.
Prime Video - #25684
Code Black
2014 · Movie · 1h 18mDocumentary · Drama
A notorious trauma bay in an inner-city E.R. earns its keep as the 'hurt locker of medicine' as new, idealistic and adrenaline-seeking doctors train in an environment akin to a war zone. When the hospital moves to a swank new buil...
Prime Video - #25784

George Carlin: Doin' It Again
1990 · Movie · 1hDocumentary · Comedy
George Carlin brings his comedy back to New Jersey and this time talks about Offensive Language, Euphemisms, They're Only Words, Dogs, Things you never hear, see or wanna hear, Some people are stupid, Cancer, Feminists, Good Ideas...
Prime Video - #26083
Even Mice Belong in Heaven
2021 · Movie · Czech · 1h 20mAnimation · Action · Comedy
A mouse and a fox die and find themselves in animal paradise and become best friends. Upon their return to earth they are reborn in opposite roles, but the power of friendship surpasses the impossible.
Prime Video - #26683
The Coming War on China
2016 · Movie · 1h 53mDocumentary · History
From award winning journalist John Pilger, reveals what the news doesn't - that the world's greatest military power, the United States, and the world's second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, may well be on the road to war.
Prime Video - #26783
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon
2022 · Movie · 1h 25mDocumentary
Randy Rhoads one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived was taken too soon and his story remains a mystery. We experience the life of Randy Rhoads from his time with Quiet Riot to becoming an icon with Ozzy Osbourne.
Prime Video - #27983
What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
2018 · Movie · 1h 56mDocumentary · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.
Prime Video - #29582
1
2013 · Movie · 1h 52mDocumentary · Action · History
Set in the golden era of Grand Prix Racing '1' tells the story of a generation of charismatic drivers who raced on the edge, risking their lives during Formula 1's deadliest period, and the men who stood up and changed the sport f...
Prime Video - #29982
The Thief Collector
2022 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Crime
In 1985, Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre," one of the most valuable paintings of the 20th century, was cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in a New Mexico ...
Prime Video - #30082
Minuscule: The Private Life of Insects
2006– · Series · French · 2 seasonsAnimation · Comedy
Although children aren't entomologists, when they take a trip to the country and start roaming through fields and meadows, they do spend an incredible amount of time observing insects. Unlike grownup specialists, our knee-high obs...
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