Is the 475 with you on the bike?

Sus forks are expected to compress about 25% of their full travel with the rider in the saddle, so if 475 is the length for unloaded bike, the 440 might be about right for actual riding conditions - if you had your sus fork correctly set up.

Otherwise then I would indeed expect a 35 mm drop to cause some noticeable changes in both rider posture and handling characteristics.
If you are happy with how the bike rides at 475, maybe look for a longer sus corrected fork?
If your bike has disc brakes, you can consider shopping outside your wheel size for a better fit.
But do notice that wheel size does influence the possible load on the fork, and some manufacturers do differentiate between 26" and 29er forks for that reason.