Great Foreign Animated Films for Kids
I will not include the usual Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, and DreamWorks. Since those receive more exposure I will instead focus on recent lesser known animated films.
List activity
14K views
• 22 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
48 titles
- DirectorAnders Rønnow KlarlundStarsJames McAvoyCatherine McCormackJulian GloverA Prince leaves his city and sets off to avenge his father, not aware his father wasn't murdered, and in reality, committed suicide, and soon learns the truth about his people from a warrior woman.
- DirectorAdrià GarcíaVíctor MaldonadoStarsImanol AriasHervé CaradecRoger CarelAn orphan boy named Tim is afraid of the dark. However, when the stars start going out in the sky, he finds himself exploring the world of the night, alongside his new friend, the Cat Shepherd.
- DirectorJacques-Rémy GirerdStarsDany BoonJohn DiMaggioGarance LagraaOne night Mia has a premonition. So after saying a few words of parting at her mother's grave, she sets out on a journey across mountains and jungles to search for her father, who is trapped in a landslide at a remote construction site.
- DirectorStéphane AubierVincent PatarStarsStéphane AubierJeanne BalibarNicolas BuysseCowboy and Indian's only wish was to come up with a brilliant idea for Mr Horse's birthday, but when their plan ends up in utter disaster, they'll need to travel the world and back to make things right again.
- DirectorEnzo D'AlòStarsGabriele CaprioMino CaprioMaricla AffatatoIn this dazzling, delightful re-imagining of the classic family legend, a playful puppet comes to life and experiences incredible adventures in his struggle to become human.
- DirectorJean-François LaguionieStarsJean BarneyChloé BerthierJB BlancThree characters of different social classes escape their unfinished painting in search of the Painter, hoping he will complete it.
- DirectorJean-Loup FelicioliAlain GagnolStarsDominique BlancBernadette LafontBruno SalomoneIn Paris, a cat who lives a secret life as a cat burglar's aide must come to the rescue of Zoe, the little girl he lives with, after she falls into a gangster's clutches.
- DirectorRémi BezançonJean-Christophe LieStarsMax Renaudin PrattSimon AbkarianAbraham AdesoyeAfter escaping the clutches of a slave trader, a bold ten-year-old Sudanese boy befriends a young giraffe and a kind Bedouin, who takes them on a splendid journey via a hot-air balloon as far as the palace of King Charles X of France.
- DirectorDominique MonferyStarsRuy AbitbolPaul BandeyNatacha BodyNatanaël, seven, still doesn't know how to read. His eccentric old aunt bequeaths her house to his parents and her book collection to the young boy. Nat discovers that the books serve as a shelter for all the heroes found in children's literature. They are the original characters and are counting on him for protection. For if they leave the library, they will disappear along with their stories forever! When his parents start selling off the books, Nathanaël, who is shrunk by the evil witch Carabosse, braves everything to save his tiny friends.
- DirectorStéphane AubierVincent PatarBenjamin RennerStarsLambert WilsonPauline BrunnerAnne-Marie LoopThe story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Celestine.
- DirectorMaria LindbergStarsMax von SydowAlexander SkarsgårdStellan SkarsgårdMoomintroll and his friends rush to save everyone in Moomin Valley from a ferocious comet.
- DirectorTomm MooreNora TwomeyStarsEvan McGuireBrendan GleesonMick LallyA young boy in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids is beckoned to adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives with an ancient book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers.
- DirectorSeong-gang LeeStarsSon Ye-jinRyu Deok-hwanKong Hyeong-jinSome years later, Yobi's soul is released. Yobi becomes human and Geum-ee is probably a grow-up already. It is shown that Geum-ee's soul is blue, meaning that he loves Yobi. she may not understand love and friendship.
- DirectorBenoît ChieuxJacques-Rémy GirerdStarsSabine AzémaJosiane BalaskoFrançois MorelCenters on an eccentric aunt who is everything to everyone.
- DirectorJean-François LaguionieStarsMehani TaricGuy AbgrallKeylian BlancKid, a 15-year-old hard laborer, steals a map that promises to reveal the location of the notorious pirate Black Mor's treasure. Together with his crew -- MacGregor, Beanpole, Taka and Jim the monkey -- Kid procures a vessel and sets out to sea.
- DirectorAntonin KrizsanicsGéza M. TóthStarsBecca LaidlerJudit PogányThe animation film "Bogyó és Babóca - 13 mese" is based on highly successful, bestseller book of Erika Bartos targeting the pre-school age audience. The film is centered around two main characters, Bogyó (Berry), the snail boy and Babóca (Dolly), the ladybird girl, two inseparable friends.
- DirectorMasami HataStarsTôru FuruyaMami KoyamaIkue SakakibaraA prince of the sea and a child of fire engage in a tragic forbidden romance.
- DirectorMasami HataStarsHitoshi TakagiMinori MatsushimaAkira KamiyaAn innocent lamb learns about life and death when he seeks revenge upon the wolf who slaughtered his mother.
- DirectorJan BalejStarsOldrich KaiserAnezka KubátováPetr FormanEveryone's familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, the story of a love capable of forgiving even the greatest betrayal. In Jan Balej's film - a work filled with wonderful animation, expressive puppet designs and an imaginative, shifting score from French composer Chapelier Fou - the fairy-tale romance is replaced with a bleak portrayal of life in a city harbor, yet its enduring message remains.
- DirectorGarri BardinStarsKhor TuretskogoSvetlana StepchenkoArmen DzhigarkhanyanA strange-looking duckling hatches from an unusual egg in the poultry yard. Unlike other ducks. All poultry find it ugly. In our film, it will be a plasticine duck, while other domestic birds: geese, ducks, turkeys will be in feathers.
- DirectorHayo FreitagStarsJoachim KrólBela B.Charly HübnerCountryside thieves are won over by a young orphan girl.
- DirectorFrédéric GuillaumeSamuel GuillaumeStarsLorànt DeutschSanseverinoVirginie Efira15-year-old Max is in search of his father, the famous troubadour Johnny Bigoude, who disappeared shortly after Max's birth. He reaches Saint-Hilare where Madam Doudou, the old teacher, takes care of him and finds him a job as elevator musician in the fly swatter factory Bzzz & Co. But the factory doesn't run well and half of the village gets fired. To boost the swatter sales, a dangerous scientist creates a mass production of flies. Soon, a thick cloud of insects attacks the village... With courage and determination, Max and his new friend Félicie will do their best to neutralize the insane projects of Bzzz&Co. Will they manage to convince the villagers to help them in this adventure? All together will they stop the scientist's crazy handlings? And will Max find his father?
- DirectorKonstantin BronzitStarsOleg KulikovichLiya MedvedevaDmitriy VysotskiyAlesha Popovich has to catch Tugarin Zmey and bring back the stolen money money with the help of a talking Horse (which talks all the time and has an opinion on everything), a wise granny, a donkey and a beauty Lyubava.
- DirectorJose PozoStarsManel FuentesNatalia VerbekeLoles LeónRodrigo's life as a child was a noble and happy one, he entered school at a young age. Often he went on adventures with his best friend Sancho and often visited his beloved one Jimena, the daughter of the count of Gormaz. His happiness did not last forever, after the death of the King Fernando, Rodrigo is seen wrapped in a world of plots and conspiracies that to will put an end to the life of Sancho and the consequent coronation of the infant Alfonso. All of a sudden, Rodrigo loses all that that he has acquired, his best friend and the love of its beloved one, and is unjustly exiled to Castile without honor!
- DirectorMaurizio ForestieriStarsEugenio BennatoPietra MontecorvinoMario MerolaSalvatore "Totò" Sapore, an unemployed minstrel, always manages to cheer up the hungry with his songs about good food. He seems to be the one reason of the typically and happy Neapolitan temperament and this upsets Vesuvia, a magma witch.
- DirectorRoger HawkinsStarsJazz PierreMiriam HamblinGabriel PhillipsThree children make a daring escape from the underground city in which they are slaves of the Evil Emperor, and go in search of the fabled Sky Kingdom and the great Prince Ariel.
- DirectorEnzo D'AlòStarsErica NecciDiego AbatantuonoGiancarlo GianniniMomo, a little girl, tries to save the world from the Gray Men who are intent on stealing people's time.
- DirectorStefan FjeldmarkGreg ManwaringMichael DonovanStarsNis Bank-MikkelsenSøren Sætter-LassenMorten Kerrn NielsenThree children accidentally get turned into fish after drinking a potion made by an eccentric scientist. When the kids end up in the sea, they must find the antidote within 48 hours or remain as fish forever.
- DirectorDerek W. HayesStanislav SokolovStarsRalph FiennesMichael BryantJulie ChristieThe story of Jesus Christ.
- DirectorAlbert Hanan KaminskiStarsTommy J. MichaelsRonn CarrollTovah FeldshuhWhen God distributed wiseness and foolishness through a newly created world, one of the cherubs accidentally dropped all the foolishness on a tiny village called Chelm. So everyone in the village is very dumb. Recently orphaned boy Aaron and his friendly goat Zlateh live there with Aaron's uncle Shlemiel. When an evil sorcerer and his monster attack the village, Aaron and Zlateh have to defend it themselves.
- DirectorEnzo D'AlòStarsDario FoMary Tyler MooreLella CostaA group of toys take matters into their own hands when their Christmas delivery is in jeopardy.
- DirectorShinsuke SatoStarsChristine Marie CabanosPatrick SeitzJulie MaddalenaA teenage girl discovers a magical world, which forces her to come to terms with her grief for her deceased mother, and her tenuous relationship with her father.
- DirectorJacques ColombatStarsJacques FrançoisRolando FariaJulien GuiomarAs of his early childhood Robinson Crusoe has wanted to become a sailor. And when he does become one bad luck has it that the vessel he sails on gets shipwrecked. Being the only survivor of the catastrophe, he manages to take refuge on a desert island where he will spend several years, learning how to survive...
- DirectorAlfredo SoderguitStarsFederica LacañoMaría MendiveCésar TroncosoA fantastical journey into the world of a ten-year-old girl who, following a playground skirmish, is given the weirdest punishment in the history of weird punishments.
- DirectorAlê AbreuStarsVinicius GarciaMarco Aurélio CamposLu HortaA little boy goes on an adventurous quest in search of his father.
- DirectorIlya MaksimovStarsMikhail ChernyakNatalya DanilovaEkaterina GorokhovskayaDobrinya Nikitich goes on a quest to save the royal niece and finds out whether his old friend Zmey Gorinich is loyal to him. During the adventures, he is accompanied by the royal messenger who's in love with the royal niece.
- DirectorMichel OcelotRaymond BurletStarsDoudou Gueye ThiawMaimouna N'DiayeAwa Sene SarrKirikou, an unusual little boy, must search the wisdom of the forbidden mountain in order to save his village from a spell cast by the evil sorceress Karaba
- DirectorMichel OcelotStarsArlette MirapeuPhilippe CheytionYves BarsacqSix old-style funny silhouetted fairy tales for not so-old-style people.
- DirectorMichel OcelotStarsJulien BéramisMarine GrisetMichel EliasTales of the Night weaves together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, to the Land of the Dead. From the imagination of internationally renowned animator Michel Ocelot.
- DirectorMichel OcelotIan McIntyreStarsCyril MouraliKarim M'RibaHiam AbbassRaised by the same woman, the dark-complexioned, Asmar, and the flaxen-haired, Azur, set out on a quest to a strange and magical land to liberate the enchanting Djinn-fairy; but, only one can save her. Will the brothers be triumphant?
- DirectorTorill KoveStarsHenrik Forsbak LangfeldtKim HaugenHallvard LydvoSeven year old Albert/Alfie has an imaginary best friend, and thinks he is old enough to get a dog. Dad doesn't agree. Will getting to know a magician help convince dad?
- DirectorStephan ScheschSarah Clara WeberStarsKatharina ThalbachUlrich TukurCorinna HarfouchThe gentle man on the moon is lonely and wants to dance and have fun with the people of Earth, but when he comes to Earth on a comet, he's mistaken for an invader and must find his way back home. Based on the beloved children's book.
- DirectorLuc VinciguerraPaulette Victor LiftonStarsJulie GayetJean-Pierre MarielleLorànt DeutschSanta doesn't want to retire, but rules are rules and he must train someone to replace him. The lucky winner, to be chosen from among millions of children, must be named Nicholas, be an orphan and have a pure heart. On the other side of the planet, there is a little boy who is a perfect match, but his lack of self-confidence and fear of heights make him a poor contestant. Will Santa agree to step down, and help his apprentice take his place?
- DirectorHélène GiraudThomas SzaboStarsDiego HancyHelsa BaneriaHolly J. BarrettSomewhere in the forest, a stranded ladybug joins forces with a squad of black ants to retrieve a tin box of delicious sugar cubes to the hive. A battalion of fierce red ants has already set their sights on the loot. Who shall prevail?
- DirectorEdmunds JansonsStarsEduards OlektsNora DzumaAndris KeissSummer adventure story about two kids who spend summer in city suburb, where together with talking dogs they rescue the romantic wooden-house neighborhood from reconstruction.
- DirectorAlina GrossYoram GrossStarsShmuel AtzmonShlomo Bar-ShavitShraga FriedmanThe story of the Biblical Joseph and his coat of many colors.
- DirectorMakoto NakamuraYoung-hoon ParkStarsGarri BardinLarisa BrokhmanJeong-ho ChoiRemake of popular soviet animation movie about Cheburashka and Crocodile Gena.