Child-Friendly Italian Movies to Watch with the Whole Family

Watching movies, cartoons and TV shows in Italian can be a great way to expose yourself to the language, improve your conversational grammar and catch on to colloquialisms that grammar books wouldn’t teach you. 

Check the age rating and content notes for the exact version you choose. These are suggestions for shared viewing, not a guarantee of suitability for every age. A short scene can be enough for language practice.

We’ve rounded up cool family movies for everyone, including classics, cartoons and kids’ movies from the ‘90s. Grab a hefty bowl of popcorn, then, and start watching!

Italian dubbed movies

Before diving straight into native Italian films, watching the Italian dubbed version of movies that you are already familiar with in English can be a very, very good idea. 

Italy has a strong tradition in film dubbing. Dubbing involves translated dialogue and a new vocal performance. It can help learners follow familiar stories in Italian, though the adaptation and subtitles may differ from one another. Italian dubbing developed before the Second World War: an Italian dubbing studio opened in 1932. It became an established part of film and television distribution, although original-language and subtitled versions also exist. Treccani outlines its history. 

At least in the beginning, watching a movie you love with Italian dubbing is the way to go. From Home Alone (Mamma, ho perso l’aereo), The Goonies (I Goonies), The Neverending Story (La storia infinita), Mary Poppins and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (E.T. l’extra-terrestre) to Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Karate Kid (Per vincere domani – The Karate Kid), Casper and The Sound of Music (Tutti insieme appassionatamente), look for a licensed edition with an Italian audio track. Streaming catalogues, rental services and language options vary by country and title; check the particular edition before paying or planning a viewing. 

The classic Disney princess movies like Sleeping Beauty (La bella addormentata nel bosco), The Little Mermaid (La sirenetta), Snow White (Biancaneve e i sette nani), Beauty and the Beast (La bella e la bestia) and Cinderella (Cenerentola) have Italian-language editions. Check the audio menu and the edition’s age guidance; a familiar title does not guarantee that every scene suits every child. 

Child-friendly Italian movies and cartoons

Here is a selection of Italian family movies, comedies and cartoons to consider for family viewing. Choose according to your child’s age and sensitivities: some include death, threatening characters or frightening situations. The cartoons below are series, rather than feature films.

Pinocchio (Roberto Benigni, 2002)

Image Credits: Everett Collection

Pinocchio is a comedy-drama movie directed by and starring Tuscan actor and screenwriter Roberto Benigni. It is a remake of the classic children’s tale The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi.

Roberto Benigni plays Pinocchio, a little wooden puppet who desperately wants to become a real boy. Despite the guidance of the beautiful Fata Turchina (The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, played by Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni’s real-life wife) and the love from his “babbo” (dad), the naïvely willful marionette’s curiosity leads him to get into trouble over and over again.

La Gabbianella e il Gatto

Image Credits: Teleclubitalia.it

La gabbianella e il gatto, which can be literally translated as The little female seagull and the cat, is a famous animation movie directed by Italian animator and director Enzo D’Alò. It came out in 1998 and is based on a story by the popular Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, who died in 2020.

It tells the story of a dying seagull named Kengah, who entrusts her egg to a black cat named Zorba (voice of Carlo Verdone). The cat promises that he will protect the egg, take care of it until it hatches and teach the baby seagull to fly once she’s born.

La Freccia Azzurra

Image Credits: Greenme.it

Based on a children’s story by Italian writer Gianni Rodari, La freccia azzurra (literally, the blue arrow) is a delightful animated film directed, again, by Naples-bred Enzo D’Alò. It came out in 1996 and was later imported to the USA and released under the title How the Toys Saved Christmas.

It tells the story of a group of toys, who band together and take matters into their own hands when Befana (voice of Lella Costa) falls ill and turns her toy delivery duties over to Scarafoni (voice of Nobel Prize-winning Italian playwright and actor Dario Fo). When the toys discover Scarafoni’s plans to auction them off to the highest bidder, they decide to reach their intended homes on their own.

Momo alla Conquista del Tempo

Image Credits: Movieforkids.bestmovie.it

Directed by Enzo D’Alò, Momo alla conquista del tempo (2001) is an animated adaptation of Michael Ende’s novel Momo. Its music is by Gianna Nannini. The title can be glossed as “Momo and the conquest of time”.

It tells the story of a little orphan girl named Momo, who wants to save the world from the evil clutches of the Grey Men. Led by Chief Grey Man (voice of Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini), the Grey Men are stealing people’s leisure time.

Opopomoz

Image Credits: Notizie.yahoo

Opopomoz is a bizarre and unusual Christmas story directed, again, by Enzo D’Alò. As you might have guessed, he is one of the most acclaimed Italian animation directors. 

Set in Naples on Christmas Eve, Opopomoz came out in 2003 and starts in the underworld, where Satan is planning to prevent the birth of Jesus and destroy Christmas. He sends three little devils called Astarotte, Farfaricchio and Scarapino to Naples to convince a human being to say the magic word “Opopomoz” and stop Mary and Joseph from arriving in Bethlehem. They choose a little child called Rocco, who is jealous about the imminent birth of his little brother Franceschiello.

Lupo Alberto 

Image Credits: Theanimationband.com

Lupo Alberto (Alberto the Wolf in English) is a well-known Italian comic book series created in the 70s by the talented comic book artist Guido Silvestri, known by his pen name Silver. Based on the homonymous comic book, Lupo Alberto is an animated series aired in Italy in the late 90s. 

It centers around a witty and sarcastic blue wolf named Alberto, who lives in the woods near the McKenzie farm. He has a relationship with an eccentric hen named Marta, but Mosè, a bully guard dog, is constantly trying to mess things up. Many other funny characters live in the McKenzie farm, including Marta’s cousin Odoardo, Enrico, a goofy mole, and his wife Cesira, a family of blue rabbits, a pig called Alcide and a bad-tempered bull named Krug.

Use Lupo Alberto’s official channel or an authorized release, and check the episode’s humour and themes before choosing it for a younger child.

Pimpa

Image Credits: Doppiozero.com

Created by Francesco Tullio Altan, Pimpa is a red-spotted talking dog whose stories began as a comic. Pimpa also appears in animated television series from different periods, with different production credits. RaiPlay’s current collection credits Altan as director. Visit Pimpa’s official site or RaiPlay’s collection for publisher-authorized viewing options.

Pimpa’s short adventures provide everyday vocabulary with visual support. Watch a manageable episode and ask a simple question such as Che cosa fa la Pimpa? — “What is Pimpa doing?” Availability may depend on location.

With these Italian family movies and cartoons, you will be able to keep yourself entertained while learning at the same time. Grab some popcorn, then, and immerse yourself in the language right from your living room.