My children are in a French Immersion school, which means eighty-some-percent of the day they are taught in French. My own French is not exactly stellar. I mean I have the basic “I learned this in grade school because I am Canadian” level of French, which my kids, who are in 1st and 4th grade, are already surpassing.
Yesterday I was doing the dishes with my seven year old, Gigi, and she was excitedly telling me about watching Paw Patrol at school en francais. We were drying dishes, and she was dancing and jumping up and down with excitement as she told me about La Pat’ Patrouille. She also told me they watched Sid the Science Kid for science class today, and yes, of course, it was in French.
I told her that I was pretty sure we could watch Paw Patrol and other shows in French, right here at home, on Netflix. I had to quickly grab the plate she was drying out of her hand before she dropped it. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she gaped at me in disbelief.
Since dinner wasn’t ready yet, and we were both due for a break from dishwashing duties, I offered to see if I could find some French cartoons on Netflix right then. We settled on Sid the Science Kid. It took me a bit of fiddling to remember how to change the language on a show. Sid wasn’t available in French. Oh but wait… there was also a Sid the Science Kid Movie listed, and that one had French as an option.
Gigi, of course, insisted I watch with her. We snuggled down with my iPad mini to watch twenty minutes of the movie. My thought process was along the lines of — “Oh my goodness, they talk so fast. Do people talk that fast in English? Did he just say something about outer space? Wow, I don’t have a clue what is going on.” I couldn’t follow along quickly enough. I caught maybe one word in ten. My daughter, however, was giggling while watching it, so I have to assume she understood at least some of what was happening.
Big sister, Grace, walked in and asked what we were watching. She told me she didn’t want to join in because she couldn’t understand every word. This made me feel a little better about my own bewilderment, but it also made me pause and think… Wait a sec kiddo, you’re in 4th grade at a French Immersion school, you get decent grades, and you don’t want to watch the cartoon because you don’t understand everything they are saying? Nope, nope, nope. Not cool.
I took Grace aside and had a conversation with her about understanding things “in context”, about learning new vocabulary, and about how enjoying shows en francais was one of the ways she would get better with her understanding of French. I mean obviously, the school thinks there is some value to having kids watch French language cartoons since they show French television frequently.
And that’s why last night I made a vow that no matter how much it may confuse or bore the heck out of me, part of our streaming from now on will be in French. I even made a list of shows, ones that my kids enjoy, and that Netflix has the French language option available for.
The first thing I noticed is that Paw Patrol is only available in English. However, Magic School Bus is available in French and so is Voltron: Legendary Defenders and that new Julie Andrews show Julie’s Greenroom. In fact, I quickly noticed that all of the Netflix Exclusive shows (like Voltron, Troll Hunters, Julie’s Greenroom, A Series of Unfortunate Events, etc) are available in multiple languages. Which I guess makes sense because Netflix is probably aiming to develop content to be shared throughout their global market.
To check if a show is available in French you need to pick out an episode/movie and let it start playing. Then look for the language option icon. It looks like this:
You click on that icon and a list of available languages will pop up. It will show options for both audio and subtitles. Note, you may need to wait a few seconds to let the episode load. The language icon will be greyed out until things are loaded and ready to go.
The picture above is what it looks like on my iPad. The one just above that, where it shows Dragons Race to the Edge, is what it looks like on a desktop PC. If you’re on a different platform (say XBox or Apple TV) the layout may be a bit different, but the idea is the same, look for that icon and click on it to see your language options.
After clicking through cartoon after cartoon to see if they offered French language as an option, this is the list I came up with:
(EDIT: This list has been updated as of November 2017)
Children’s TV Shows available in French on Netflix:
- All Hail King Julien, Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4
- Animal Mechanicals, Seasons 1 and 2
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Season 1
- Beat Bugs, Seasons 1 and 2 (the Beatles tunes covers are sung English, the spoken parts are in French)
- Busytown Mysteries, Series 1
- Bo on the Go, Season 1
- Care Bears & Cousins, Seasons 1 and 2 (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Clifford’s Puppy Days, Seasons 1 and 2
- Clifford the Big Red Dog, Seasons 1 and 2
- Digimon Fusion, Seasons 1 and 2
- Dinotrux Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- Dragons: Race to the Edge, Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- Goosebumps, Season 1 (but not Seasons 2, 3 or 4)
- Julie’s Greenroom, Season 1
- Kung Fu Panda Awesome Secrets Collection, Volume 1
- Little Witch Academia, Seasons 1 and 2
- Luna Petunia, Season 1 and 2
- Magic School Bus, Season 1
- Mia and Me, Season 1 and 2
- Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Season 1 (originally in French)
- Mouk, Season 1
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 (but not seasons 1, 2 or 7)
- Octonauts, Season 1
- Paw Patrol, Seasons 1, 2 and 3
- Peg + Cat, Season 1
- Peppa the Pig, Seasons 2, 3 and 4
- Project Mc2, Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
- Pokemon: Indigo League, Season 1
- Pokemon: XY, Seasons 1 and 2
- Pokemon: XYZ, Season 1
- Power Rangers (so many different series and movies, all seem to be available in French)
- Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale
- Seven and Me, Season 1
- Super Why, Season 1
- Teen Titans Go!, Seasons 1, 2 and 3
- The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- The Adventures of Chuck and Friends, Seasons 1 and 2
- The Furchester Hotel, Seasons 1 and 2 (BBC Sesame Street spin-off)
- The Long, Long, Holiday, Season 1 (originally in French)
- The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Season 1
- The Mr Peabody and Sherman Show, Season 1, 2, 3 and 4
- The Worst Witch, Season 1
- Transformers Prime, Seasons 1, 2 and 3
- Transformers: Rescue Bots, Seasons 2 and 3 (but not 1 or 4)
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Seasons 1, 2, and 3
- Trollhunters, Season 1
- Turbo Fast, Seasons 1, 2, and 3
- Voltron: Legendary Defender, Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4
- Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production, Season 1
- Wakfu, Season 1 and 2
Family Movies and Feature Length Children’s Shows in French:
- 101 Dalmatians (live-action version, specifically says “Canadian French”)
- A Monster in Paris
- An American Tale
- Antz (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Asterix: The Mansion of the Gods (originally in French)
- Bee Movie (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Billy & Buddy (a.k.a. Boule & Bill, actually only has French audio, English subtitles available)
- Chicken Run
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- Coraline
- Disney Nature: Growing Up Wild (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Dragons: Dawn of the Dragon Racers
- Dreamworks Holiday Classics
- Dreamworks Spooky Stories
- Dreamworks Spooky Stories Volume 2
- Ernest & Celestine (originally in French)
- Happy Feet (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Hoodwinked (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Hotel Transylvania
- How to Train Your Dragon (the movie)
- How to Train Your Dragon: Legends
- Kung Fu Panda
- Kung Fu Panda: Holiday
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled!
- Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade
- Marvel’s Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Marvel Super Heros Hero Adventures: Frost Fight! (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Matilda
- Megamind (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Moana (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Monsters vs Aliens (originally in French)
- My Little Pony: Legend of Everfree
- My Little Pony: Rainbow Rocks
- Over the Hedge
- Pete’s Dragon (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Pokemon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
- Pokemon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
- Shrek
- Shrek 2
- Shrek the Third (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Shrek Forever After (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Shrek’s Swamp Stories
- Sid the Science Kid The Movie
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
- Tangled (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Tellur Aliens
- The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl
- The Aristocats (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The BFG (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Clone Wars (the animated movie, not the series) (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Jungle Book (Disney’s live-action version, specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Nut Job (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Prince of Egypt
- The Princess and the Frog (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Rescuers (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- The Road to El Dorado
- Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Never Beast (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Tron: Legacy (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
- Zootopia (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- La Belle et La Bete (specifically says “Canadian French”)
- Le Bon Dinosaur
- Raiponce (Rapunzel)
- Trouver Doris
So it turns out Paw Patrol IS available in French, but only Season 2, not Season 1 or 3. And the only reason I discovered this is because I had a very persistent first grader at my elbow, singing the Paw Patrol theme song en francais and insisting it MUST be on there. This discovery led to me going back and checking each season individually for some of her other favourite shows and we found that later seasons of My Little Pony ARE available in French. So if there’s a particular show your little one is in love with, it’s worth checking each season individually.
Here’s another trick. Finding Dory doesn’t have French audio as an option, but if you search under Trouver Doris the film is there in French (specifically says “Canadian French”). Same goes for Zootopia, Le Bon Dinosaur and Raiponce (aka Rapunzel).
I am sure there are many more French language kids’ shows streaming on Netflix, this is just a partial list, based mainly on which shows my kids, who are ages 7 and 9, enjoy watching. I am also aware that not all translations are created equal (and for the most part I wouldn’t recognise a bad French translation if it bopped me over the head). Still, encouraging my girls to consume media in French at home certainly can’t hurt, and I am hoping it will help with their vocabulary and pronunciation.
Of course, Netflix is constantly adding new shows, and removing old ones, so if you are reading this post a few weeks, or months, after I published it, the list may no longer be accurate. However, the same principles will still apply. There are tons of kids’ shows available to stream in French on Netflix, and you can find them by clicking through and checking the language options (and remember to check different seasons of the same show).
What about you folks? Which Netflix cartoons are tops in your house? Do you ever stream in French? Which is your favourite French language show for kids?
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Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam, and as such, they ask that I share my thoughts on what is streaming on Netflix. As always my words and opinions are my own. |
Wow! This was interesting to find out.I had no idea there were this many French programs for kids on Ntflix.I think it would really help the children in French immersion because many of them don’t have anyone else to converse with at home in French.
Thanks for this list! I teach Core French and once in a while, I like to show my students a movie. I love that Netflix has the option to show them in French. I usually put up the English subtitles to keep their interest.
Yessss!!!! I am a Core French 8-12 and French Immersion teacher and I *love* what you have written here! Watching these shows is an awesome way to reinforce their listening comprehension, oral pronunciation, vocabulary, and more. I would high-five you if I could, and I am sharing this post with my teacher friends & bookmarking it for future use. You rock, Mama!
-Nicole in Surrey, BC
Thanks so much for the kind words, Nicole. This comment just made my day. 😀
I like having the French subtitles on so I can verify what the characters say. It also helps with spelling new vocabulary.
That’s a great idea, Sandra! My youngest is still a beginning reader, but for the 10 year old I think this may make a huge difference. Thanks for the suggestion.
This is a fantastic list! We are trying to expose my grandson to as many languages and cultures as we can. This will work for when we are home!
THANK-YOU!!!! I didn’t realize the audio option was season dependent.
It took me a bit to figure out this one, and really it was only because I had one very determined 7 year old nagging me to check Paw Patrol just one more time… pleeeeeese.
Hello,
You did a reallybgood work. We’re a French family living in Alberta and we never had the patience to do a list of what is in French and what is not,
We fond out sometime description is in Frech, but not the movie. Sometime, the descritpion is only in English and French language is an option.
As for la Pat’patrouille, we do have the 3 seasons available in French, so I find it weird that you only have the second season in French.
When I was younger and I wanted to learn English, a teatcher once tell me the best way to learn is to watch tv in English and at the end of the show, to write about the show and what I understand from it. Probably a good way for you as well in French!
Merci pour la liste!
Pat
Hi, Pat. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I took a look and you’re right, Pat’patrouille IS available in French for all three seasons. When I wrote the original list back in March it wasn’t. Netflix changes up their content pretty much weekly. In the past, I’ve noticed seasons of shows coming and going, and I guess the French language option comes and goes as well. My guess is that when they relicense the content they sometimes license a different version that has, or doesn’t have, French. I’m working on a revised version of this list right now, and it’s surprising how much has changed in such a short period of time.
This is great for kids in French immersion. What great programing.
This is a helpful list! I’ve never streamed in french but I think I would definitely utilize this feature to help my kiddo with his french!
My 3 year old loves “Word party!” en français. Slow speaking and multiple explanations for new vocabulary are great for pre K learners.
Too bad they do not have the classics, asterix, lucky luke in French
I agree, Larry. It would be great if they had Asterix and Lucky Luke.
Thank you for this post. Not only the list, but for your very funny comments! I was laughing thinking I could’ve wrote this! Haha, thanks again and yes I’m trying to watch as much as I can on Netflix in French! The more the better 🙂
Hello,
Good on you for taking the time to prepare this list.
My children go to a French school and really started to dive into the shows in French from Netflix only recently.
The school actually made me aware of the fact that you can create a profile in French on Netflix. I did it and we now have the “kids” profile and the “enfants” one.
So my children are aware that when they want to watch a show, they have to check first if it is available in French.
Only trick is that even under the French profile sometimes you still have to manually go select French under audio (Netflix should fix this).
Thanks again for your list.
I had no clue that you could set up a French profile. Brilliant! Thanks so much for this info. I’m going to set a separate account up for my girls tomorrow. And I may come back and edit this post to share the info with others.
Thank you for such an informative list! We linked this article in our blog post “The Ultimate List of French Learning Resources” and our readers found it helpful! 🙂