Foreign films with English audio for kids -- what exists?

December 9, 2009 9:43 AM

I'd like some movie recommendations for foreign children's films which have a good English dub.

I'm looking for dramas or comedies, suitable for children, which show more of a world cultural view than the typical stuff that comes out of Hollywood. The catch is it needs to be dubbed in English and shouldn't be one of those stereotypical bad quality dubs. Anything up to a PG-13 type of film is ok. I tried looking around on Netflix but it doesn't let you search by language; foreign films there are just kind of lumped together.

posted by crapmatic to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

The Studio Ghibli put out by Disney - Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, etc. The dubs are professional full movie productions done over the japanese originals often by major Hollywood talent.
posted by GuyZero at 9:48 AM on December 9, 2009

nthing Studio Ghibli.

The one that I can think of that's heavy on cultural view is Spirited Away.
posted by royalsong at 9:51 AM on December 9, 2009

Everything by Miyazaki -- Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, etc.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:04 AM on December 9, 2009

Yep, another recommendation for Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli -- those are some of my favorite films of all time. :) Nausicaa.net has been replaced by a wiki, but it's still the best English online guide to Miyazaki's work and that of the other directors at Studio Ghibli.

But I would also suggest that you check out the wealth of children's television and films from Britain and other English-speaking countries. Yes, it's the same language as American programs, but they are decidedly not Hollywood, and often show a very different cultural sensibility -- even different from Harry Potter (for one, the sun just seems to shine less often in British productions). When I was a child, I was fascinated by the British series Chocky, based off of the Wyndham novel. Here's a bit on youtube -- I should see if there is more. A little later, I adored the Australian series The Girl from Tomorrow, which was a complex children's series about a girl from 1000 years in the future coming to contemporary Australia - the first episode is online here.
posted by jb at 10:31 AM on December 9, 2009

But I would also suggest that you check out the wealth of children's television and films from Britain and other English-speaking countries.

Great idea.

And it reminded me of Pingu, which doesn't need to be dubbed, because it's in a gibberish language, but very good for young children.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:33 AM on December 9, 2009

For some reason I thought I read the word animated but on retrospect, yeah, there's a lot of good Canadian kid's TV. Netflix has all 88-bajillion episodes of "Pit Pony" which is a pleasant a family drama as you've ever seen. They also have all the Sullivan Entertainment TV episodes of "Anne of Green Gables" which may tend to saccharine or maudlin but is generally also pretty good.
posted by GuyZero at 10:38 AM on December 9, 2009

Ponyo! The girlfriend and I loved it.
posted by BeaverTerror at 11:00 AM on December 9, 2009

Animated:
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Live action:
The Gods Must Be Crazy and The Gods Must Be Crazy II (English speaking, but made in South Africa)
posted by fings at 11:26 AM on December 9, 2009

I'd argue against anything before Princess Mononoke, actually. In that film, the script was essentially re-written by Neil Gaiman, and there was a great cast to go with it, which has been the model since then. Movies before that have some pretty awful dubbing, compared to subtitling, including discrepancies that kids will likely notice later in life. In Tonari no Totoro, the Neko-bus doesn't talk. In the dubbed version, it does, in a hideous shrill voice. Also, there are points where dialogue is added to explain the movie, even though no characters are talking. Pom-poko does as well, and it really distracts from the film.

And you probably should wait until you're an adult to watch Graveyard of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka). It traumatizes people.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:52 PM on December 9, 2009

Studio Ghibli all the way. My daughter has loved those films since she was very tiny, and we watch them both in Japanese and English. Ghidorah has a point about the unnecessary dialogue in some of the dubs.

Also, Wallace and Gromit. They're in English, of course, but clearly not American.
posted by chihiro at 3:25 PM on December 9, 2009

I had always interpreted the Cat-bus's "dialogue" as a voice-over/narration rather than it speaking since the text on the sign in in Japanese which is somewhat important to understand.
posted by GuyZero at 3:28 PM on December 9, 2009

It might not apply, but a seven year old I know likes subtitles so that he can practice reading. So like, even if the speech is in some other language, he's happy: he loves the subtitles.
posted by rokusan at 5:07 PM on December 9, 2009