During the pandemic, my husband Dan and I homeschooled our kids. Just before the world came to screeching halt, I suggested that they give me some ideas for things they might like to study. My younger one, then five, told me he wanted to study Egypt and mummies; my older one said France—by which he really meant French language, food, and culture. I hadn’t lived in France in many many years by then, much less dusted off my ancient French.
Over the next few weeks I took out books about everything related to Egypt and France from our local library. I stockpiled those for the virus Armageddon, which arrived one gray, freezing-rain March day. I also found TV shows and movies about both of these places to accommodate both of my children. What I didn’t know was that these books, movies, and shows were going to change our lives.
That deep dive into French culture and language ignited a new passion for our family. Now, our family visits France once a year, where I’ve rekindled old friendships and we’ve all made new ones. Both of my kids speak French, and my older son is so far ahead in his high school French program that next year he will need to take language lessons at a nearby college. Last summer, I wrote my first piece for The New York Times about French hardware stores, called quincailleries, and my newest novel, The Gulf of Lions, takes place entirely in France. France has come to feel like a new family member, one that we were only able to connect with because of all those books and, especially, all those French movies and TV shows that we watched together, taking in the language and culture as if by osmosis.
Today, I want to share some of the French TV shows and movies that my kids loved and still talk about. Think of this as your first French passport stamp–and you don’t even need to pay for plane tickets!
French Films & Shows for Pre-k to 7-year-old Kids
This is a wonderful age to start introducing a foreign language. My younger son started with French at five. Now when we visit France, he orders food for the entire table in restaurants, does all his shopping at the local bandes desinées store and tabac store himself, and generally just loves to communicate in French.
Trotro
One series that my then-five-year-old enjoyed in heavy rotation back in the good ol’ days of 2020 was Trotro, a charming show about a little donkey who goes on all kinds of adventures, with a few mishaps.
Watch Trotro on Youtube and AppleTV
Simon
Simon, another favorite, is described as an “anthropomorphic rabbit” who goes on adventures with his family and cat. It’s funny, sweet, and easy to understand. It’s also based on a comic book series which you could introduce as well.
Watch Simon on Youtube
Les Sisters
Les Sisters is about two sisters who, in the words of my now 11-year-old son, “are always disagreeing about things and it’s really funny.”
Watch Les Sisters on Dailymotion
Petit Nicolas
Petit Nicolas (English title: Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be) is an absolutely wonderful movie for any age about the comic creator Jean-Jacques Sempé, who is best known in the U.S. for his covers for The New Yorker, and also for his long-running comic strip about “Little Nicholas,” which was later made into several books. The movie is also about Sempé’s friendship with collaborator and Asterix creator René Goscinny. Here is a review I wrote of the film two years ago when I watched it with my then eight-year-old. He still remembers it fondly.
Ernest & Celestine
Ernest & Celestine is an Oscar-nominated movie about the unlikely friendship between a bear and a mouse, based on the beautiful series of the books of the same title by Gabrielle Vincent. You can rent the 2012 movie in French on Apple TV, as well as the 2022 sequel, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia. There is also a 2017 TV show based on the books called Ernest and Celestine: The Collection.
Watch Ernest & Celestine on Apple TV
French Films and TV Shows for Kids Aged 9-11
Ages nine to eleven are the sweet spot, in my opinion. This is when you can read kids The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Harry Potter and Watership Down and they will still, eventually, go to sleep. It’s also when kids like silly humor. Sometimes, they might still need a parent nearby.
Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight
The Netflix show Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight, is based on the famous and beloved comics created by the writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. The series debuted as a comic in 1959 in the French magazine Pilote, and went on to be translated into every language in the world. The comics follow a small village of crafty Gauls resisting Roman invasion in 50 BC. Part satire, part history-lesson, part absurdist tale of adventure, these shows are a hit with kids who like humor and over-the-top silliness and chaos. If you really get into this material, Netflix also has a movie, in the original French, called Asterix & Obelisk: The Middle Kingdom.
Watch Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight on Netflix
Les Aventures de Tintin
Les Aventures de Tintin, the world-famous and much loved Belgian cartoon about a boy and his dog who get in all kinds of scrapes together, was created in 1929 by Georges Remi, who went by the pen name of Hergé. The three-season animated TV show by the same name was later introduced in the 90s. (A word of caution: a lot of Tintin is very dated, even racist or sexist, so be prepared to help your kids put some of the material in context.)
Watch Les Aventures de Tintin on Dailymotion
The Long Holiday
The Long Holiday is a beautifully animated series about a brother and sister who are sent to spend their summer holidays with their grandparents in the summer of 1939. Then the Nazi occupation of France grips the country. Skew this older for sensitive children.
Watch The Long Holiday on TV5Monde
Belle and Sebastian
The 2013 movie Belle and Sebastian tells the story of an isolated and lonely boy who makes friends with a patou dog in the French Alps. Set in a small town that is instrumental in the French Resistance, this visually stunning film also provides an important history lesson. The original film, which was based on a 1965 French TV show of the same name, has two sequels. There was also a 2022 remake of the show, called Belle and Sebastian: Next Generation, but this might be more suitable for children of 11-13. (Note that if you stream Belle et Sébastien on Amazon Prime, you will need to adjust your language settings, as it will default to the English dubbed version.)
Watch Belle et Sébastien on Amazon Prime with Cineverse
Little Amélie or the Character of the Rain
Little Amélie or the Character of the Rain is a beautiful and haunting animated movie about love, death, loss, and the attachments young children form. Specifically, it’s the story of a Belgian family living in Japan just after the Second World War, and tells the story of the youngest child’s deep attachment to their Japanese domestic helper. This is a movie I watched with my sensitive and prone-to-anxiety 11-year-old and felt it was just about right for him, so I think it might be a bit unsettling for younger children. (It also made Frenchly’s best French films of 2025 list.)
Watch Little Amelie or the Character of the Rain on Amazon Prime
French Films and TV Shows for Pre-Teens
Word to the wise: 12-14, in my experience, is a funny age. Some kids are still very sensitive, others ready for more. I am personally an advocate for watching teenage-y things they might like… with appropriate supervision.
Lupin
Lupin is one of the best series Netflix has ever made, in any language, hands down. It’s a creative take on the classic French book series, The Adventures of Arsène Lupin, by Maurice Leblanc. The show is based on LeBlanc’s concept of a “gentleman burglar” who could outwit even Sherlock Holmes. However, the show is set in the current day and features Omar Sy as a charismatic, smart, bad-boy-for-the-greater-good who is inspired by Lupin’s fictional exploits. You can read some of our early coverage of the show here.
Watch Lupin on Netflix
My Life as a Zucchini
My Life as a Zucchini, the 2016 Oscar-nominated Swiss-French stopmotion film, is simply exquisite. Told using a beautiful and incredibly detailed set and claymation characters, this is a story about a boy being raised by his abusive, alcoholic mother after the disappearance of his father. Eventually, the boy ends up in an orphanage, where he feels safe for the first time in his life. This is a story of friendship, hard journeys, the vulnerability of children, and—above all—of love. It’s got a few heavy subjects and some explicit language, so be forewarned.
Watch My Life as a Zucchini on Amazon Prime
French Films and TV Shows for Teenagers
Some people might argue that kids aged 14-17 can just watch whatever adults watch. I do not agree. I have included one “adult” movie below, though, for more precocious kids or those who are comfortable watching older material with their parents.
Voltaire High
Voltaire High, or Mixte, is a 2021 series about the 1963 decision by Voltaire High to admit girls to their all-male classes, the very beginning of coeducation in France. This show is funny, irreverent, beautifully acted, and just all-around stellar.
Watch Voltaire High on Amazon Prime
Au Revoir les Enfants
This 1987 Oscar-nominated movie Au Revoir les Enfants was made by legendary French director, Louis Malle, and follows a friendship as it develops between two boys during the winter of 1943-44 at a French Catholic boys’ boarding school. One of the boys is Jewish and is being hidden from the Nazis by the headmaster of the school. Have Kleenex handy. You will never forget this movie.
Watch Au Revoir les Enfants on HBO Max
Represent
Represent (titled En Place in French) is a hilarious Netflix series about a youth leader living in a housing project who accidentally ends up running for president after being the subject of a viral video. Written and starring a celebrated French rapper, Jean-Pascal Zadi, this show was co-written by the creator of Lupin, and this finesse shows. Hilarious and fun, borrowing from American political fiascos as well as the more home grown varieties, it’s a blast to watch. Your teen will be making lots of history and current events comparisons.
Watch Represent on Netflix
Amélie
A multiple-award-winning 2001 film which stole hearts across the globe, Amélie is the story about a young woman working as a waitress in Montmartre. A romantic, Amélie decides to enact a complex scheme to positively influence the lives of those around her. This movie will appeal to any teen who has ever felt isolated, and any person who has ever noticed how good doing something kind for someone else feels.
Watch Amélie on Amazon Prime
The Climb
The Climb is about a young Senegalese man who decides to climb Mt. Everest to impress a young woman he’s sweet on. Funny, moving, sometimes nail-biting, this is the kind of movie teens relate to: the not terrifically well-thought-out things we can do when we fall in love, and the journey along the way.
Watch The Climb on Netflix
Lost Illusions
The 2022 film Lost Illusions, starring the incredibly versatile Benjamin Voisin, is an adaptation of the celebrated Honoré de Balzac novel of the same name. This show is for an older teen—Amazon Prime has it rated at 18 plus. There is quite a bit of sex and intrigue in it, to be truthful. But the story itself is about a young poet who leaves a small town and moves to Paris, only to lose his moral center and give up his ideals while he chases money, fame, and women. It is so beautifully done that an older kid might really find it thought provoking and an important cautionary tale. Here’s Frenchly’s 2022 review.
Watch Lost Illusions on Apple TV
Chef’s Table France
If your teen likes food and personal stories, Chef’s Table France is a sure hit. It’s about four French chefs who share their personal journeys, struggles and philosophies, and the limited series explores the evolution of fine dining throughout the early 2000s.
Watch Chef’s Table France on Netflix
For more ideas and insights one you burn through these ideas, check out the “Kids” section on France Channel.
Caitlin Shetterly’s new novel, The Gulf of Lions, is set in France and will be published in May of 2026.
