13 ‘Art Films’ Your Kids Will Actually Like

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What’s a film-loving parent got to do to inspire in their kid a genuine love of quality cinema? I’m talking arthouse classics, foreign films, movies that don’t come with a franchise attached, etc.

Having no kids of my own: I have no idea, but the answer very frequently seems to be “give up.” You’ll never make them love what you want them to love; trying to force it can push them further away. Often, kids need to discover their own taste.

Still, my experience in education tells me that if you can’t force kids to appreciate the finer things in like, you can steer them in the right direction, as long as you do it with subtlety, and with the sure and certain knowledge that the seeds you are planting might not bear fruit for years. A good way to start is by showing them “artsy” movies that they might actually like.

I’d never argue that every kid will like all (or any) of the films you’ll find below—many of them involve reading subtitles, for one thing, which might be a dealbreaker; others will push their attention spans to the breaking point. But they’re all family-friendly and at least theoretically entertaining for kids open to watching something other than the latest Pixar offering (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

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Playtime (1967)

Jacques Tati directs and stars in the third, and arguably most beloved of four films starring his bumbling creation, Monsieur Hulot. Here, he moves in and out of a series of incredibly elaborate set pieces in a hyper-modern Paris (as conceived in 1967), full of distractions and frustrations that are deeply silly, while also serving as pointed and still-relevant bits of satire. The harmless Hulot is hard not to love, and his adventures through a world that’s a bit too loud, a bit too confusing, and that doesn’t always seem to notice him until he breaks some rule that he didn’t even know about are going to be at least as relatable to kids as they are to adults. You can stream Playtime on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

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Dreams (1990)

Baby’s first Akira Kurosawa? One of the great Japanese director’s final films, Dreams (as its title might imply) isn’t a singular narrative but is made up of a series of eight vignettes, all of them finding a character very like the director himself traveling through different dream worlds. Alternately poignant, moving, funny, and scary, segments feature foxes who must be appeased (don’t spy on a fox wedding if you don’t want trouble), living dolls, a vengeful spirit, and a Van Gogh painting come to life. You can rent Dreams from Prime Video.

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The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005)

A sweet and gentle fable from Mongolia follows Nansal, who is coming home from boarding school to her family of livestock farmers. She happens across a pup she dubs Zochor (meaning “Spot”) in a cave, and decides to bring the cute dog home to her family’s yurt. For all sorts of practical reasons, her father is entirely opposed to the idea of keeping him—naturally, Nansal is reluctant to relent. It’s not just the story of a mean dad who won’t let his kid have a pup, as Nansal’s father’s concerns are well-founded. Nor is it the story of a kid learning to live without. Girl and dog both have lessons to learn before it’s over, and the results are very satisfying. You can stream The Cave of the Yellow Dog on Tubi and on Kino Lorber’s YouTube channel.

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The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

Another anthology film, one perhaps well-suited to kids who might struggle with a longer narrative, this one comes from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the British directing team behind some of the most stunningly lush films ever made (I might recommend kids hold off on more sensual films like The Red Shoes or Black Narcissus until they’re a bit older). Based on the stories of German author E. T. A. Hoffmann (whose work is also the basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker), this film using Hoffman telling stories of his lost loves in a tavern as a framing device. Among those loves are an automaton, a reflection-stealing courtesan, and a soprano forced to sing against her will. With elements of dance and opera throughout, it’s an introduction to not just classic cinema but multiple worlds of art at once. You can stream The Tales of Hoffmann on Plex.

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Good Morning (1959)

Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu was best known for his dramas, including Tokyo Story, often cited (fairly) as one of the greatest films ever made. Good Morning doesn’t have quite that kind of reputation, but it’s a delightful late-career comedy from the director satirizing suburban life in Japan of the 1950s. There are a few subplots of note, but at its heart are a group of young students who spend pretty much the entire movie trying to convince their parents to buy a television set. Who can’t relate? (Well, OK, maybe not a TV, but every kid wants something that their parents don’t want to shell out for.) You can stream Good Morning on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video.

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The Red Balloon (1956)

At just over 30 minutes, Albert Lamorisse’s story of a kid chasing the titular balloon is delightful, even for younger children. The director’s son plays Pascal, a young boy who meets a giant helium balloon on his way to school, making friends with is as you might bond with a precocious puppy. And, like a puppy, the balloon is loyal but doesn’t always do what it ought, getting Pascal into trouble and inviting jealousy among some of the local bullies. A bit of drama at the climax gives way to a beautifully uplifting finale. You can stream The Red Balloon on Max and The Criterion Channel, or rent it from Prime Video.

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Whale Rider (2002)

Thirteen-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes became, for a time, the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscar history for her leading role here—certainly an inspiring bit of trivia to share with your kids, at least if they care even a tiny bit about the Academy Awards. The movie tells the story of Paikea Apirana, a descendent of her people’s traditional Whale Rider, and therefore in line to lead the tribe, if only she weren’t a girl. Reasonably respectful and accurate with regard to modern Māori life and traditions (or so I’m told), it’s ultimately an uplifting movie that honors Pai’s desire to buck tradition to claim what she believes is her right while not villainizing those who struggle to break from the past. Consider it once the kiddos have graduated from watching Moana. You can stream Whale Rider on Tubi and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

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Ernest & Celestine (2012)

Except that it’s in French, this one might be less of a tough sell for kids, in that it’s a cute cartoon about a bear and a mouse who become friends in the wake of a candy heist gone wrong. It’s beautifully animated and wonderfully idiosyncratic: bears and mice are separated by prejudice and fear in the movie’s world, and mice will typically study for their careers in dentistry by collecting discarded cub teeth. Sure. It got a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars in its year, and might have won were it not for Frozen. You can stream Ernest & Celestine on Tubi.

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Wallay (2017)

Thirteen-year-old Ady (Makan Nathan Diarra) is getting to be a handful for his single dad living in the south of France, so he’s sent to spend time with his uncle Amadou in a small village Burkina Faso for the summer. Ady figures he’s just there for a quick vacation, but his uncle and father have something much longer-term in mind. Though it’s relatively light in tone, this is a smart take on clashing cultures and the push-and-pull of tradition and modernity. Neither Ady nor his uncle Amadou have any intention of giving up, with the issue of traditional coming-of-age circumcision being, probably not surprisingly, the biggest of many sticking points. You can rent Wallay from Prime Video.

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The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

Jacques Demy’s earlier musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is gorgeous and fun, but full of romantic ennui that kids might not respond to. The Young Girls of Rochefort, on the other hand, is a candy-colored confection that’s a bit more uplifting. A dance instructor and a music teacher—twins Delphine and Solange (real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac)—live in a small town but long for a taste of big-city life. When the fair comes to town, they get a taste of movie star glamour and a chance to escape into a larger world. Kids can relate, I’m sure. You can stream The Young Girls of Rochefort on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

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Petite Maman (2021)

A bit heavier in its themes than some of these others, Petite Maman (“Little Mother”) is nonetheless a perfectly crafted childhood fantasia, using the death of a beloved grandmother as a jumping-off point for exploring grief, but also family relationships and the persistence of love. A trip to clean out her late grandma’s home puts a strain on the relationship between eight-year-old Nelly and her mother Marion, but there’s something more intriguing going on: Nelly meets a girl in the woods who, she comes to realize, has an awful lot in common with her mother when she was young. Through a series of adventures, she comes to understand her mother better, and also to give her grandmother the goodbye she hadn’t been able to while she still lived. You can stream Petite Maman on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

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White Mane (1953)

It’s short (47 minutes), and it’s got horses. For a certain type of kid (and a certain type of adult), that’s going to be a winning formula. Albert Lamorisse (whom you’ll recall from The Red Balloon) directs this story of a boy from the marshes of coastal France who makes a deal with some local ranchers: he can have the beautiful, all but untameable white stallion of the title, if only he can catch him. Turns out that young Folco can’t be tamed, either, and he and the horse wind up as kindred spirits. You can stream White Mane on The Criterion Channel.

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Breakfast with Scot (2007)

An American, English-speaking kid could dip their toes into foreign film with a quick trip to Canada in Breakfast with Scot, a cute, funny family movie about love and acceptance. Sportscaster Eric (Tom Cavanagh) is living a closeted, but generally contented, life with his partner Sam when the two are called upon to take in Sam’s brother’s stepson Scot (Noah Bernett). The kid immediately challenges the couple with his strictly non-traditional style of dress and hobbies that challenge typical gender roles. As Scot threatens Eric and Sam’s desires to remain closeted, they attempt to steer him toward more stereotypically boyish ways of acting and dressing, before they realize the harm they’re causing by not allowing Scot to be himself. You can stream Breakfast with Scot on Tubi and Here TV or rent it on Prime Video.