10 Korean Dubbed Movies You Can Watch Now

I grew up on movies dubbed in Korean. Disney movies, Japanese anime, Chinese dramas, ’80s English flicks—whatever I could get from the local Korean video store.

Now it’s a breeze to find and watch Korean movie dubs of well-known stories from the comfort of your home. Here are just a few options that you can use to boost your Korean vocabulary and listening skills.

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1. “Matilda” (마틸다)

Based on the classic by author Roald Dahl, this is the story of a precocious young girl who faces plenty of unfortunate situations, but still manages to get by with wit, determination, and a little dash of magic.

Now, if you’re like me, you grew up on Danny DeVito’s 1996 adaptation of the book. I don’t think anything can top that one yet, but this newer musical remake is very charming and delightful.

Because of the colorful cast, you’ll hear a whole range of Korean—from the informal, slightly unhinged language of the Wormwood family, to the measured and patient words of Miss Honey, to the terrifying diction of the aggressive Miss Trunchbull. Plus, the usage of songs can make the Korean you hear all the easier to learn and memorize.

2. “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” (스크루지: 크리스마스 캐럴)

You’ve heard this story and its lesson a hundred times. But surely, you can hear it once (or thrice) more!

The hallmark Christmas piece of fiction features Scrooge, the representative holiday grump. His lack of empathy makes him receive some ghostly intervention. By the end, Scrooge learns to not only appreciate the snowy festivities, but also the value of his fellow man.

Of course, much of the vocabulary in this movie revolves around Christmas, but it also includes a lot of other more everyday words. I’d say the language leans more on the formal side, but since Scrooge is around, you get to hear the Korean in its snappier, ruder forms—or, as I like to call it: cranky old man Korean. The energetic music will also help to make your Korean lessons one of rhythm and cheer.

3. “Nimona” (니모나)

Tired of the “beloved knight in shining armor with his reliable companion” trope? Then, why not a story of a heavily misunderstood knight who’s stuck with a sidekick he never asked for? This film is based on a popular graphic novel written by ND Stevenson, which you may have read before. 

“Nimona” takes place in a medieval-futuristic world that harbors a strong fear of monsters. Ballister, a knight who’s wrongly accused of a crime, goes on the run. His escape is aided by Nimona, a strange shape-shifting girl with a taste for mischief. But is she as monstrous as she seems?

I watched this film pretty recently and thought it was the right combo of fun, refreshing and hilarious. The Korean dub doesn’t match the rambunctious English-language humor one-to-one, but it does a good job at making the jokes a tad more culturally-fitting. Be prepared to hear a lot of Korean exclamations and interjections. Also, fair warning: some of the Korean used is rather fast-paced and staccato-like, making it great for listening practice too!

4. “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (닌자 거북이: 에볼루션)

Do you know any other crime-fighting turtles who also happen to be in their teens? Of course not.

In this film, our favorite reptilian quartet are visited by someone from the future. They receive a warning about the approach of a powerful, malicious alien force fated to overtake the world. The turtles won’t stand for such a tragic outcome.

Fitting the four’s relationship, the Korean dub has a lot of dialogue that would be expected amongst siblings. I’d call it Korean “bro talk,” which isn’t quite as casual as in English. There are also a handful of modern slang expressions that you’ll have no problem picking up quickly.

5. “White Fang” (늑대개 화이트팽)

The book “White Fang,” written by Jack London, has had many film adaptations. This 2018 animation follows roughly the same story beats, so if you’ve read the novel, you can predict how the plot goes.

If you’re not familiar, the story follows the journey of a wolf-dog known as White Fang. Born in the wilds of Yukon territory, he encounters a variety of humans that all attempt to tame him in some manner.

Despite the fact that the protagonist is a literal canine, the script itself is actually quite rich. If anything, it may help that the titular White Fang is a silent character, so you can try to get an idea of what a human is saying to him based on his reactions. That being said, expect to hear vocabulary revolving around dogs and nature.

6. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (기예르모 델 토로의 피노키오)

We all love the tale of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy. Now let’s mix it up with the whims of acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro.

The core of the story is the same: a lonely woodcarver named Geppetto crafts some wood into a marionette, which he names Pinocchio. After numerous adventures and the guidance of a wise insect, the disobedient Pinocchio learns some cold hard truths about the world and gradually acquires a conscience.

As a fan of del Toro’s unique taste of unsettling, dark fantasy, I found this film to be an intriguing watch. With Pinocchio’s childlike personality, you’ll hear plenty of questions and simple phrases in Korean. You’ll also get plenty of exposure to the Korean honorifics system.

7. “Primates of the Caribbean” (해양경찰 마르코)

I’ll tell you immediately: this is not a monkey-fied version of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie featuring Johnny Depp. But it’s still a fun ride!

This 2012 animated feature follows the adventures of monkey Marco Macaco, a beach officer yearning for the beautiful Lulu. Unfortunately, his beloved only has eyes for Carlo, Marco’s rival, who decides to build a monkey-shaped casino right on Marco’s beach. Skeptical of Carlo’s intentions, Marco discovers his enemy’s plans to marry Lulu and destroy his beach.

This lovely cartoon will help you acquire lots of idiomatic expressions along with plenty of jokes and witty punchlines. Dialogues are sharp and effective, filled with lots of useful verbs and sentence connectors.

8. “Stand By Me Doraemon” (도라에몽: 스탠바이미)

You’re bound to know “Doraemon” as one of the most famous Japanese cartoon characters of all time. Back when I was in elementary school, I myself used to borrow VHS tapes of “Doraemon” episodes dubbed in Korean.

Doraemon is a friendly robot cat who was sent back in time by a young boy to help his great-great grandfather Nobita so that his descendants may enjoy a better future. This lovely 2014 film is a condensed version of some pivotal series moments.

You’ll get to review animal and gadget vocabulary along with plenty of adjectives and adverbs to tell very vivid, detailed descriptions. All the Korean used is also very kid-friendly, making it perfect for beginners.

9. “The Snow Queen” (눈의여왕)

Based on a Russian film and a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this poignant animated movie tells the story of a brave girl searching for a kidnapped friend in an evil queen’s icy palace in the far north. With the help of animals and the narrator, Old Dreamy, she must find the boy before it’s too late.

This is a very interesting movie, and with the Korean dub, you can practice reported speech along with exclamations. You’ll also pick up lots of action verbs and advanced grammar structures along the way.

10. “The Monkey King” (원숭이 왕)

I can bet you’ve at least heard of the story of Sun Wukong, the beloved monkey deity featured in the ancient Chinese epic “Journey to the West.” But I assure you that the story and character isn’t just popular in native China. There have been countless iterations and adaptations of his exploits, and a good chunk of them have received Korean dubs.

This film is based off the first few chapters of the original novel. The unruly Monkey King, who fits with neither his animal kin nor humans, goes on a series of adventures to fulfill a divine purpose. His success is made possible by a few things: his reckless confidence, his acrobatic combat skills and his trusty stick weapon.

Due to the Monkey King’s very un-kingly personality, you’ll hear a lot of sassy, witty Korean. He does speak a bit fast, but what he does say is quite opinionated, so you’ll probably learn more than a few ways to casually express your sense of righteousness (and superiority).

How to Learn Korean with Dubbed Movies

• Pick a movie you know and enjoy. This is essential to ensure that you have productive viewing sessions. The key to a successful viewing session is to have fun with it. We’re all more likely to make an effort in our studies if we’re genuinely excited about what we’re doing! It’s just human nature.

• Watch first for fun, watch again for active learning. You can devote your first viewing to entertainment and understanding the plot, but it’s important that you make an effort when you watch the movie again. Make sure to be productive when it’s time to learn. Take notes, replay difficult scenes and try to say long or complex sentences out loud in Korean. You’ll get lots of speaking practice this way!

  Feel free to model your movie learning sessions after our video lesson below:

• Be open-minded about your options. While it’s better to pick a movie you already know and love, the selection of Korean dubbed movies is somewhat limited. This is because most foreign movies and TV series are not dubbed in Korean, but rather, subtitled in Korean! It helps Korean natives practice their English listening comprehension skills, so most adult Koreans have no issue with casually catching a subtitled movie. However, movies for children are much more frequently dubbed. It’s a great strategy to opt for animations, Disney movies and cartoons when looking for good dubs.

• Find the original script and follow along. Reading the script in English can serve as a loose guide to give you the gist of things. Several sites let you find movie scripts, including SimplyScripts, which specializes in recent movie scripts, and the Internet Movie Script Database, which offers a vast collection of animation movie scripts.

• Supplement with authentic content, like the videos on FluentU.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

  P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

  

  Try FluentU for FREE!

  Watching dubbed movies is great for learning, but authentic content that’s intended for native speakers is a whole other ball game, and it’s important to expose yourself to the language the way it’s spoken in real life.

How to Find More Korean Dubbed Movies

The Internet is filled with fun, engaging content dubbed in the Korean language.

The key to finding the right Korean-dubbed movie is executing a proper online search.

One strategy is to type out the title of the movie you’d like to find in Hangul. An easy way is to just use the Korean romanization of the original title. Google Translate can give you a quick solution for that.

You can also type out the title in its original language, followed by 우리말더빙 (Korean dubbing). The first few results should tell you the Korean localized name.

Major streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ also have a decent pool of Korean dubs, with more probably on the way. On Netflix specifically, you can find movies and shows by dubbing language. Go to the “Browse by Languages” option to access this function.

If you’re just interested in general Korean-friendly content, be sure to differentiate 우리말더빙 from 한글자막 (Hangul subtitles)—the latter means that you’ll find foreign movies with their native language audio and Korean subtitles.

Finally, unless you can ask a Korean friend to share their login information, your best best is to scout your dubbed films on registration-free streaming sites.

That’s because foreigners can’t pay for Korean VOD or pay-per-view sites such as OnDemandKorea. These sites all require that you register for an account using a valid Korean Social Security Number—although OnDemandKorea chooses five movies to stream freely every month!

But there’s plenty to keep you busy on Korean streaming sites and those from other parts of the world, such as YouTube, Dailymotion Korea and Viki.

 

I’m convinced that you’ll have a blast both watching and learning from these fun flicks!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)