Here are 12 entertaining Brazilian and European Portuguese cartoons<\/strong>, along with tips on how to use them for language learning.<\/p>\n [fluentu-toc] This series provides an\u00a0invaluable resource for Portuguese beginners. Dino Lingo teaches both Brazilian and European Portuguese in a visually engaging manner. Their delightful animated series<\/strong>\u00a0covers common nouns, numbers and other language essentials.<\/p>\n These cartoons are made especially for young learners of Portuguese, so they employ simple storytelling, repetition and memorable visuals.<\/p>\n BookBox creates animated stories for young Brazilian Portuguese learners. Their ultimate goal is to foster a love for reading<\/strong> in all students, while offering insights into the country’s culture and customs. All their stories have Portuguese subtitles that viewers can follow along with as each fable is told.<\/p>\n It’s an all-around great choice for children and ideal for learners of all ages who love a friendly pack of cartoon animals, too.<\/p>\n Practice Portuguese is best known\u00a0for their podcasts<\/a>, but their animated videos are pretty neat, as well. They alternate between telling tales<\/a>\u00a0and showing\u00a0daily errands<\/a> and activities. <\/strong><\/p>\n Compared with the other resources\u00a0on our list, Practice Portuguese has a humble cartoon collection\u2014but they’re definitely worth tuning into if you want something quite culturally specific.<\/p>\n Surely you didn’t think we’d leave without showcasing some cartoon productions from Brazil and Portugal! For something with a true local flair, try out these cartoon series:<\/p>\n Including both live-action and animation, this children\u2019s TV series is sure to delight viewers of all ages.<\/p>\n “Tic Tac Tales” starts at a watch shop, where Tobias and Mestre Elias work. Tobias\u2019 musings always prompt Mestre Elias to reminisce and relate a trove of stories,<\/strong> re-enacted by a regular stream of cartoon characters.<\/p>\n You can find clips on the YouTube channel of the show’s developer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Don’t miss this Portuguese classic!\u00a0“Romance da Raposa”<\/em> is an adaptation of a novel by Portuguese author Aquilino Ribeiro, and was originally broadcast in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n It follows the adventures and mishaps of a fox called Salta-Pocinhas\u00a0and his friends. The episodes tell stories about animal life,<\/strong> and are filled with heartwarming life lessons.<\/p>\n You’ll fall in love with the little ants in this cartoon. “Smiling\u00fcido”<\/em> is an evangelical animated series, but it’s not preachy in any way. Rather, each installment teaches valuable life lessons and morals<\/strong>\u2014at times with religious undertones but often more generalized.<\/p>\n Seriously, nobody can talk about Brazilian cartoons without mentioning this cultural icon. “Turma da M\u00f4nica”<\/em>\u00a0started out as a comic book series. It quickly gained traction with children and adults alike and expanded into a larger phenomenon\u2014in fact, there\u2019s even a theme park<\/a> dedicated to it!<\/strong><\/p>\n In a nutshell, each story follows a diverse bunch of characters (from suburban kids, to rural folk and indigenous tribes) and throws great life lessons with a sense of humor<\/strong> into the mix. Suffice to say, it\u2019s quite difficult to summarize the series in a few words, so give it a watch.<\/p>\n This hit Brazilian cartoon is all about a curious girl named Luna. It’s a fun show for learning more about science<\/strong> because Luna\u2019s often out and about looking for answers to her questions, with her younger brother Jupiter and their pet ferret Claudio in tow.<\/p>\n Rainbows, dinosaurs, the Rings of Saturn\u2014you’ll find out all about them here, with each episode featuring a new scientific topic that Luna somehow ends up getting fascinated by.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “Irm\u00e3o do Jorel” <\/em>(Jorel’s Brother) was a landmark production because it’s the first Cartoon Network series ever made in Latin America, so if you’re into Brazilian cartoons, you’ve got to watch it.<\/p>\n Set in the 1980’s, it features the funny daily life of Jorel’s brother<\/strong>, whose name you never actually find out. This is meant to poke fun at how invisible he is compared to Jorel, his popular older brother.<\/p>\n You’ll also get to meet the rest of his quirky family, including a very strong-willed mom and a dad who wears a ski mask.\u00a0<\/p>\n This cartoon brings together light horror and comedy, so it’s great for dipping into Brazilian humor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pepe is a mischievous 12-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother, who’s a witch and businesswoman. Together with his friends, Pepe ends up in all sorts of supernatural adventures.<\/p>\n These often involve creatures and legends from Brazilian folklore<\/strong>, like the mula sem cabe\u00e7a\u2014<\/em>a headless mule that runs through the night and spouts fire from where its head should be.<\/p>\n “Tromba Trem”<\/em>\u00a0might be a Brazilian cartoon, but it’ll get you learning more about Latin America while also picking up some Portuguese.<\/p>\n The main character here is Gajah, a charming young elephant who’s convinced he’s a lost prince. He’s joined by Duda, a spunky ladybug with a heart of gold, and J\u00fanior, a tapir who’s a bit of a worrywart. Together, they travel across Latin America<\/strong> in a magical, self-driving train.<\/p>\n If you ask Brazilians about their favorite cartoon while growing up, chances are, at least some of them will say “Meu Amig\u00e3oz\u00e3o<\/em>.”<\/p>\n It revolves around a group of kids who each have their own imaginary friend<\/strong>. These are more than just playmates\u2014they actually reflect the personalities and emotions of the kids.<\/p>\n The imaginary friends, thanks to their magical abilities, constantly help the kids overcome obstacles like resolving playground disputes and dealing with losing a pet, so there are plenty of adorable scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Absolutely! In fact, any kids\u2019 show will seriously help you hone those listening skills<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Think about it: Cartoons cater\u00a0to a young audience that’s still learning the ins and outs of the world around them. These shows have to be simple enough for kids to understand but engaging and educational at the same time (otherwise the kids will just move on to the next show!).<\/p>\n You, as a language learner<\/a>, are somewhat in the same position\u2014trying to make sense of the Portuguese-speaking world, at a steady and manageable pace.<\/p>\n As with any authentic video or content, getting used to native accents can be a bit overwhelming at first. But the great thing about cartoons is they offer a less intimidating, less complex space for you to practice\u00a0active listening.<\/strong> Most of the characters you’ll come across will speak at a slower pace than you’d encounter watching, say, a drama in Portuguese<\/a> or any other Portuguese TV show<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n That means you can progressively get used to hearing conversations with a native Brazilian or European Portuguese pronunciation, which will prepare you over time for more sophisticated media and, ultimately, conversation with native speakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sounds pretty great, right? Up next, we’ll show you how to\u00a0start digging up cartoons for some binge-watching in Portuguese.<\/p>\n Choosing a cartoon in your native language that you know quite well will help you get the ball rolling on this Portuguese learning exercise. This\u00a0can be much easier than starting out cold with authentic Portuguese cartoons, where you don’t know anything about the plot, characters or context.<\/p>\n For instance, here’s a video from our channel<\/a> that shows how you can learn with familiar shows like “The Simpsons”:<\/p>\n You can also opt for something slightly more approachable, with simpler cartoons like “Spongebob”:<\/p>\n Try and remember some of your favorite cartoons from when you were a kid. Once you\u2019ve selected a few, do a search for their Wikipedia entries. Then, in Wikipedia, switch the language to Portuguese\u2014you\u2019ll find that most entries will give you the name of the series in Brazil and in Portugal. Make sure to pay attention to the corresponding titles, as they’re often quite different.<\/p>\n Here’s an example: If you look up\u00a0the Wikipedia page for “Pinky and the Brain,”<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>then you switch the language to Portuguese<\/a>, you’ll find that the Brazilian name for the series is “Pinky e o C\u00e9rebro”\u00a0<\/em>and the European version is “Pinky e o Brain.”<\/em><\/p>\n Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. You might find that some older cartoons and animated films, such as “Branca de Neve e os Sete An\u00f5es”<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”), have the same title in both countries.<\/p>\n Now, you\u2019re all set to do a bit of YouTube digging. Where possible, use subtitles and closed captions to your advantage. In the early stages, reading the text as you hear it\u00a0can help with memorization as well as give you a clearer understanding of what\u2019s being said.<\/p>\n Keeping with our “Pinky and the Brain”\u00a0<\/em>example, here’s what a YouTube search brings up for the Brazilian<\/a> and Portuguese <\/a>versions. If you’ve come across a cartoon with the same name in both countries, add “Pt-PT” or “Pt-BR” to the end of the title, such as “Pernalonga<\/em>\u00a0Pt-BR” (“Bugs Bunny Pt-BR”).<\/p>\n Alternatively, you could always search for \u201c[Portuguese cartoon title] online\u201d on Google. Just keep in mind that copyright restrictions might impact your findings and not all streaming websites are legal.<\/p>\n You can find authentic (and legal!) cartoons, TV show clips and other real-world videos on\u00a0FluentU.<\/p>\n FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website<\/a> or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\nOnline Cartoons for Portuguese Learners<\/h2>\n
The “Dino Lingo” Series (Brazilian<\/a> and European<\/a> Portuguese)<\/h3>\n
BookBox<\/a> (Brazilian Portuguese)<\/h3>\n
Practice Portuguese<\/a> (European Portuguese)<\/h3>\n
Authentic Portuguese Cartoons for Native Speakers<\/h2>\n
“Tic Tac Tales”<\/a> (Portugal)<\/h3>\n
“Romance da Raposa”<\/em><\/a> (Portugal)<\/h3>\n
“Smiling\u00fcido”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/h3>\n
“Turma da M\u00f4nica”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/h3>\n
“O Show da Luna”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/h3>\n
“Irm\u00e3o do Jorel”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
“Historietas Assombradas”<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Brazil)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
“Tromba Trem”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
“Meu Amig\u00e3oz\u00e3o”<\/em><\/a> (Brazil)<\/h3>\n
Can You Really Learn Portuguese with Cartoons?<\/h2>\n
Tips for Using Cartoons to Learn Portuguese<\/h2>\n
Start with cartoons you’ve watched before\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Take advantage of subtitles\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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