{"id":93177,"date":"2023-09-12T12:21:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T16:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-animated-movies\/"},"modified":"2025-01-21T23:14:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T04:14:55","slug":"german-animated-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-animated-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"10 German Animated Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Give your\u00a0conversation practice<\/a>\u00a0a little rest\u00a0and\u00a0start putting\u00a0holds on some of your library’s German movies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not just any movies, though\u2014we’re talking animation today.<\/p>\n

Animation is great for German language learners because, in general, the dialogue is spoken just a little bit slower, and the narrative, themes and plot are easy to understand.<\/p>\n

Even if you thought you were way past your animation movie phase, it’s time to rewind the clock and get settled in for some refreshing German cartoon time. In this post, we’ll give you 10 great ideas for German animation movies to watch today, and we’ll also give you some tips to use while you watch.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

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Must-see German Animation Movies You’ll Love<\/h2>\n

1. “Der Mondmann”\u00a0<\/em>(The Man on The Moon)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This beautifully animated movie was released in Germany in 2012. It tells the tale of the man on the moon. One day he becomes bored of being alone up in space, so he decides to head out on an adventure to Earth.<\/p>\n

The movie then follows him on his various adventures on our planet with all the friends he meets.<\/p>\n

2. “Felidae”<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This 1994 cartoon may look like a German version of “The Aristocats<\/a>,”\u00a0but it’s actually far from it. In fact, this is the only animated movie on this list that\u00a0isn’t aimed at kids. It’s a neo-noir horror-thriller, so if you’re not too keen on going back to kids’ films, this is the one for you.<\/p>\n

“Felidae” follows the eponymous Felidae\u00a0as he goes around his neighborhood trying to solve a string of mysterious feline murders.<\/p>\n

3. “Lissi und der wilde Kaiser”\u00a0<\/em>(Lissi and the Wild Emperor)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Lissi und der wilde Kaiser”\u00a0<\/em>is an enchanting animation suitable for the whole family. It’s a parody of the famous Sissi<\/em>\u00a0movies<\/a>, which were popular in Austria and went on to become the most successful German-speaking film trilogy ever. With such a solid base, it’s no surprise that “Lissi”<\/em> is such a great film!<\/p>\n

After a yeti makes a pact with the devil, he must go and kidnap the prettiest girl in the world\u2014enter our heroine Princess Lissi! The movie follows her adventure with the yeti and her subsequent romance.<\/p>\n

4. “Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed”\u00a0<\/em>(The Adventure of Prince Achmed)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon DVD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Released in 1926, “Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed”\u00a0<\/em>is the earliest surviving animation movie in the world. So there’s plenty of reason to watch this, even if you don’t need any German listening practice!<\/p>\n

The movie was made by various famous avant-garde animators of the time including Walter Ruttman<\/a> and Berthold Bartosh<\/a>. The plot is based on different parts of the “One Thousand and One Nights<\/a>“\u00a0<\/em>folk tales from the Middle East.<\/p>\n

5. “Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus”\u00a0<\/em>(The Adventure of Pico and Columbus)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

You might recognize “Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus,”\u00a0<\/em>as it was dubbed into English and released throughout America and Canada after its German release.<\/p>\n

The story follows the famous explorer Christopher Columbus on\u00a0his fearless journey across the waves. He befriends a woodworm, and together the pair have to rescue a magical firefly from her despicable captor.<\/p>\n

6. “Ritter Rost”\u00a0<\/em>(Knight Rusty)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rost lives along with his trusty dragon, Cole, in the kingdom of Scrapland. After winning the great knight tournament, Rost runs into trouble after his horse’s engine is stolen (everything in Scrapland is made out of scrap metal, you see…).<\/p>\n

Rost must then set out on an adventure to regain his honor and save the kingdom from the evil Prince Novel.<\/p>\n

7. “Sandm\u00e4nnchen”<\/em>\u00a0(Little Sandman)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How cute is the little Sandm\u00e4nnchen<\/em>?! This \u00fcber-<\/em>charming stop-motion animation comes from the GDR and is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Ole Luk\u00f8je character.<\/p>\n

Now, technically, it isn’t a movie\u2014it’s a very popular children’s TV series, but it’s too much of a German classic to leave off an animation list. Many German children grow up watching the adorable Sandm\u00e4nnchen<\/em> before going to bed.<\/p>\n

8. “Lauras Stern”\u00a0<\/em>(Laura’s Star)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Lauras Stern” <\/em>is a children’s book and was made into a feature film in 2004. When Laura moves to a new city, she ends up making friends with a small star who has fallen to Earth.<\/p>\n

After Laura mends one of the star’s broken limbs with a band-aid, they\u2014along with Laura’s brother\u2014go off on various adventures. (You can enjoy many of these adventures as short videos, on the official Lauras Stern<\/strong> YouTube channel<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

9. “Der 7bte Zwerge”\u00a0<\/em>(The 7th Dwarf)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This lively 2014 animation was released in the cinemas as 3D. It’s a sequel to the two live action films “7 Zwerge – M\u00e4nner allein im Wand<\/a>”\u00a0<\/em>and “7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist night Genug<\/a>.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The plot takes inspiration from both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, and follows Bubi\u2014the titular seventh\u00a0dwarf\u2014as he tries to help the princess to find Prince Charming.<\/p>\n

10. “Die sieben Raben” <\/em>(The Seven Ravens)<\/h3>\n

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Where to watch: YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Die sieben Raben”\u00a0<\/em>is an animated puppet film from the 1930s. Based on one of the fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm collection, it tells the tale of a peasant whose daughter is born very ill.<\/p>\n

He sends his seven sons off to fetch water. They end up dropping their bucket into the well, and when they do not return, the father believes they have gone off to play.<\/p>\n

Cursing them, he turns them into witches. Once the sister has grown, she goes out to find her brothers. After various adventures, her brothers are finally returned to her and transform back into human form. The puppetry in this old film can be pretty creepy at times, but you’ll soon be enchanted by the charming story!<\/p>\n

Why Watch German Animation Movies?<\/h2>\n

There are plenty of reasons why watching German animated movies will help your language.<\/p>\n