10 Spanish Movies for 12 Year Olds
This curated list of Spanish-language movies for 12 year olds is sure to improve your child’s fluency with ease!
Whether your child prefers action movies, comedy movies, or drama movies, this guide to movies for 12 year olds has something to cater to their taste. Give your student educational content to watch when bored by turning the movie into a quick and entertaining Spanish lesson!
How Movies Help Improve Spanish Fluency
Good movies are useful for more than just entertainment! Cinematic experiences can also be a great way to absorb conversational Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and rhythm.
Conversational vs. Textbook Spanish
The Spanish your student learns from most textbooks and courses is likely quite different from the everyday Spanish used in conversation. Academic Spanish tends to be formal.
Watching movies in Spanish is an excellent way to understand and analyze casual conversations. This is incredibly important when learning how to speak Spanish fluently. Spanish tween movies on Netflix are actually preparing your child for real-life scenarios!
Context Counts
Another wonderful aspect of watching movies in Spanish is that the conversations are always set in a context. When we learn new words from a dictionary or a book, we tend to forget them unless we use them regularly. By selecting movies good for 12 year olds, your child will have the perfect context to learn new vocabulary!
Hear How Spanish is Spoken
By watching Spanish movies for 12 year olds, your student is able to hear and understand spoken Spanish. Hearing how certain words are pronounced helps them memorize the sounds.
Reading is helpful when studying Spanish, and hearing spoken Spanish is equally important. Combine the two by watching films with subtitles. This method helps improve reading comprehension, pronunciation, and even spelling!
Top 10 Must-Watch Spanish Movies for 12-Year-Olds
Looking for good movies to watch? With so much content out there in 2021, it can be difficult to find appropriate movies for 12 year olds. That’s why we created this curated list of the best Spanish movies for young teens, so that you can be certain your child is learning safely.
1. Coco
- Rated: PG, perfect for 10-12 year olds
- Original Language: English
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina
- Release date: November 22, 2017
Coco follows a young Mexican boy named Miguel who is torn between his passion and his family. Miguel’s dream to play music is forbidden in his family. As Miguel attempts to bridge the gap between his family’s disapproval and his biggest dream, he’s transported to the Land of the Dead where he uncovers secrets.
This stunning movie features fun Latin music and a heart-warming storyline. Let your child learn about Mexico’s traditional Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) through this engaging film on Netflix.
2. Zipi y Zape y La Isla del Capitán (Zip And Zap And The Captain’s Island)
- Rated: PG, perfect for 8-12 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Spain
- Director: Oskar Santos
- Release Date: 2016
Zipi y Zape y La Isla del Capitán is based on a popular Spanish comic book series. Zipe and Zape are two mischievous main characters who get into trouble on a family vacation. Your child will instantly relate to these young characters as they go on a journey to save their family. You can stream the film on Netflix.
3. Anina
- PG, perfect for 9-12 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Uruguay, Colombia
- Director: Alfredo Soderguit
- Release Date: 2013
Anina follows a 10-year-old girl in Uruguay as she gets into a fight on the playground at school.
Her punishment isn’t what you’d expect. Instead of a suspension, each student gets a black envelope they’re not allowed to open for a whole week.
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime to see the adventures of Anina. Your child will learn from Anina as she understands more about not only her school work but also herself.
4. Pachamama
- PG, perfect for 8-12 year olds
- Original Language: English, French
- Spanish Accent: Peru
- Director: Juan Antin
- Release Date: 2018
Pachamama is about the indigenous traditions of Incan culture in South America. This touching story provides a memorable way to help your child learn about Latin American history and culture.
The film focuses on a young boy living in a remote village who takes it upon himself to rescue a cherished relic. He ends up on a dangerous journey to the capital city of Cusco. Be sure to watch on Netflix to discover what happens next!
5. Dora y la ciudad perdida del oro (Dora and the Lost City of Gold)
- PG, perfect for 11-12 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish & English
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: James Bobin
- Release Date: 2019
Dora y la ciudad perdida del oro is a newer take on Nick Jr.’s famous television series, Dora the Explorer—with a live-action adaptation.
The film centers on Dora’s move from the Peruvian jungle to the city of Los Angeles. This culture shock makes for hilarious dialogue and goofy scenarios that will have your child laughing.
The movie takes a twist as Dora’s parents get into trouble while searching for the hidden Incan city of gold. Find out if Dora will be able to rescue her parents by streaming the movie on Hulu.
6. Ferdinand
- PG, perfect for 7-12 year olds
- Original Language: English
- Spanish Accent: Spain
- Director: Carlos Saldanha
- Release Date: 2017
Ferdinand is a bull with a big heart who’s mistaken for a dangerous beast. This results in his capture. However, Ferdinand is determined to return to his family.
He rallies a team of misfits for the ultimate adventure. Teach your child about the importance of determination and family through this upbeat film. It’s available on Disney Plus and Amazon Prime.
7. La leyenda de la llorona (The Legend of La Llorona)
- PG, perfect for 12-14 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: Alberto Rodríguez
- Release Date: 2011
La leyenda de la llorona is an animated film based on a spooky Mexican legend. A group of kids must stop the ghost of a woman from kidnapping kids in the woods at night. The woman’s guilt over the drowning of her own children drives her, and she must be stopped.
Take a peek at the movie trailer on YouTube, or watch this Spanish-language animated adventure in its entirety on Amazon Prime.
8. El libro de la vida (The Book of Life)
- PG, perfect for 8-12 year olds
- Original Language: English & Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: Jorge R. Gutiérrez
- Release Date: 2014
The Book of Life follows Manolo, a young Mexican man with big dreams. Unfortunately, his father wants Manuel to continue the family tradition of bullfighting. Torn between the two, Manolo travels to three fantastical worlds: the underworld, the Land of the Forgotten, and the Land of the Remembered.
This film teaches about Mexican traditions and culture through its fun musical style. Let your young student enjoy this beautiful movie on Amazon Prime.
9. La Liga de los 5 (The League of 5)
- PG, perfect for 11-12 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: Marvick Núñez
- Release Date: 2020
The League of 5 is an exciting Mexican superhero film! Follow along as the main character recruits a group of Mexican superheroes to help him rescue his sister from an evil villain.
This refreshing movie is perfect for kids who love unique superheroes! Stream this super film on Amazon Prime.
10. Canela (Cinnamon)
- PG, perfect for 12-13 year olds
- Original Language: Spanish
- Spanish Accent: Mexico
- Director: Jordi Mariscal
- Release Date: 2013
Canela is a story about a grandmother whose granddaughter, Maria, tries to convince her to take back her former love of cooking and the family restaurant. El Molcajete, the restaurant, has not been the same since straying from its original traditional recipes.
Grandmother Tere doesn’t have the spirit to cook anymore after falling into a depression due to the tragic death of her daughter. Will Maria be able to save the family business?
Stream this movie on Amazon Prime to teach your child about family, grief, and passion.
Supplement Your Child’s Language Learning
While these Spanish movies for 12 year olds make for great practice, they won’t be enough to take your child to fluency. Supplement these movies with personalized lessons with our certified, native-speaking Spanish teachers from Guatemala!
With over 10 years of experience and over 20,000 active students, we know how to supercharge your child’s fluency! Take advantage of our flexible scheduling, tailored Spanish packages, and high school Spanish credit with transcripts by signing your student up for a free trial class today!
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