In all there are 102 Smurfs, living in mushrooms that grow in a forest. Particularly fond of sarsaparilla, they all look deceptively alike but each has its own character! Their enemies? The wizard Gargamel and his ginger cat Azrael, who would dearly love to add them to their menu... Based on the books by Peyo.

Available in French on TV5MONDEplus (3 seasons) and in English on AmazonPrime | AppleTV | PlexTV

In the south of France, in a vast plain region called the Camargue, lives White Mane, a magnificent stallion and the leader of a herd of wild horses too proud to let themselves be broken by humans. Only Folco, a young fisherman, manages to tame him. A strong friendship grows between the boy and the horse, as the two go looking for the freedom that the world of men won't allow them. Long unavailable in the U.S., this extraordinarily shot wonder from Albert Lamorisse, the director of The Red Balloon, is a work of technical sophistication and immense natural beauty.

Available on The Criterion Channel

Maurice may look like a penguin - but he's a real tiger inside! Raised by a tigress, he's the clumsiest kung-fu master ever. Along with his friends, The Jungle Bunch, he intends to maintain order and justice in the jungle, as his mother did before he. But Igor, an evil koala, wants to destroy the jungle once and for all—helped by his army of silly baboons.

Available on Peacock | Tubi | Plex | Crackle | Fubo | AmazonVideo | GooglePlay | YouTube | Vudu | Apple TV | The Roku Channel | PlutoTV | Microsoft | RedBox

In their new adventures, Asterix and Obelix come to the aid of their friend Alafolix, who must fight Brutus, Cesar’s son, to win both the Olympic Games and the hand of beautiful Irina. But heinous Brutus is determined to beat the Gaul and take his father’s place.

Available on AmazonVideo | Vudu | GooglePlay | YouTube | Tubi | AppleTV

In this wryly inventive parable, a kingdom within a painting is divided into three castes: the impeccably colored Alldunns, the incomplete Halfies, and the barely outlined Sketchies who are treated as outcasts. Chastised for her forbidden love of the dashing Ramo, Claire runs away into the cursed forest. Ramo and his friends journey after her, crossing over the boundaries of the forest only to arrive at the very edge of the painting – where they tumble through the canvas and into the Painter’s studio. The abandoned workspace is strewn with paintings, each containing its own vividly animated world and characters – and in a feast for both the eyes and the imagination, Ramo, Lola, Quill and Magenta explore picture after picture, in a quest to discover just what the Painter has in mind for his creations.

Available on AmazonVideo | Vudu | Tubi | AppleTV | Hoopla

Paris, 1941. A family of scientists is on the brink of discovering a powerful longevity serum when all of a sudden a mysterious force abducts them, leaving their young daughter April behind. Ten years later, April lives alone with her dear cat, Darwin, and carries on her family’s research in secret. But she soon finds herself at the center of a shadowy and far-reaching conspiracy, and on the run from government agents, bicycle-powered dirigibles and cyborg rat spies. Undaunted, she continues her quest to find her parents and discover the truth behind their disappearance. 

Available on iTunes | GooglePlay | AmazonPrime | Vudu | YouTube | Redbox | Microsoft

A soft and entertaining introduction to Ecology for the preschoolers, with the Ozie Boo Team and their friends, with an optimistic touch and high quality real world images. The Ozie Boo Team goes to school like all children around of the world… but their school is the Nature School. The “Ozie School”, built completely out of ice and ice cubes, with frozen benches and pristine desks, is the North Pole school where Nelly, Ned, Fred, Ted, Ed, our energetic and curious little penguins, ask the same questions all children ask, with four major themes: pollution, natural resources and climate, species in danger, and protection of the Planet.

Available on AmazonPrime | Roku Channel | YouTube Channel | Tivi5 Monde

Adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean became synonymous with a love of science and the natural world. As he learned to protect the environment, he brought the whole world with him, sounding alarms more than 50 years ago about the warming seas and our planet’s vulnerability.

Available on Disney+ 

Meet Ailo, a newborn reindeer who embarks on an incredible odyssey with the help of his mother. Narrated by Donald Southerland and set against the frozen majesty of northern Finland, their journey is an uplifting story for the whole family.

Available on Vudu | Tubi | GooglePlay | AmazonPrime | iTunes | Microsoft | FuboTV | Crackle | Plex | Redbox

This masterfully animated fantasy film tells the story of a man shipwrecked at sea who becomes stranded on a beautiful but desolate island. He learns to live in isolation, seemingly tormented in his efforts to escape the island by a giant red turtle. Miraculously, he soon comes upon a young woman also lost at sea and they create a family together.

Available on Vudu | GooglePlay | AmazonPrime | YouTube | Microsoft | iTunes | Spectrum

In a peaceful little valley, the remains of an abandoned picnic sparks warfare between two tribes of rival ants. At stake, a box of sugar. So when a bold young ladybug finds herself caught in the middle of the battle, she befriends one the black ants, Mandible, whom together must protect the anthill from the encroaching red ant warriors, led by the fearful Butor.

Available on iTunes | AmazonPrime | YouTube | Microsoft | Vudu | GooglePlay

La Fête de la Francophonie

To celebrate La Francophonie, IFcinéma à la carte offers a selection of French shorts films " En Sortant de l'école - Robert Desnos" available online and for free from March 1-31, 2022 :

Bonsoir tout le monde by Kathleen Ponsard ; Couchée by Debora Cheyenne Curchon ; Couplet de la rue de Bagnolet by Quentin Guichoux ; Dans un petit bateau by Charlotte Cambon ; Demi-rêve by Gabrielle Sibieude ; Il était une feuille by Anaïs Scheeck ; J’ai tant rêvé de toi by Emma Vakarelova ; La Grenouille aux souliers percés by Juliette Cuisinier ; Le Salsifis du Bengale by Raphaëlle Stolz ; Le Zèbre by Viviane Boyer-Araujo ;  Les Quatre sans cou by Alix Fizet ; Papier buvard by Marine Laclotte ; and Paris by Justine Vuyksteker.

Since 1997, New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival has become the largest and most prestigious festival for children’s film in North America. While the 2022 Festival will take place in New York City, all programming for younger audiences will be available online and nationwide from March 4 through April 3. 

- French short film Step by Step presented in SHORTS FOR TOTS program (redommended ages 3+)
- French short films Mido and the Instrumals, A Lynx in the Town, Athleticus: Sled, and Athleticus: Guides presented in BONUS: SHORTS FOR TOTS 2021 program (redommended ages 3+)

Directed by Nicolas Vanier, 2013, 1h44, France / recommended for ages 10+

Based on the beloved children's book, this exciting tale set in the picturesque French Alps follows the friendship of a 6-year-old boy and a stray dog who prove to be heroes when they help defend their occupied village from the Nazis.

Available on Hoopla | tubi | Kanopy | AmazonPrime | RedBox | iTunes | Plex | Film Movement Plus | GooglePlay | Roku Channel
 

If you like this film, you may like the entire series:

Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues (Belle et Sébastien, l’aventure continue)
Directed by Christian Duguay, 2015, 1h37, PG / recommended for ages 9+

Available on Hoopla | Vudu | AmazonVideo | GooglePlay | iTunes | Microsoft

Belle and Sebastian 3: The Last Chapter (Belle et Sébastien 3 : Le dernier chapitre) 
Directed by Clovis Cornillac, 2017, 1h37 / recommended for ages 10+

Available on Hoopla | GooglePlay | iTunes

Mush-Mush and the Mushables - Season 1 (Mush-Mush & les Champotes)
Created by Elfriede de Rooster and directed by Joeri Christiaen, 2020

Animated Preschool TV Series, France-Belgium-UK / recommended for ages 4+

Mush-Mush & the Mushables follows the comedy adventures of the Mushable community as together they put the fun back into fungi! As pocket-sized Guardians of the Forest, each Mushable has a special gift. While Mush-Mush can communicate with nature, Lilit shines bright like a light and Chep has an impressive memory. As they get to know their talents and their limits, the Mushables find there is still a lot to discover about growing up…

Available on Cartoon Network and HBO Max (in English)

Directed by Alexandre Espigares, 2018, 1h27, France-Luxembourg / recommended for ages 10+

Based on the timeless novel by Jack London, White Fang is the story of a proud and courageous wolfdog, fighting for his survival among the Canadian wilderness, the cities suddenly became wealthy during the gold rush in the Klondike 1890s. Born in the forest of a sled dog mother who fled their masters, White Fang will overcome challenges imposed not by the hostility of nature itself, but by his encounter with the men who shaped these austere regions.

Available on Netflix (#tip: make sure to click on "Subtitles & Audio" and select audio in French!)

MyFrenchFilmFestival.com is a worldwide French film festival presented by Unifrance, and whose goal is to shine a spotlight on new generation French-language filmmakers.

Don't miss their Kids section featuring animated movie Calamity (1.99€) and shorts Treasure, Mido and the Instrumals, Eye for an Eye, and Astralium (all the shorts are available for free!)!

Available online here and also on several US platforms/channels.

Animation First Festival (Online & Nationwide: February 14-21, 2022)

Animation First Festival, presented by the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF), celebrates the enduring legacy and trailblazing innovation of French animation. While presented in person in New York City, the Festival's fifth edition will be also available online for a nationwide audience.

Their young audience selection includes The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily, The Tower, Ex-Aequo!, Fresh Out of School - Andrée Chedid, The Mysteries of Paris, and Wonderful Wacky Wolves.

Available online here.

A lonesome fox hunts a mouse and their relationship will evolve as two owls interfere with the hunt.

Available here.

François Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut’s own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime.

Available on The Criterion Channel | Kanopy | HBOMax | Amazon Video | Vudu | YouTube | GooglePlay | iTunes

When his new love is captured by an evil snake charmer, a young cobra and his scorpion best friend set out across the desert on a wild rescue mission.

Available on Netflix (#tip: make sure to click on "Subtitles & Audio" and select audio in French!)