It's a rather challenging task to find an authentic Chinese New Year Movie that is available to children outside of China! In recently years, China has released a number of great movies that meet all my checklist (fun, engaging, full of Chinese tradition), however, they are not available on the popular video platforms such as YouTube and Netflix. When some of them did make it to those platforms, their audio was translated into English! What a headache for parents searching for movies in the Chinese language for their children! So, here we go again, a few classic Chinese New Year movies to watch this Rabbit New Year. 

1. 《小猪佩奇过大年 (xiǎo zhū pèi qí guò dà nián)》Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year

• A rare Children's musical about Chinese New Year released in 2019!  
• Don't be fooled by the title of the movie. It is not just the Peppa Pig animation, but also a contemporary Chinese family that loves the Peppa Pig show. Main characters include mom, dad, sister 汤圆, younger brother 饺子 and grandparents
• Realistic fiction with real human cast 
• If you have a Peppa Pig fan, they will love watching their favorite Peppa Pig show with a happy family
• Everyday conversational language 
• English and Chinese subtitles for family fun 

Plot: Two children listen to Peppa Pig stories while celebrating Chinese New Year with their beloved parents and grandparents.

Warning: This YouTube movie link is not high resolution. However, little ones may be drawn to the Peppa Pig animation and music, and they might not even notice the picture quality! 

2.《小门神（ Xiǎo Mén Shén）》Little Door Guards 

Ages: 4+ 
Genres: Animation, Fantasy, Superhero 
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes 
Language: Mandarin Chinese  
Subtitle: Simplified Chinese and English 

Why I recommend it： 

• Even though the movie was made in 2016, it is one of the more engaging Chinese movies on YouTube today 
• Simple conversational dialogue, easy for young Chinese learners to understand 
• Engaging storytelling 
• High quality animation and adorable character design 
• English and Chinese subtitles for family movie night fun 
• I love this contemporary family story about Chinese traditions. I remember the days when many families in my hometown left posters of gods on their doors to allow the spirits access to protect their homes. Lovely! 

Plot: When a Chinese family's dumpling soup shop is targeted for sabotage by a competitor, two guardians from the spirit world leave retirement to protect them. You can read more about the movie from this Wikipedia page. 

Warning: The villain in the story, 年(Nián), can be scary for young kids. Sound familiar? I had to remind my boys: There is a monster. He is not real! 年(Nián), translated as Year, was a monster in old Chinese tales. Nián came out of its lair each New Year to attack people. Eventually, people figured out how to fend off Nián by exploding firecrackers and lighting red lanterns in the new year.  

3.《年兽大作战 (nián shòu dà zuò zhàn)》Crazy Nian

Ages: 4+ 
Genres: Animation, Fantasy, Superhero 
Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes 
Language: Mandarin Chinese  
Subtitle: Simplified Chinese and English 

Why I recommend it： 

• Another 2016 movie that still captures children 7 years later, and it is readily available on YouTube 
• Simple conversational dialogue, easy for young Chinese learners to understand 
• High quality animation
• English and Chinese subtitles for family movie night fun 

Plot: 

A mysterious key that has the power to "open up" the Chinese Spring Festival fell from heaven to the mortal world and was picked up by 沙果. In order to get back the key, Mr. 年 Nian and 沙果 embarked on a journey of "fighting wits and courage". Slowly becoming good friends, Mr. Nian the beast rescued 沙果 at a critical moment, and joined hands with the Nian family to take on the important task of saving the Chinese Spring Festival.You can read more about the movie from this Wikipedia page.  

Hope you will get a chance to enjoy the culture, language and tradition in those fun movies with your family! Have you found any good Chinese movies about the Chinese New Year? Please do let me know by writing a comment below. 

Happy Year of the Rabit!

Christine

Co-founder, JoJo Learning 

Check out our other blog posts:
Simple & Fun Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year
7 Chinese New Year Videos and Songs Children Will Love
Fun Chinese New Year Activities to Do at Home or in the Classroom
10 Best Chinese Children's Books to Celebrate Chinese New Year