21 Kids' Movies & Shows That Celebrate Latino Culture

Coco opened up the door for more accurate Latinx representation in animated films, but Encanto upped the ante. We're obsessed with the animation, the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the phenomenal Latinx cast of voice actors, and the incredible and authentic story the film tells of the multi-generational dynamic that is so common in Latinx families.

This brand-new Netflix original animated film from Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) is a celebration of Cuban culture. It's about an adorable rain forest creature who sets off on a mission to deliver an important love letter from his musical partner and friend to his one true love. The movie is full of the sounds and colors of Cuba, and it's absolutely beautiful.

When Pixar's Coco came out in 2017, it took the world of animated films by storm. It's a gorgeous film that depicts the Mexican celebration of Día de Los Muertos with accuracy and honor. The visuals are incredible, the story is powerful, and the music is absolutely captivating. Definitely check it out!

Dora the Explorer is basically the OG of animated series representing a Latinx lead character and her family. Although the show doesn't touch on Dora's culture a ton, it is semi-bilingual, with the adventurous Dora using Spanish words and translating throughout, making it great for preschool-level Spanish language exposure.

More from CafeMom: 19 Little Known Facts About 'Dora the Explorer'

We also want to mention the Dora the Explorer live-action movie that came out in 2019. Dora and the Lost City of Gold takes viewers to Dora's family's home country somewhere in Latin America, where she sets out to solve a mystery involving a lost Incan city. It's a super fun story that gives some cool insights into indigenous Latin American cultures.

Canticos is an adorable bilingual show for toddlers and preschoolers that uses nursery rhymes to teach Spanish. Think Cocomelon, but bilingual and starring three adorable little chicks inspired by the traditional Latin American nursery rhyme "Los Pollitos."

We love the animated series Nina's World, which is available to stream on Hulu. The lead character is an adorable and curious little girl who lives with her multigenerational family and spends her days with her friends, which includes her favorite star-shaped stuffed toy. Elements of her Latino culture are woven into every episode, as are some Spanish-language elements.

Maya & Miguel is an animated series that came out way back in 2004. The show is from PBS Kids, so it's obviously quality programming for young children. It's about the misadventures of 10-year-old twins who are complete opposites. Throughout, it showcases lots of Latino culture in a really fun way.

The Book of Life is a beautiful animated film from 2014 featuring the voices of Zoe Saldaña and Diego Luna. It's about a young man struggling to balance the expectations of his traditional Latino family with his own ambitious hopes and dreams, which is something that many younger Latinos struggle with.

Legend Quest is an animated fantasy series from Mexico that's a great watch for older kids. We say that because it has a bit of a horror element. It's about a young boy who has a troop of ghostly friends that he teams up with to fight supernatural bad guys. It features strong female characters, which is super cool.

Trollhunters is an awesome animated franchise from Netflix and acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. It's about a teenager who finds a strange amulet that leads him on a quest to save dual worlds. There are several seasons and even a full-length movie, all of which have subtle elements of Latin culture embedded throughout.

This one is technically a family-friendly sitcom and not just for the kids, but it's always nice to have something everyone can watch together. It's the story of a newly single Cuban-American mom as she enters a new life stage and welcomes her mother into her home to help care for her children.

The Casagrandes is a spin-off of the popular series The Loud House. It follows a young girl named Ronnie Anne who moves to the city with her family and gets to know her large, extended Latino family. It highlights the multigenerational aspect of many Latinx families, and Ronnie Anne gets to learn more about her culture.

Pachamama is a cool movie about a young boy who lives in a tiny village in the Andes Mountains. He dreams of being a shaman. The film follows him as he goes on a journey to find a sacred statue that's been stolen from his village, revealing many of the struggles of the indigenous South American people.

This fun animated series is about a pair of half brothers who go to stay with their grandmother in a small Mesoamerican town. The brothers are very different from each other, but bond as they begin to uncover some of the strange secrets hiding in their new home. There's lots of Latinx folklore in the show, which is really interesting.

Although Miles Morales' culture isn't at all a main theme in this fantastic animated film, it is mentioned on more than one occasion. His mom is Puerto Rican, and in several scenes she's in there are definitely elements of the culture proudly portrayed. So really, it's more the representation that matters in this one.

Yes Day, starring Jennifer Garner and Édgar Ramírez, is a Netflix original family film that was actually surprisingly fun to watch. One thing we really appreciated was that rather than try to get Édgar to pass as a non-Latino, the filmmakers incorporated his heritage into the film, embracing his accent, sprinkling the dialogue with Spanish, and giving the children Latino names. We think it's great when films and shows depict people of color just living life rather than always trying to make a statement. Both are equally important when it comes to representation.

Teens will enjoy this moving 2021 film based on the stage musical of the same name by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes. Set in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, it follows the lives of a group of local residents, including a hard-working bodega owner who dreams of saving up enough money and returning to his native Dominican Republic to restore his late father's business.

Netflix's Maya and the Three animated fantasy series, which debuted in October 2021, takes young viewers on a journey into a mythical ancient world to follow the story of Maya, a spirited warrior princess. She's celebrating her 15th birthday, but her life is suddenly thrown into chaos when the underworld gods appear and tell her she must pay for her family's wrongdoings. The show features the voice talents of Zoe Saldaña, Diego Luna, and Alfred Molina.

The 2021 Mexican animated film Xico's Journey follows the adventures of a girl named Copi, her dog, Xico, and her best friend as they embark on a quest to save a mountain from a greedy corporation. They soon discover that Xico has a special connection to the mountain, and that secrets lie within.

Another one for teens, Stephen Spielberg's remake of the classic 1961 movie musical West Side Story transports viewers into the hardscrabble New York City streets, where the longstanding rivalry between two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, has reached a boiling-over point. The situation only becomes more fraught when one gang member, Tony (played by Ansel Elgort), falls in love with a rival's sister, Maria (played by the effervescent Rachel Zegler).