AnixTV: Spanish-language and Italian family films and series in English, from Father There Is Only One, Champions and 31 Minutes to Joselito, Cantinflas, Pinocchio, Fantaghirò and Me contro Te, and where to watch them

How AnixTV looks

AnixTV takes its look from the 2026 design of the site whose name it shares, a cinematic home page in deep blue-black with bright cyan details. The navigation bar floats over the top of the page, fading from a dark shadow into the picture below, with the AnixTV logo at the left, a row of white links, a round glass search button and a rounded glass My List button at the right.

The hero fills most of the first screen with a large picture from a featured film, which fades into the dark page from the left and from the bottom, just as the original slideshow did. Over the picture sit a cyan Trending badge, the title in large heavy letters, a short line with a green rating star, the year and the type, a short description and two rounded buttons, a cyan Watch now button and a glass button for more information, followed by a search box.

Below the hero, a strip of dark rounded boxes with a thin cyan border on the active one replaces the original row of streaming services with the countries of the catalogue, Spain, Mexico, Italy and Argentina and Latin America, together with a pill-shaped toggle for films and series. Then come the rows: each begins with a bold white heading beside a thin cyan bar and a cyan View all link, and each holds a grid of posters with rounded corners and a dark gradient at the bottom, where the title, rating, year and type appear. The posters lift gently under the pointer, just as the original cards did. A Top 10 row shows the most popular titles beside large outlined numbers.

A small bar with a heart invites visitors to come back, as the original did, and the footer gathers a brand column with a short description and three columns of links, Discover, Your list and Support, with uppercase headings and grey links that slide and turn cyan under the pointer. The typeface is Inter, the clean modern font the original site used, and every colour comes from its style sheets: the blue-black page, the darker surfaces, the cyan accent and its deeper hover shade, the soft grey text and the green rating star.

Using the site

AnixTV is simple to use on a phone, a tablet or a computer. The search box finds any title by its English, Spanish or Italian name, so typing Campeones, Joselito, Pinocchio or Befana brings the right page straight up. The header links lead to the whole catalogue, to the Family sagas, Sport, Classics and Christmas shelves and to the A to Z list, and on a small screen the round menu button opens the same links together with My List and the help pages.

Every title page shows the poster, the story in English, the year, the running time or the full episode list, the main cast, the director and the studio, together with the original title. A Watch now button sits near the top of the page. Choose your country once and AnixTV remembers it, so the button always opens JustWatch for the right place.

My List is a little shelf of your own. Tap the button on any title page and the film is saved in your browser, ready for your next visit. You can export the list as a small file and open it on another device, which makes it easy to plan the family film on a phone during the day and watch it on the television in the evening.

Spanish family comedies

Spain has one of the strongest traditions of family comedy in Europe, and the most popular of all in recent years is the series of films written, directed and led by Santiago Segura. Father There Is Only One, from 2019, follows Javier, a father who believes he runs the house perfectly from the comfort of his phone, until his wife leaves on a trip and he must care for their five children alone. The film was a huge success in Spain, and Father There Is Only One 2 and Father There is Only One 4 continue the family's story, with a clever virtual assistant, a grown-up daughter's big news and plenty of chaos along the way.

Segura also made The Kids Are Alright: Destination Asturias and The Kids Are Alright 2, in which two fathers set off to take their children to a summer camp and end up on an unexpected train journey with a carriage full of kids. You Keep the Kids follows two parents who plan to separate and compete in a very funny way over the future of their children, and The Best Summer of My Life follows a father who takes his son on a holiday while he tries to put his life back in order.

The great classic of Spanish family cinema is The Big Family, from 1962, the story of a surveyor, his wife and their fifteen children in Madrid. Its most famous scene, in which the family searches for the youngest child lost in the Christmas market of the Plaza Mayor, is shown on Spanish television every Christmas. The Family and One More and La familia bien, gracias continue the story of the family through the sixties and seventies.

Newer Spanish comedies include My Amazing Grandma, about an eccentric grandmother with a talent for failed businesses, ¿Quién es quién?, about a busy family that rediscovers itself, McMansion, about a family of five in a tiny flat on the hottest day of summer, and Cuerpos locos, a body-swap comedy about a girl and her future stepmother. The Rodriguez and the Beyond follows an ordinary family who discover that their late grandfather was something far more extraordinary.

Champions

Champions, from 2018, directed by Javier Fesser, is one of the most loved Spanish films of recent years. A proud and short-tempered basketball coach is sentenced to community service, coaching Los Amigos, a team of players with intellectual disabilities. What begins as a punishment becomes the most important experience of his life, as the players teach him about friendship, humour and what really matters. The film was played by actors with intellectual disabilities, won the Goya award for best film and was chosen to represent Spain at the Academy Awards. Championext, from 2023, continues the adventures of the team after a surprising championship win.

Spanish classics

In the fifties and sixties, Spain had its own child star, Joselito, a boy from Andalusia with a remarkable singing voice who was known as the little nightingale. The Little Nightingale, Nightingale Song and El ruiseñor de las cumbres are full of mountains, sheep, songs and gentle adventure, and Joselito also made films in Mexico, such as Adventures of Joselito and Tom Thumb and Joselito vagabundo.

In the early eighties, the children's pop group Parchís, named after the board game and dressed in its bright colours, became famous across Spain and Latin America, and their films, such as Las locuras de Parchís, La magia de los Parchís and Parchis Against the Invisible Inventor, are cheerful musical adventures.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth, from 1977, is a Spanish adaptation of Jules Verne's adventure, with giant creatures and underground seas. Manolito Four Eyes, from 1999, based on the books by Elvira Lindo, follows a chubby, clever ten-year-old boy from a working-class district of Madrid on a road trip with his father, and Manolito Four Eyes: The Mischievous Holidays follows his summer holidays. Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang brings to life the famous comic-book twins, sent to a strict school where games are forbidden, and Mortadelo & Filemon: Mission: Save the Planet follows the bumbling secret agents of Spanish comics on a mission to save the world from a drought.

La guerra de los niños follows children who take matters into their own hands when their school is about to close, and Bear Claw Camp and Jump! are lively recent adventures. Treasure Hunters follows a skateboarding boy on an unexpected adventure, and Full of Grace follows a spirited nun who coaches the girls of a boarding school in football during the summer of 1994.

Mexico

Mexico has one of the great film traditions of the Spanish-speaking world, and its comedians are loved across the whole of Latin America. The Mexico shelf holds 50 titles. Cantinflas, with his baggy trousers, tiny moustache and torrent of words, is the most famous of them all, and in El profe, from 1971, he plays a kind-hearted teacher who arrives in a small village and changes the lives of its children. Tin-Tan, the stylish comedian of the forties and fifties, sets sail in a comic Sinbad adventure in Simbad el Mareado, from 1950.

Capulina, the gentle clown of Mexican comedy, starred in dozens of family films. In Capulina Corazón de León he raises a lion cub in his apartment, in Capulina Speedy González he becomes a mail rider in the old west who discovers a batch of super-powered chillies, and in El circo de Capulina he helps save a little circus. Roberto Gómez Bolaños, known as Chespirito, created El Chavo del Ocho, a boy who lives in a barrel in a Mexico City courtyard, and Best of El Chavo, Vol. 1 gathers favourite episodes of the much-loved series. Chespirito also starred in El Chanfle and El Chanfle 2, as the cheerful kit man of a football club who dreams of playing.

Santa Claus, from 1959, is one of the most unusual Christmas films ever made. Santa lives in a palace in outer space, works with children from every country of the world and teams up with the wizard Merlin to defeat a mischievous devil who wants to ruin Christmas. It has become a cult favourite around the world.

The Mexican fairy-tale films of the late fifties and sixties are full of colour and song. Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Riding Hood and Tom Thumb vs. the Monsters follow the brave girl and her friends in an enchanted forest, and The Flying Pony, from 1982, follows a country boy whose wishes come true. A Twelve Year Old Pirate follows a young boy on a pirate ship, The Great Adventure of Zorro follows the masked hero, and Superzan and the Space Boy follows a young visitor from another planet who comes to teach people to live in peace.

Modern Mexican family films include Where the Tracks End, about a teacher who brings school to the children of a remote railway camp, Travelers: Lost in Time, about a boy with a great imagination who travels through time, The Benetón Family, about a grumpy man whose quiet life is turned upside down by a house full of children, Tesoros, about children who set off on a treasure hunt on the coast, and El Jeremías, about an eight-year-old boy who discovers that he is a genius. Bacalar, 108 Stitches, Leftie and Julio and His Angel are lovely smaller films about childhood and friendship.

Argentina and Latin America

The Argentina and Latin America shelf holds 32 titles from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. From Chile comes 31 Minutes, a puppet news programme that began as a parody of television news and became one of the most loved children's shows in Latin America. 31 Minutes: The Movie follows the presenter Tulio Triviño and his colleagues on a rescue mission to save a little friend who has been kidnapped for an animal collection, and 31 Minutes: One Hot Christmas follows the team through a scorching December.

From Argentina come Chiquititas: Rincón de Luz, the film of the famous children's series about the orphans of a gloomy children's home and the cook who brings light into their lives, The Games Maker, about a boy who loves to invent board games and is drawn into a fantastical competition, Home Team, about a gifted young footballer, and My Mother Is a Parrot, about a family whose members can turn into animals. Shunko, from 1960, follows a young teacher in a poor village of Santiago del Estero, and El tío Disparate follows a cheerful uncle and his triplet nieces.

From Colombia comes The Car, about a family who buy an old American car from their neighbours, and from Cuba comes Habanastation, about two boys from very different sides of Havana who become friends during a day of adventures. From Venezuela comes The Blue Apple Tree, about a city boy who spends a summer with his grandfather in the mountains, and from Chile comes A Horse Named Elephant, about two brothers who set out to free their grandfather's horse from a circus. Juliana, from Peru, follows a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join her brother's gang of street children, and Mi amigo Alexis, from Chile, follows a young football fan who becomes friends with his hero.

Italy

Italy is the home of some of the most famous stories ever told to children, and the Italy shelf holds 37 titles. Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, the wooden puppet whose nose grows every time he tells a lie, was born in Tuscany in 1883. The Adventures of Pinocchio, from 1947, is one of the earliest live-action versions, and Pinocchio, from 2002, was directed by and starred Roberto Benigni, who played the puppet himself in a colourful, big-budget fairy tale.

The fairy-tale films of Lamberto Bava are favourites with Italian families. The Cave of the Golden Rose 5 is the final chapter of the adventures of Fantaghirò, a brave and clever princess who fought dragons, witches and evil knights in a series that was shown on television across Europe, and The Dragon Ring follows the daughter of a dragon king in another sweeping fantasy. The Secret of the Old Woods, directed by Ermanno Olmi from a story by Dino Buzzati, is a poetic tale about a forest whose ancient trees are protected by spirits, and The Thief of Baghdad, from 1961, is a colourful adventure of magic carpets and flying horses.

The Befana, the kindly witch who flies on her broomstick on the night before Epiphany to bring presents to good children, is a beloved figure in Italy. The Legend of the Christmas Witch: The Origins tells how a young street girl became the Befana, and S.O.S. Befana and Miacarabefana.it are cheerful comedies about her family. Elf Me follows a clumsy elf, Mrs. Christmas follows the search for Santa when he suddenly disappears during the holidays, Il mio amico Babbo Natale follows Santa Claus on a mission to change the heart of a selfish businessman, and In fuga con Babbo Natale follows a curious child on a Christmas Eve chase.

Italian families today love the films of Me contro Te, the young couple Luì and Sofì whose videos for children have millions of fans. Me Against You: Mr. S's Vendetta, Me, Myself & I: Lost in Time, It's me against you - The mystery of the spellbound school, Me contro Te: Il film - Missione giungla and Me contro Te: Il film - Operazione spie send them on adventures against the comic villain Mr. S. Il viaggio leggendario traps two young video makers inside a fantasy video game, and Charlotte M.: Il film - Flamingo Party follows a creative girl organising a school dance.

The Italian family comedies are full of warmth. When Mom Is Away follows a father who must run the house and care for three children when his wife takes a ten-day holiday, and When Mom Is Away... With the Family and When Mom Is Away... With the In-laws continue the story. Tre di troppo follows a couple who wake up one morning to find three children calling them mum and dad, and Da grandi follows four nine-year-old friends who suddenly find themselves grown up.

My Brother Chases Dinosaurs, based on the true story of Giacomo Mazzariol, follows a teenager and his younger brother Gio, who has Down syndrome and sees the world with endless joy. Italo tells the true story of a stray dog who became the friend of a whole Sicilian town, The Cormorants follows two twelve-year-old boys through a summer by the river, and Copperman follows a man with a childlike heart who becomes a homemade superhero.

The Italian animal films include White Fang and the Hunter, Buck at the Edge of Heaven, a wilderness adventure inspired by Jack London, Snowball, about a dolphin who swallows a bottle full of important papers, and There Was a Castle with Forty Dogs, about a man who inherits a Tuscan castle along with its many dogs. Il piccolo lord tells the story of Little Lord Fauntleroy in an Italian setting, Friends for Life, from 1955, follows two schoolboys whose friendship is put to the test, and Il Mago di Esselunga turns a family shopping trip into a magical adventure.

Football and sport

Football is the great passion of Spain, Italy and Latin America, and the Football and sport shelf holds 17 titles. Champions and Championext are basketball films, but most of the shelf belongs to football. El Chanfle and El Chanfle 2 follow Chespirito's football club kit man, Home Team follows a gifted young player in Argentina, Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime follows a boy in a children's home who dreams of playing in a tournament, and The Footballest 2 follows a team of friends fighting to keep their place in the league.

Mi amigo Alexis follows a young fan who becomes friends with his hero, the Chilean star Alexis Sánchez, Las chivas rayadas follows two brothers in a local team, and The Champion follows a young star footballer and the teacher who helps him prepare for his next step. 108 Stitches and Jugando a bailar bring baseball into the shelf, Leftie follows a gifted young marble player, and The Games Maker follows a boy whose love of board games carries him into a magical competition.

Christmas

Christmas in Spain, Italy and Latin America is a long season of celebration, from the lottery draw and the nativity scenes of December to the Three Kings and the Befana in early January. The Christmas shelf holds 18 titles. The Night My Dad Saved Christmas and The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2 follow a father who must step in when Santa Claus is unable to make his rounds, and Cuidado con lo que deseas follows children whose magic ball brings snowmen to life. Lapönia follows two sisters who meet in Lapland for Christmas, and Un like de Navidad, from Chile, follows a young influencer who learns to believe in Christmas again.

Una Navidad en verano, from Peru, follows a hard-working mother and her four children through a summer Christmas in the southern hemisphere, and Merry Christmas, from 1954, is a gentle Spanish comedy about a family who win a lamb in a raffle and grow far too fond of it to part with it. 31 Minutes: One Hot Christmas brings the puppets of 31 Minutes to a sweltering December, and the Mexican Santa Claus of 1959 is a Christmas classic of its own.

Children's television

The Series shelf holds 16 series. The greatest classic of Spanish children's television is Verano azul, from 1981, which follows a group of children and teenagers through a long summer holiday in a seaside town in Andalusia, with their friends Julia, a painter, and Chanquete, an old fisherman who lives on a boat. It is one of the most watched series in Spanish history and is still repeated every summer. Celia, from 1993, adapts Elena Fortún's books about a lively and imaginative girl in the Madrid of the twenties, and La Bola de Cristal, from 1984, was a famous Saturday morning show full of puppets, music and humour.

Médico de familia, from 1995, follows a young widowed doctor raising his three children with the help of his family, iFamily follows a father who tries to make up for lost time with his children, and a new television series takes the Father There Is Only One family to the small screen. Sabuesos follows a talking dog who helps a detective solve crimes, NooBees follows a girl who joins a team of young gamers, Cambio de clase is a light school comedy, and Olivia follows a famous weatherman and his daughter.

From Latin America come Rincón de Luz, the Argentine series about the children of a home and the people who care for them, Skimo and La CQ, two cheerful school comedies from Mexico, My family is a draw, an Argentine comedy about a family whose new baby is a cartoon, Tierra Incognita, an Argentine adventure about a boy who returns to a mysterious amusement park to solve the disappearance of his parents, and Soy Luna: Let's Roll Again, which brings back the roller-skating heroine of one of the most popular youth series in Latin America.

Growing up

The Growing up shelf holds 23 tender films about childhood. Manolito Four Eyes and its sequel are among the most loved Spanish films about being ten years old, and Pinocchio is the classic story of a puppet who longs to become a real boy. Habanastation follows two boys in Havana, The Cormorants follows two friends in Italy, and Julio and His Angel follows a little boy in Mexico who believes his mother has sent an angel to watch over him.

The Boy and the Star, from 1976, follows a boy who dreams of flying to the stars, The Girl with the Blue Backpack follows two friends in a fishing town, The Last Escape follows an old escape artist and his grandchildren, and Pobre niño rico follows a lonely rich boy who longs for his busy parents' attention. Sobre ruedas - Rolling Elvis follows a Colombian boy who dreams of becoming a cyclist during the great years of Colombian cycling, Summer Vacation follows two friends who become children's entertainers at a luxury hotel, and Da grandi follows four nine-year-olds who discover what it means to grow up.

Magic and adventure

The Magic and adventure shelf holds 42 titles full of fairy tales, fantasy worlds and daring journeys. The Lunnis and the Great Fairy Tale Adventures follows a girl who must save the world of fantasy with the help of the Lunnis, the cheerful creatures of Spanish children's television, and Travelers: Lost in Time follows a boy who travels through time. Yanka y el espíritu del volcán follows a girl who searches for her mother in the mountains of Argentina, A Son of Man follows a boy and his father on a quest for the lost gold of the Incas in Ecuador, and Hidden Paradise follows a boy who lives in the jungle with his many pets.

Keiko in danger follows a friendly killer whale, Serafín: La Película follows a small guardian angel who looks after a gang of children, and Rocky Carambola follows a circus performer and his chimpanzee friend. What Color is the Wind? is a tender film about two blind children, Where the Tracks End follows a dedicated teacher, and La edad de la inocencia follows a poor little girl who discovers a puppet theatre at the circus.

Picks by age

For the youngest viewers, choose the gentle stories and the puppets. 31 Minutes: The Movie, Little Red Riding Hood, The Lunnis and the Great Fairy Tale Adventures, Pinocchio and the Christmas films are perfect first films, and La Bola de Cristal and My family is a draw are cheerful series for small children.

From about seven, children love the comedies and the adventures. Father There Is Only One, Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang, Manolito Four Eyes, El Chanfle, Capulina Corazón de León and the Me contro Te films are full of laughter.

From about ten, the sport and fantasy films are ideal. Champions, Home Team, The Games Maker, The Cave of the Golden Rose 5, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and the series Verano azul offer real excitement and warmth.

Older children and grown-ups watching together will love My Brother Chases Dinosaurs, The Big Family, The Secret of the Old Woods, Habanastation and Shunko, films that make everyone laugh and think.

Learning Spanish and Italian with films

Family films are one of the most enjoyable ways to learn a language, and AnixTV is a natural companion for learners of Spanish and Italian. Every title page lists the original title alongside the English one, and many services carry the films with subtitles in the original language or in English.

For Spanish, begin with the comedies of Spain, such as Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang and Manolito Four Eyes, which use the everyday language of school and family. Then compare the Spanish of Mexico in El profe and Tesoros, of Argentina in Home Team and The Games Maker and of Chile in 31 Minutes: The Movie, each with its own music and its own expressions. For Italian, When Mom Is Away and Pinocchio are clear and lively, and the Me contro Te films are full of the playful Italian of children today.

Watching the same film twice, first with English subtitles and then with subtitles in the original language, is a simple way to build confidence, and the songs of the Joselito and Parchís films are a joyful way to practise pronunciation.

Planning a family film night

A family film night is easy to plan. Begin by choosing a country or a shelf: the family sagas for an evening of laughter, the football films for a lively night with friends, the classics for grandparents and grandchildren together, or the Christmas shelf for December. Add the chosen title to My List, check the running time on its page, and press Watch now to see where it is available in your country.

A few small touches make the evening special. Serve churros with hot chocolate for a Spanish film, tacos or quesadillas for a Mexican one, empanadas for an Argentine evening or a homemade pizza for an Italian night. For a football film, wear the colours of a favourite team, and for a Christmas film, leave a shoe by the door for the Three Kings or a stocking for the Befana.

After the film, talk about what everyone enjoyed. Which family was the funniest? Which character would you choose as a friend: Manolito, Pinocchio, El Chavo or Fantaghirò? Would you rather spend a summer in the seaside town of Verano azul or in the mountains with Joselito? These conversations are often the best part of the evening.

Festivals and seasons

The films on AnixTV follow the calendar of festivals that shapes family life in Spain, Italy and Latin America. In spring, when the school year is in full swing, the classroom comedies come into their own: Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang, El profe and Where the Tracks End are all about teachers and pupils. In summer, the great holiday films are perfect: The Kids Are Alright: Destination Asturias, The Best Summer of My Life, Manolito Four Eyes and the series Verano azul all take place during long summer holidays by the sea or on the road.

In autumn, the football season begins, and Champions, Home Team and El Chanfle are ideal for families who follow their team every weekend. In winter, the Christmas shelf carries the family from the first lights of December to the Three Kings on the sixth of January, with Santa Claus, the Befana and the Christmas Witch along the way, and The Big Family remains the great Spanish film for the season.

Families of every shape

One of the joys of these films is the variety of families they show. There are enormous families, like the fifteen children of The Big Family and the noisy households of Father There Is Only One; there are grandparents at the centre of everything, like the eccentric grandmother of My Amazing Grandma; and there are new families brought together by chance, like the couple in Tre di troppo who wake up with three children or the grumpy man of The Benetón Family.

There are also brothers and sisters who look after each other, like the siblings of Tesoros and the brothers of A Horse Named Elephant, and friends who become a second family, like the players of Champions and the children of Chiquititas: Rincón de Luz. Watching these films together is a lovely way to talk with children about the many shapes a family can take, and about the love, patience and humour that hold every family together.

The films also show how families celebrate together. There are birthday parties and weddings, long Sunday lunches with grandparents, summer trips to the seaside in an overloaded car and Christmas Eve dinners where everything goes gently wrong. Each country has its own traditions, from the Three Kings of Spain and Mexico to the Befana of Italy and the summer Christmas of the southern hemisphere, and the films capture them with humour and affection, so that children everywhere can recognise their own family in the families on screen.

How Watch now works

AnixTV is a guide, and every title page leads to the official services that carry the film or series. The Watch now button opens JustWatch for the country you choose, with the streaming subscriptions, rentals, purchases and free services that carry the title there.

Each country has its own list of services. Spanish films are easiest to find in Spain and Latin America, Mexican and Argentine films across the Americas, and Italian films in Italy, where public broadcasters and the big streaming services often keep family films and children's series in their libraries. Choosing your country in AnixTV makes sure the button always opens the right list. Fifteen countries are available, from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Italy to the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France and Portugal.

The help pages

AnixTV has fifteen help pages, each a short guide to one corner of the catalogue. How to watch with AnixTV explains the search box, the title pages and the Watch now button, Finding a title shares search tips, and My List explains how to save and share your plans.

Family sagas gathers the big families and busy parents, Football and sport heads to the pitch, Classic comedies introduces Cantinflas, Capulina, Joselito and Parchís, and Christmas visits Santa Claus, the Befana and the Christmas Witch. Children's television lists the best series, Magic and adventure travels to other worlds, and Growing up gathers stories of childhood.

The country guides, Spain, Mexico, Argentina and Latin America and Italy, suggest the best films from each country, and Learning Spanish and Italian with films suggests films for language learners.

A short history of family cinema in Spanish and Italian

The family film has a long history in the Spanish-speaking world and in Italy. In Mexico, the golden age of the forties and fifties produced comedians such as Cantinflas and Tin-Tan, whose films were watched by whole families in cinemas across Latin America. In Spain, the fifties brought the child stars Joselito and Marisol, and the sixties brought The Big Family, which became a Christmas tradition on Spanish television.

In the seventies and eighties, Mexican cinema made dozens of comedies with Capulina and Chespirito, and Spanish television made Verano azul, which turned a summer in Andalusia into a national memory. The children's band Parchís filled cinemas in Spain and Argentina, and in Italy, the fairy-tale films and series of Lamberto Bava, above all Fantaghirò, enchanted families across Europe.

From the 2000s onwards, a new generation of filmmakers brought fresh energy to family cinema. Argentina produced Chiquititas and The Games Maker, Chile turned the puppets of 31 Minutes into film stars, Spain produced Champions and the films of Santiago Segura, and Italy found new heroes in Me contro Te and the Befana. Today, family films from these countries reach audiences around the world.

Hidden gems

Beyond the famous titles, AnixTV holds many smaller films that deserve a wider audience. Simbad el Mareado, from 1950, is the oldest film in the catalogue and a lovely introduction to Tin-Tan. Shunko, from Argentina, is a moving story about a teacher and his pupils, and The Secret of the Old Woods is a rare and beautiful Italian fable.

The Car, from Colombia, is a warm comedy about a family and their beloved second-hand car, Habanastation is a funny and touching portrait of two boys in Havana, and A Horse Named Elephant, from Chile, is a gentle road movie about two brothers and a horse. Había una vez un circo, from Argentina, follows clowns who visit a sick little girl, and The Great Adventure, from 1969, follows two boys searching for their dog.

A perfect first night

If you are new to AnixTV, start with a film that everyone in the family can enjoy together. Champions is funny and moving, Father There Is Only One is a riot of family chaos, Pinocchio is a colourful fairy tale, and 31 Minutes: The Movie is pure fun for younger viewers. For a series, Verano azul is perfect for a week of summer evenings.

After the first film, let each member of the family choose the next one from their favourite country. Soon everyone will have a favourite hero, whether it is a basketball team called Los Amigos, a wooden puppet, a boy singer from Andalusia or a puppet newsreader from Chile, and the family will have a shared list of stories to return to again and again.

Why these films matter

The family films of Spain, Italy and Latin America share a special warmth. They are loud, funny and full of life, they celebrate big families, grandparents and neighbours, and they show children growing up in a world full of music, football, festivals and food. They also open a window onto many different countries, from the plazas of Madrid to the beaches of Andalusia, the streets of Mexico City, the mountains of Argentina and the hills of Tuscany.

For families who speak Spanish or Italian, these films are a way to share a language and a culture across generations. For everyone else, they are a joyful introduction to two of the world's great languages and to the stories that their speakers love best.

Happy viewing

AnixTV is made for families who love good stories and want to discover the family cinema of Spain, Italy and Latin America. Search for a favourite title, choose a country, browse the rows, add a few films to My List and press Watch now when the evening comes. Every page is ready with its story, its cast and its episodes, and the help pages are ready with a fresh idea for every evening. Buena película and buona visione, and happy viewing from everyone at AnixTV.

Questions