Summer is the best time of year to enjoy movies with the family. The long school holidays are always more pleasant and refreshing when planning an afternoon with the little ones at home in a dark room where you can escape the intense heat and, at the same time, ready to recover that child we all carry inside to embark on endless entertaining adventures. Animation is always a foolproof genre. Titles as attractive as those that arrived at the beginning of the summer season such as Toy story 5, Minions & Monsters or Disney’s live-action Vaiana have dominated the Spanish box office – together they have grossed more than 32 million euros and nearly six million viewers – achieving success for family productions to which several new releases join from today.
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One of them is the new installment of the successful franchise Paw Patrol, which originated in Canada as a TV series in 2013 and whose protagonists have become very beloved faces for the child audience. Three years after Paw Patrol: The Movie, it is time for The Dino Movie, where the friendly canine agents return to the big screen to face a new mission among dinosaurs, prehistoric dangers, and the alliance of a new friend named Rex. Again directed by Cal Brunker, the film features the voices of Mckenna Grace, Jennifer Hudson, rapper Snoop Dogg, and Paris Hilton, who plays the owner of a cat.
Also now available in theaters is the Chinese production Sons of the Sky, a fantasy-tinged story that was nominated at last year’s Annecy festival. The story is about a divine young man named Jin Feng who descends to the mortal world with the goal of redeeming his family’s sins by capturing the 28 star spirits. During his mission, he crosses paths with a mortal young woman who seeks to ascend to the celestial realm to find her missing mother.
Next week, up to three family productions will arrive in Spanish cinemas. From Norway comes the animated Manual for Superheroes: The Red Mask, directed by Anoo Bhagavan and Patrik Forsberg and based on the bestselling children’s books by the Swedish couple Agnes and Elias Våhlund. The film tells how Lisa, a ten-year-old girl bullied in the decaying city of Rosenhill, finds a book that teaches her to become a superheroine.
From distant Australia comes Kangaroo: An Adventure in Australia, a family comedy seasoned with a bit of drama and plenty of humor that garnered seven nominations at the 2025 Australian film awards. Loosely inspired by the real life of Chris Barns, founder of the famous kangaroo sanctuary in Alice Springs, it follows a former TV presenter and an indigenous girl who rescue orphaned kangaroo joeys. There is no doubt it will be a beautiful experience that will transform their lives and move the audience.
Meanwhile, Frenchman Philippe Lacheau directs, writes, and stars in Marsupilami, a family farce comedy full of gags, outrageous situations, and a group dynamic that includes Jean Reno in the cast and is also the sequel to In Search of Marsupilami (2012), a live-action adaptation of the Franco-Belgian comic character Marsupilami, created by André Franquin in 1952. In the neighboring country, it premiered last February and gathered nearly 6 million viewers.
Spanish animation will shine brightly from August 26 with Tad Jones and the Wonderful Lamp, the fourth episode of the adventures of the famous archaeologist created by Enrique Gato, which promises to be another hit four years after the box office success The Emerald Tablet with a story inspired by classic tales and full of action, humor, and magic. Now, the Spanish Indiana Jones and Sara are parents to Olympia, a fearless two-year-old girl who awakens Momia’s jealousy. The plot begins in London, where Sara follows the trail of the wonderful lamp from One Thousand and One Nights. Momia’s desire to travel through time will cause the protagonists to end up in the same cave as Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. In this new installment, comedian Carlos Latre shines lending his voice to three characters.
Additionally, the Filmoteca de Catalunya brings cinema closer to the little ones this summer with its Filmoxica cycle, which will screen titles such as The Goonies (1985), Super 8 (2011), My Extraordinary Week with Tess (2019), or Lola and the Puzzle Piano (2024). And, before going back to school, the big screen will be filled with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). The first adventure of the boy wizard who made the leap to cinema from the addictive pages born from J.K. Rowling’s mind is already 25 years old, and nothing better than a re-release to travel back to Hogwarts, reunite with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, and capture the attention of younger generations with spells and a good dose of mystery.
Tickets have been on sale since July 31, and the event takes place a few months before the arrival of the long-awaited Harry Potter TV series on HBO. It will be on December 25, and the first season will also adapt the first book of the saga and consist of eight episodes. A new project that aims to be much more faithful to Rowling’s original work than the movies. Until then, it’s time to enjoy the nostalgia.
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