Fall is here! At least in our corner of the world it is. As the weather gets a little chillier, who doesn’t love to cozy up with some blankets and watch a good movie or two? At Petit Architect, we’re all about learning while having fun so we’ve rounded up some great architecture themed movies and tv series that will be entertaining and inspiring for both adults and kids alike.

Animated Movies

Monsters Inc - Monstropolis, the fictional city in Monsters Inc, features a diverse assortment of citizens. It’s a great way to show kids how important it is for a city to be accessible for all its citizens and how effortlessly people can move around in it. It also teaches us that there may be better methods of collecting energy (children’s screams) that are more sustainable and less harmful to others (children’s laughter). Pixar is great at mimicking the real world!

Wall-E - Wall-E is another Pixar movie that, more obviously, shows us the impact of harming our environment. The world is so damaged that it can no longer sustain human life. Instead, humans life a sheltered life with assistance from technology. Sustainability is an important factor to design, especially right now, so that we don’t fall into this maybe not so fictional world.

Big Hero 6 - The world design is a clever blend of San Francisco and Tokyo, taking the best parts of both cities and combining them into one super city. It’s a great movie to just be inspired!

Kung Fu Panda - This series features a ton of beautiful architecture inspired directly from China. Fun fact: the design team actually visited China specifically to study the architecture there before designing anything in the movie.

Coco - The world design in Coco was modeled after Mexican villages but the Land of the Dead features a more organic city design where the city grows and changes as it gains more residences. It’s a colourful movie that’s sure to inspired any aspiring designers.

How to Train Your Dragon - While a fantasy setting, this movie still has a great representation of a Viking settlement. The details are not only in the place they live, but how they move around and interact within their settlement. An excellent introduction to city building!

Documentaries AND REALITY

Lego House: Home of the Brick - The famous Lego House was built to resemble 21 giant Lego blocks sitting on each other. Watch as this plan becomes reality. - watch on Netflix US

Archiculture - This is a documentary film that explores the world of studio based design through the eyes of a group of students working on their final design project. - watch this for free on YouTube here

Abstract: The Art of Design - We particularly love episode 2 ‘Bio-Architecture’ where we watch professor Neri Oxman’s design process. The other episodes are equally entertaining, each one featuring a different type of design! watch on Netflix

Francis Kere: An Architect Between - Kere is an incredible designer and here we get to watch him design high design buildings with low tech materials. - watch here on Vimeo

The Competition - A documentary movie about how some of the best designers in the world struggle and strategize to beat the competition. - watch it here

Amazing Interiors - Meet eccentric homeowners and the incredible design features they’ve added into their homes. From a backyard roller coaster to an indoor aquarium, it’s sure to get anyone’s imagination running wild! - watch it on Netflix

The Infinite Happiness - Spotlighting the work of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, this documentary interview the people living in his innovative 8 house development, choosing to highlight their every day stories.

BONUS - Short Youtube Videos FOR FUN

Watch drone footage as the famous Lego House nears completion

Foster and Heatherwick complete Shanghai Theatre