Strangest movie title translations
You'll never believe what they called "Jaws" in France!
Image: Markus Spiske
Hollywood movies travel far and wide, but sometimes, their titles don’t make the journey intact. When films are released in other countries, they often get wildly different names: Some are literal, some are hilarious, and some even spoil the plot! Did you know Grease became Vaseline in Argentina? Or that The Sixth Sense revealed its big twist in China? Let’s take a look at some of the most entertaining, bizarre, and downright confusing movie title translations from around the world!
1
The Teeth of the Sea
Image: Kelsey K
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws terrified audiences with its simple but chilling title. But in France, the name was softened to The Teeth of the Sea . Are we watching a horror movie or a National Geographic documentary?
Don’t get us wrong, the title still conveys the idea of a deadly shark, but it lacks the punch of the original. Can you imagine the famous Jaws poster with this title instead? Not the same impact!
2
Mom, I Missed the Plane
Image: Alsu Vershinina
Can you guess which movie we’re talking about? Of course, it’s Home Alone ! We all know this movie as the classic Christmas comedy about little Kevin McCallister, whose family accidentally leaves behind.
But in France, the title suggests that Kevin missed the flight himself, as if this was his own fault! Mom, I Missed the Plane shifts the blame away from his forgetful parents, making it sound like he had one job and messed it up. That’s a different movie!
3
The War of the Stars
Image: Emmanuel Denier
It’s hard to imagine Star Wars being called anything else, but in France, it became The War of the Stars , and in Spain, it was The War of the Galaxies . That’s not too far off, but some translations went a bit crazy.
For example, in Germany, Han Solo’s ship, the Millennium Falcon, became the Speeding Falcon. In France, Han himself was renamed Yan Solo, and Chewbacca was Chico. And their ship? The Millennium Condor! We feel confident in saying that the Force was not with those translators.
4
Super Power Dare Die Team
Image: Lance Grandahl
The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot wasn’t a huge hit, but it would have had an even stranger fate in China. The translated title was Super Power Dare Die Team , which sounds more like an extreme sports competition than a paranormal comedy, don’t you think?
In reality, the movie was never officially released in China due to censorship laws against supernatural themes. But if it had made it, fans would have been left wondering just what kind of movie they were about to watch!
5
A Very Powerful Whale Runs to Heaven
Image: Gabriel Dizzi
The heartwarming story of a boy helping a whale escape captivity became something far more dramatic in some countries.
Free Willy was translated to A Very Powerful Whale Runs to Heaven in China. This movie sounds like a spiritual journey rather than an animal rescue mission. While the whale does leap to freedom, it doesn’t quite run anywhere, and it definitely doesn’t go to heaven, at least not in the movie! That’s an odd twist!
6
A Twin Seldom Comes Alone
Image: Alexander Grey
The Parent Trap was a fun family film about separated twin sisters and their adventurous reunion . But it became something oddly deep in Germany.
The title was translated to A Twin Seldom Comes Alone , which sounds more like an ancient proverb than a Disney remake, right? Maybe they were making a poetic statement about how twins always come in pairs. We don’t know, but we think it’s a pretty dramatic title for a lighthearted comedy!
7
He’s a Ghost!
Image: Tandem X Visuals
The Sixth Sense , by M. Nigh Shatamalan, is famous for its shocking twist ending , unless you were in China, where the title literally gave it away.
Instead of the mysterious The Sixth Sense , the movie was released as He’s a Ghost! , ruining the entire plot before the opening credits even rolled. Spoiler is the understatement of the century here!
8
The Boy Drowned in the Chocolate Sauce
Image: Pete Wright
Denmark took a grim approach to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory : They renamed it The Boy Drowned in the Chocolate Sauce . While it’s true that Augustus Gloop’s chocolate river mishap is one of the film’s most memorable moments, it makes the movie sound more like a crime drama than a whimsical adventure.
Meanwhile, Portugal softened the title to Charlie’s Wonderful Story , and Spain went with A Fantasy World . Denmark gets the prize for morbid and hilarious, anyway!
9
Vaseline
Image: JUNHYUNG PARK
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s beloved musical Grease got a slick new name in Argentina: Vaseline . Can you guess the logic behind this choice?
Grease refers to the oily hair product used by 1950s greasers, so Vaseline was the closest match. While it technically makes sense, it definitely changes the feel of the movie. The Musical doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!
10
Fantastic Emotional Turmoil
Image: Dean Gibbons
Pixar’s Inside Out was a clever way to teach kids about emotions, but in Thailand, the title got extra dramatic . The movie was released as Fantastic Emotional Turmoil , which makes it sound like a high-stakes psychological thriller. We know the human experience can be difficult, but this is too much!
Other countries struggled with the translation too: in China, for example, it was The Great Team Inside the Head . Clearly, Pixar’s abstract concept wasn’t the easiest to put into words!
