A Polish children's fantasy film rooted in a 1946 classic has found a massive new audience on Netflix. Kleks Academy (Akademia Pana Kleksa), based on Jan Brzechwa's beloved book, became a global phenomenon after its English-language release, drawing 3.7 million views in its very first week and ranking as the third most-watched non-English film on the platform worldwide.
Kleks Academy's Remarkable Netflix Journey
The film tells the story of a young girl searching for her missing father, who enrolls in a magical academy run by the eccentric wizard Ambroży Kleks. The title role is played by Tomasz Kot, widely known to international audiences for his performance in the Oscar-winning Polish film Cold War.
Before reaching global Netflix audiences, Kleks Academy had already proved its appeal at home. Released in Polish cinemas earlier in 2024, the film drew over three million admissions domestically. It then premiered on Polish Netflix in May 2024, and its English-dubbed release shortly afterward supercharged viewership around the world.
A Story 78 Years in the Making
The source material is Jan Brzechwa's 1946 children's novel Akademia Pana Kleksa, a cornerstone of Polish children's literature for nearly eight decades. Director Maciej Kawulski translated that imaginative world into a visually rich fantasy adventure that clearly resonated far beyond Poland's borders.
Kawulski has already confirmed a sequel adapting Brzechwa's second book, which released in Polish cinemas on 10 January 2025. He expressed high ambitions for the follow-up: "If the first part of Kleks Academy fired children's imaginations, the second part will not only shine even brighter and in some other ways will open new dimensions."
Polish Cinema's Growing Global Footprint on Netflix
Netflix opened its Warsaw office in 2022, and Kleks Academy's success is the latest demonstration of the platform's investment in Polish storytelling paying off internationally. Another Polish adaptation, Forgotten Love (Znachor), previously spent eight weeks in Netflix's global top ten non-English films and accumulated nearly 40 million views — a benchmark Kleks Academy is now chasing.
The film's crossover appeal shows that quality children's fantasy travels well across language barriers, and that Netflix's localization push is opening doors for Polish productions that would once have remained regional.
Key Takeaways
- Kleks Academy drew 3.7 million Netflix views in its first week after the English release, ranking third among non-English films globally. - The film is based on Jan Brzechwa's classic 1946 Polish children's novel and stars Tomasz Kot, known for the Oscar-winning Cold War. - It attracted over 3 million cinema admissions in Poland before arriving on Netflix. - Director Maciej Kawulski confirmed a sequel; Kleks Academy 2 released in Polish cinemas in January 2025. - Netflix's Warsaw office, opened in 2022, continues to drive Polish productions to global audiences.
