The long-running World Masterpiece Theater put a brand new spin on classical literature to create family-friendly anime. The collection spanned a number of many years, and every year noticed the introduction of one other story.
Although the collection modified names and sponsors all through the many years, the core theme remained the identical; a younger orphaned, or quickly to be orphaned, protagonist struggling to get by within the Nineteenth to the early Twentieth-century world.
The seemingly light-hearted tales are sometimes marred by tragedy and dive into the darker sides of society. And for this reason the World Masterpiece Theater continues to have a long-lasting enchantment to adults and youngsters.
The Calpis Comedian Theater – 1969 to 1974
World Masterpiece Theater has its roots within the Calpis Comedian Theater, which aired on Fuji TV in Japan. This was a 5-year working collection of reveals beginning with Dororo in 1969.
In all, there have been six reveals spanning 5 years. And though these anime didn’t essentially match the theme of adapting traditional literature, this was the precursor to the favored collection.
Aspect observe: Calpis is a well-liked Japanese tender drink firm that sponsored the collection.
Dororo (Dororo and Hyakkimaru) – 1969
26 Episodes
The primary present within the collection was an adaptation of a manga authored by the legendary Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy). The collection follows a ronin and a younger orphan as they search to recuperate the ronin’s physique elements that his father bartered away to demons in trade for energy.
That is the one black-and-white present within the collection, and plenty of trendy anime followers are aware of the re-adapted anime launched in 2019.
Dororo can be distinctive in that it isn’t an adaptation of a traditional e book, and the present was toned down by Fuji TV as they felt the supply materials was too violent for a family-viewing viewers.
Moomin – 1969 to 1970
65 Episodes
Moomin was launched in late 1969 and was tailored from a collection of books and comics by Finnish creator and illustrator Tove Jansson.
The Moomin are spherical trolls who are sometimes mistaken for hippos. They take pleasure in their peaceable lives in Moominvalley and embark upon many adventures to faraway locations.
Even in the event you’ve by no means seen the collection, the characters are acquainted. And maybe most notable is the involvement of Hayao Miyazaki, who did key animation for the collection.
Andersen Tales – 1971
52 Episodes
Andersen Tales, or Andersen Monogatari, depicts the various tales of Hans Christian Andersen in an episodic format. Tying the episodes collectively are the 2 pixie mascots, Sukko and Sweet.
The present has the same aesthetic to the 1969 Frosty the Snowman film, and that’s as a result of each have been animated by Mushi Manufacturing, with Osamu Dezaki overseeing animation on the 2 productions.
This collection is to not be confused with the film launched by Toei Animation, with the same premise, in 1968.
New Moomin – 1972
52 Episodes
After the unique collection was canceled on account of inventive variations with the creator, Moomin was rebooted as a extra trustworthy adaption of the books.
The creator finally compromised on the present as long as it was by no means broadcast exterior of Japan.
Fables of the Inexperienced Forest – 1973
52 Episodes
This anime relies on a collection of kids’s books authored by Thornton Burgess within the early Twentieth century. These tales function animal characters coping with adversity and making associates with their neighbors.
This present takes place in a North American forest the place a woodchuck and his good friend set out for the distant Inexperienced Forest. Alongside the best way, they make associates and face off towards the specter of predators and man.
The present was produced by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who famously co-created Area Battleship Yamato with Leiji Matsumoto.
Heidi, Woman of the Alps – 1974
52 Episodes
Heidi is the story of a 5-year-old lady who strikes in along with her grandfather within the Bavarian Alps. From there, the connection along with her grandfather grows till she finds herself uprooted as soon as extra.
Heidi, Woman of the Alps, grew to become immensely in style on a world degree after it was translated for syndication in over 10 languages. And while you take a look at the folks concerned, it’s not arduous to see why:
- Isao Takahata (co-founder of Studio Ghibli)
- Hayao Miyazaki (co-founder of Studio Ghibli)
- Yoichi Kotabe (animator on Nausicaa and sport improvement advisor for Nintendo)
- Toyoo Ashida (director of Vampire Hunter D)
The World Masterpiece Theater
After the airing of Heidi, the collection was rebranded to the Calpis Kids’s Theater, and the present continued the development of adapting classical youngsters’s literature.
This transition is the road that defines the official begin of the collection that’s now collectively known as the World Masterpiece Theater.
Below the manufacturing of Nippon Animation, the collection modified names and sponsors a number of instances:
- 1975 to 1977 – Calpis Kids’s Theater
- 1978 – Calpis Household Theater
- 1979 to 1985 – World Masterpiece Theater (no sponsor)
- 1986 to 1993 – Home Meals World Masterpiece Theater
- 1994 to 1997 – World Masterpiece Theater (no sponsor)
- 2007 to 2009 – Home Meals World Masterpiece Theater
The collection was canceled in 1997 and restarted in 2007 earlier than being canceled once more 2 years later. Since then, Nippon Animation has not created one other present within the collection.
In all, there have been 26 reveals within the World Masterpiece Theater, and every is an effective possibility for anybody on the lookout for family-friendly anime leisure.
A Canine of Flanders – 1975
52 Episodes
That is the story of a boy and his canine in Nineteenth-century Holland. After the boy’s grandfather dies, he’s left with solely his canine and a wrestle to outlive whereas pursuing his ardour as a painter.
A Canine of Flanders is noteworthy for being the primary official anime entry within the World Masterpiece Theater.
Marco, 3000 Leagues in Seek for Mom – 1976
52 Episodes
Marco is a younger boy in depression-era Italy who embarks upon a journey to seek out his mom, who has gone lacking in Brazil.
That is one other collection directed by Isao Takahata previous to his co-founding Studio Ghibli. And within the 80s, the collection was recut right into a feature-length film after which later re-animated in 1999.
Rascal the Raccoon – 1977
52 Episodes
Rascal is a child raccoon found by a younger boy after his mom is shot.
The younger boy takes within the raccoon and makes an attempt to cultivate and take care of his new pet. This proves to be troublesome as raccoons are usually not suited to life as a pet.
The present was later blamed for a surge of raccoons in Japan, which have been imported for pets. Many of those pets have been launched into the wild, which had a devastating affect on the native wildlife and ecosystem.
The Story of Perrine – 1978
53 Episodes
Perrine relies on the French novel En Famille by Hector Malot.
Her father dies in Bosnia early within the present, and his final request is that Perrine and her mom journey to his hometown to stay together with his grandfather. Alongside the best way, Perrine’s mom succumbs to an sickness, and she or he should proceed the journey alone.
Anne of Inexperienced Gables – 1979
50 Episodes
Anne is an orphan who’s by chance despatched to a household that requested a boy. After the preliminary shock, the household learns to like Anne as she settles into her new life.
Along with the route of Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki additionally performed a job within the scene setting and structure. It was throughout this collection that Miyazaki left Nippon Animation for TMS Leisure to direct his first function movie.
In case you’re questioning, it was Lupin III: The Fortress of Cagliostro.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – 1980
49 Episodes
Based mostly on the favored e book by Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer was the 2nd adaptation of an American story (Rascal the Raccoon was the primary).
The present was later dubbed into English and broadcast on HBO within the late 80s.
The Swiss Household Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island – 1981
50 Episodes
This present is loosely primarily based on the Swiss Household Robinson Novel. The primary character, Flone, was not current within the unique novel, and it’s believed that she was added so the present might enchantment to a younger feminine viewers.
In any other case, the premise of a shipwreck on a abandoned island is maintained, and the present is without doubt one of the few that was dubbed into English for the American market.
Lucy-Could of the Southern Rainbow – 1982
50 Episodes
In 1982, World Masterpiece Theater noticed the primary adaptation of an Australian novel, Southern Rainbow.
Much more distinctive to this example is that the creator was nonetheless alive, and the e book had not but been printed when the anime aired. This resulted in some parts of the story being invented by the manufacturing staff within the midst of making the present.
Lucy-Could and her household have ventured from England to Australia searching for their very own piece of land to begin a farm. Nonetheless, upon arrival, they discover that issues are usually not going to be as simple as anticipated.
Story of the Alps: My Annette – 1983
48 Episodes
Based mostly on Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John, Story of the Alps takes place within the Swiss Alps (versus the Bavarian Alps in Heidi) village of Rossiniere.
Annette finds herself searching for vengeance towards her former good friend, Lucien after he injures her youthful brother in retaliation for getting in bother in school.
Annette is unwilling to forgive Lucien regardless of his makes an attempt to reconcile, and this units off a narrative the place the values of forgiveness and understanding are discovered.
Katri, Woman of the Meadows – 1984
49 Episodes
Katri, Woman of the Meadows, was tailored from the Finnish novel, The Shepherd, the Servant Woman, and the Hostess, authored by Auni Nuolivaara.
Younger Katri has been left behind along with her grandparents whereas her mom ventures to Germany. Sadly, Finland is underneath the rule of Russia, and her household farm is dealing with robust circumstances.
Katri works on a neighboring farm to assist help her household, however the 9-year-old finds her days of working to be daunting and grueling.
Princess Sara – 1985
46 Episodes
Princess Sara relies on the youngsters’s novel, A Little Princess.
Regardless of being popular with her classmates, the varsity’s headmistress seeks to make her life a dwelling hell. Happily for Sara, an previous good friend of her father enters the image with the intention of paying again her father (in a great way).
This anime explores themes of poverty and little one abuse and was chosen as the most effective 100 Japanese anime collection of all time by viewers of the television community TV Asahi.
The Story of Pollyanna, Woman of Love – 1986
51 Episodes
The Story of Pollyanna adapts the unique 1913 novel Pollyanna and its 1915 sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up, by Eleanor H. Porter.
After Pollyana’s father all of a sudden passes in a automotive accident, she strikes in with an aunt who she has by no means met. Initially, her Aunt is disgusted by Pollyana and her infantile conduct. Nonetheless, their relationship grows over time into a robust bond.
Tales of Little Girls – 1987
48 Episodes
This collection is loosely primarily based on the novel Little Girls and takes place close to Gettysburg in the course of the American Civil Struggle.
After Union forces arrive and destroy their dwelling, the March household has no alternative however to maneuver to Newcord to stay with an estranged aunt and hopefully rebuild their lives.
The daughters take up odd jobs to assist make ends meet whereas coping with the antagonisms of their aunt and cousin.
Little Prince Cedie – 1988
43 Episodes
Cedric, or “Cedie” as he’s known as, lives in Brooklyn, New York, and enjoys a contented life together with his mother and father and associates. Sadly, his father all of a sudden dies of a coronary heart assault, and Cedric is whisked away to stay in England.
It seems that Cedric is the inheritor to the Earl of Dorincourt, his grandfather.
His grandfather is chilly and distant however has the intention of turning Cedric into a correct aristocrat. After a while, he convinces his grandfather to permit his mom to maneuver in, and the 2 ultimately soften the Earl’s coronary heart.
The Adventures of Peter Pan – 1989
41 Episodes
The story facilities round Wendy and Peter Pan’s adventures in Neverland and focuses on the romance that develops between the 2 primary characters.
Peter Pan is the one anime within the World Masterpiece Theater that’s set in a world of magical fantasy.
My Daddy Lengthy Legs – 1990
40 Episodes
Judy Abbot receives the chance to attend a prestigious Excessive College from a mysterious benefactor underneath the situation that she writes him a letter each month detailing her experiences on the college.
Given her background, Judy initially struggles along with her insecurities across the wealthier youngsters, but she impresses her classmates along with her sort demeanor and makes associates.
Trapp Household Story – 1991
40 Episodes
This entry within the collection is an adaptation of The Story of the Trapp Household Singers, which you will acknowledge from The Sound of Music.
Maria misplaced her mother and father when she was younger and decides to grow to be a nun after graduating from college. Nonetheless, she finds herself at odds with the conventions and traditions of the monastery and is shipped to tutor the youngsters of an Austrian aristocrat.
Maria falls in love with the youngsters and shortly finds herself in a romance with their father.
Bush Child, Little Angel of the Grasslands – 1992
40 Episodes
This anime takes place within the Sixties, making it the primary present within the collection to happen after World Struggle II.
13-year-old Jacqueline Rhodes is a British lady who’s fascinated along with her life in Africa. Someday, she takes in an injured bushbaby and names him Murphy.
Very like Rascal the Raccoon, this anime depicts the challenges of domesticating a wild animal and that it’s not all the time in the perfect curiosity of the animal to stay a human life.
Little Girls II: Jo’s Boys – 1993
40 Episodes
That is the one sequel on the listing (there’s a prequel, nevertheless!), and it’s the follow-up to 1987’s Tales of Little Girls.
10 years later, Josephine March is married to a German professor and has began a brand new college for kids. Annie “Nan” Harding is without doubt one of the college students at this new college and desires to be a physician when she grows up.
Jo’s Boys was written by Michiru Shimada, whose anime credit embrace Urusei Yatsura, Rurouni Kenshin, One Piece, and Little Witch Academia.
Tico of the Seven Seas – 1994
39 Episodes
Free Willy was a cultural phenomenon in 1993 that scored large on the field workplace. So maybe it’s no shock that an anime a few child and her trustworthy killer whale sidekick would launch within the following yr.
Tico of the Seven Seas is about younger Nanami and her orca good friend, Tico. The 2 have a robust bond of friendship, and collectively they search to save lots of a uncommon Luminous Whale from grasping poachers.
That is the one anime within the World Masterpiece Theater that could be a utterly unique story and was produced to commemorate the Twentieth anniversary of the collection. The present additionally takes place within the yr it was created, making it essentially the most “trendy” entry within the collection.
Romeo’s Blue Skies – 1995
33 Episodes
Romeo’s Blue Skies is customized from the 1941 Swiss novel, The Black Brothers. It is a unhappy story about human trafficking and little one labor in Nineteenth-century Switzerland.
Romeo sells himself to a toddler trafficker after his father falls ailing in order that he can afford to pay a physician to save lots of his dad. From there, Romeo is shipped to Milan to work as a chimney sweep.
Life is harsh for Romeo and his new associates, so that they type an alliance known as the “Black Brothers” to guard themselves from a road gang whereas figuring out the rest of their contract.
Well-known Canine Lassie – 1996
26 Episodes
The world-renowned border collie is the perfect good friend of 9-year-old John, and collectively they take pleasure in a peaceable life in England. After John’s father loses his job, Lassie finally ends up with a brand new proprietor in Scotland.
After Lassie escapes, she begins a journey to reconnect with John.
Well-known Canine Lassie was the directorial debut of Sunao Katabuchi, who labored underneath Hayao Miyazaki on Kiki’s Supply Service and later directed Black Lagoon, Mai Mai Miracle, and In This Nook of the World.
Remi, No one’s Woman – 1996 to 1997
26 Episodes
Remi is a cheerful and type 10-year-old who enjoys a straightforward life along with her mom and sister. Sadly for Remi, her father returns injured from a prolonged stint working in Paris and divulges that Remi was discovered as an deserted orphan.
Remi’s father is livid that Remi was not despatched to a workhouse and sells her to a slave dealer, which is the place Remy’s new lifetime of loss and sorrow begins.
Remi, No one’s Woman is the final present within the collection to make use of conventional hand-drawn cel animation, and the final episode would deliver an finish to a 22-year run of the World Masterpiece Theater.
Les Misérables: Little Woman Cosette – 2007
52 Episodes
10 years after Remi, Nippon Animation revived the collection with their tackle Les Depressing, a tragic story going down in Nineteenth-century France.
On this adaptation, the story is targeted on Cosette, a younger lady who’s positioned within the care of a corrupt man who indentures her and treats her like his slave. After 5 years, Cosette goes on the run searching for her mom.
Sadly, she ultimately discovers that issues didn’t go properly for her mom.
This collection was directed by Hiroaki Sakurai, who additionally directed Cromartie Excessive College and The Disastrous Lifetime of Saiki Ok.
The Lengthy Journey of Porphy – 2008
52 Episodes
Porphyrus and his sister are orphaned after an earthquake in Greece destroyed their dwelling. Slightly than break up up in foster care, the 2 determined to discover a new dwelling in Europe to remain collectively.
Sadly, the 2 are nonetheless separated, and Porphy endures a protracted journey searching for his lacking sister.
This anime relies on the French youngsters’s novel, Orphans of Simitra.
On a facet observe, in celebration of the twenty fifth season of the collection, lots of the Japanese voice actors from previous reveals within the collection returned for cameo appearances.
Hi there Anne: Earlier than Inexperienced Gables – 2009
39 Episodes
Because the title implies, Hi there Anne is a prequel to Anne of Inexperienced Gables and chronicles the lifetime of 6-year-old Anne Shirley and her struggles with being an orphan. This contains the lack of her mother and father, shifting between households, and dwelling in an orphanage.
This anime was a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the unique novel’s launch in 1908 and the thirtieth anniversary of the World Masterpiece Theater adaptation. This was additionally the ultimate present to air within the long-running collection.
Legacy of the World Masterpiece Theater
Reveals from the World Masterpiece Theater stay in syndication all through the world. And the family-friendly accessibility of the collection creates a gateway for a lot of followers into the world of anime.
For that reason, the collection is traditionally important and serves as place to begin for anybody making an attempt to get their youngsters or youthful siblings into anime.
