"Arupusu no shôjo Haiji" (1974) TV series

Directors:

Atsuji Hayakawa
Masao Kuroda

Writer:

Mamoru Sasaki (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 January 1974 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Animation

Plot:

This animation series follows the childhood "adventures" of a girl named Heidi, who lives with her grandfather somewhere on the Alps.

Plot Keywords:

Young Girl | Anime | Kids And Family | Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Cristina Camargo	...	Heidi (52 episodes, 1974)
Francisco Colmenero	...	Abuelo (28 episodes, 1974)

Also Known As:

Heidi (West Germany)
Heidi: Girl of the Alps

Runtime:

Argentina:28 min | Japan:24 min (52 episodes)

Country:

Japan | West Germany

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

Zuiyo

Trivia:

The opening credit roll was animated by Hayao Miyazaki, except for two scenes by experienced animator Yasuji Mori. Assigned to animate a ring dance of Heidi and Peter, Mori wanted to analyze a movement of two real people, so Miyazaki and animation director Yôichi Kotabe did a ring dance in a parking lot next to their studio, and Mori shot them with an 8mm camera for reference.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Diese Drombuschs: Der Zerfall (#6.5)" (1994)

A true classic

This TV series was one of the first anime hits in Argentina that crossed all barriers of age and gender. Extremely sweet and gentle, Heidi has a charm that both girls, parents and even boys love (but they'll never admit to it, of course). Heidi is such a pure girl that is impossible to ignore its charm. This TV series marks one of the earliest collaborations of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. By now, you can already see the genius of both. Looking back at these 52 episodes after their successful carreers, it is interesting to see many of their themes and leit motifs appearing in Heidi that would later also surface in later works (young heroines, love for country life, lazy and silent dogs, etc). Sadly, the TV series does not seem to have been published for later generations so the only way to watch it is likely thru some old fan subs. Technically, Heidi is also very impressive to see even today. The traditional use of shadowing in anime is instead replaced by a more flat look but a bigger emphasis put in animation. Looking at it today, animation buffs will be amazed at how good the animation of Heidi was for its time, the traditionally tight budgets of TV production and the length of the series.