Heidi, Girl of the Alps


Heidi, Girl of the Alps is a 1974 Japanese series by Zuiyo Eizo based on the Swiss novel Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning by Johanna Spyri. It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime luminaries, including Yoichi Kotabe, Toyoo Ashida, Yoshiyuki Tomino, and Hayao Miyazaki.
Heidi is one of several World Masterpiece Theater titles produced around the "classical children's literature period", based on classic tales from the Western world. The animation studio responsible for Heidi, Zuiyo Enterprises, would split in 1975 into Nippon Animation Company, Ltd. and Zuiyo Company, Ltd., which retained the rights to the Heidi TV series. The feature-length film edit of the TV series, released in March 1979, was engineered completely by Zuiyo, with no additional involvement from Nippon Animation, Takahata or Miyazaki.

Plot

Heidi is five years old when her aunt Dete, who has raised Heidi since her parents' Tobias and Adelaide death four years earlier, takes Heidi to live with her formidable grandfather on the Swiss Alps. Dete has found a promising job in Frankfurt, but cannot leave while still Heidi's guardian, nor can she take Heidi with her. The only relative left is Heidi's grandfather, and in Dete’s opinion, he should take some responsibility. Alm-Onji, as Heidi's grandfather is commonly known, has a fearsome reputation with the villagers of Dörfli, as rumors claim that in his youth he killed a man. Now he lives a solitary life with his dog Josef in a cabin halfway up the mountain. However, Heidi quickly wins her way into his heart with her enthusiasm and intelligence, firmly establishing herself in his life. She spends her summer days on the mountain top with the goatherd Peter, whose responsibility it is to take the villagers' goats to the high mountains for pasture, and her winters occasionally visiting Peter's grandmother, a blind old woman whose dream is to one day hear her cherished book of psalms read to her. Alm-Onji's misanthropy and seclusion prevents Heidi from going to school, of which she has no experience anyway, ultimately leaving her illiterate.
Heidi continues to live happily in the mountains until Aunt Dete returns from the city, excited about a good opportunity for Heidi. A wealthy German businessman, Mr. Sesemann, is searching for a companion for his crippled daughter Clara. Thwarted by Alm-Onji, Dete tricks Heidi into accompanying her, ostensibly to get a present for Peter and her grandfather. Promised that she can return at any time, Heidi is taken to Frankfurt. There, Dete abandons her to the "care" of Miss Rottenmeier, the strict, no-nonsense governess in charge of Clara's welfare. Heidi and Clara quickly become friends, and Heidi quickly turns the household topsy-turvy with her escapades and well-meaning faux pas. Clara is enchanted by Heidi's stories of the Alps, which paint a picture of a life completely different from the sheltered and lonely one she is accustomed to. Her father is mostly away on business, and Clara's only constant companions until now are the servants and her canary.
Heidi's longing to return home and occasional attempts to escape are punctuated by the occasional distractions of new friends. She smuggles a small kitten into the house, and she and Clara care for it until Miss Rottenmeier discovers it and has it thrown out, until Sebastian, the kindly butler, is able to leave the kitten with a friend. Clara's doctor befriends her, and occasionally keeps a benevolent eye on her, but it is Clara's grandmother that has the most impact. On one of her rare visits to Frankfurt, she and Heidi become fast friends. Under her kindly tutelage, Heidi finally learns how to read, to the astonishment of the tutor who has struggled for months to do the same. However, the old woman's departure home again proves a turning point for Heidi. Forbidden by Miss Rottenmeier to ever mention or even think of the Alps again, Heidi rapidly goes into a decline, eventually becoming a sleep-walker, whose passage through the hallways is mistaken for that of a ghost, terrorizing the household.
Summoned home to deal with the haunting, Mr. Sesemann, with the aid of the doctor, catch Heidi in the middle of the night. The doctor diagnoses Heidi's condition and persuades Mr. Sesemann to send the girl back to her Alps before she dies of homesickness. Clara is only reconciled by the promise that she will be allowed to visit Heidi in her mountains. Under the care of Sebastian, Heidi embarks on the long trip home, finally returning to the arms of her overjoyed grandfather, Peter and his family.
Heidi's return and her newfound enjoyment of reading prompt Alm-Onji to partially restore a ruined house down in the village, where they retire the following winter so that Heidi can start going to school. Over the course of the season, Heidi and Alm-Onji become friendly with the villagers, and Peter builds his own sled and wins a local race. The subsequent spring, they return to the mountain in the Alps, bidding farewell to their new friends. In Frankfurt, Clara, who has been longing to see her friend again, reminds her father of his promise to her, but he reminds her that the conditions in the Swiss Alps may be too harsh for her to handle. The doctor is sent to the Alps in her place, to inspect the area and determine whether it is an appropriate environment for a crippled, sick young girl. Heidi, Peter, Alm-Onji, and the limitations of the terrain convince the doctor that this may be just the place for Clara to try her legs again.
In due course, Clara comes to the Alps with Miss Rottenmeier, who shows a clear disapproval of the rustic conditions and an open fear of animals. However, Clara's grandmother soon arrives, and after seeing first-hand the vast improvement in Clara's condition, sends Miss Rottenmeier home, commending Clara to the Alm-Onji's care before departing herself. After having established that Clara's legs are capable of functioning, the children and Alm-Onji begin to work on Clara's physical therapy. Eventually, Clara is able to walk without assistance and returns home with her father and grandmother, promising that she will return the following spring to be with her friends again. In the Heidi there is also a trio, Karl, Theresa and William.

Cast

Characters

Main characters

;Heidi
;Alm-Onji
;Peter
;Clara Sesemann

Others

;Tobias: Heidi's father. Who passed away with Adelheid
;Adelheid: Heidi's mother. Who passed away with Tobias
;Joseph: Heidi's grandfather's dog, a St. Bernard. Mostly lazying around the alm hut, he is nevertheless stout and reliable in an emergency, and has a habit of gobbling up any snail he encounters. This character was created exclusively for the series, and does not appear in Johanna Spyri's original story.
;Yuki: A kid goat among the flock Peter cares for. She had taken an instant liking to Heidi upon first meeting her. Based on a kid goat named "Schneehöppli" from the book.
;Brigette: Brigette is Peter's mother.
;Peter's Grandmother: Peter's grandmother lives with him and her daughter, Brigette. Blind for several years, her greatest dream is to have someone read her favorite songs from an old book in her possession.
;Aunt Dete: Aunt Dete is the sister of Heidi's mother, Adelheid. In the novel and the series, she is portrayed as a rather self-centered person, considering her own interests first and neglecting the opinions of others.
;Fräulein Rottenmeier: Miss Rottenmeier is the governess and housekeeper of the Sesemann family.
;Sebastian: Sebastian is the butler of the Sesemann family.
;Tinette: Tinette is the maid of the Sesemann family.
;Johan: Johan is the carriage driver for the Sesemann family.
;Mr. Sesemann: Mr. Sesemann is Clara's father and the head of the Sesemann household. Absent from his house most of the time, he leaves the daily proceedings to Fräulein Rottenmeier, though he occasionally returns home when pressing concerns are brought to his attention.
;The Doctor: Clara's attending physician and an old friend of the Sesemann household, who also befriends Heidi when she first encounters him on an errand for Herr Sesemann. In the German version of the series, he is usually called "Herr Geheimrat".
;Frau Sesemann: Clara's grandmother and Mr. Sesemann's mother, who lives in Holstein and visits her son's household only infrequently. A lively and informal person despite her age, full of humor and fun, who strongly contrasts with Fräulein Rottenmeier and her strict adherence to discipline.

International broadcast

The Heidi, Girl of the Alps anime has been dubbed into about twenty languages. The TV series was able to reach major stardom in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Arab world, and South Africa.

Spanish versions

In Spain, the series debuted on TVE in 1975, simply titled Heidi. An introduction to anime for many of that generation then, by some months it was already popular enough to have its merchandise include a comic book adaptation, and later continuation, of the series, published bi-weekly by Ediciones Recreativas and lasting over an hundred issues in total from that year to 1981. "Abuelito, dime tú" became one of the best known children's songs in Spain and Heidi herself became one of both Sélica Torcal and Marisa Marco's most famous roles. The name "Rottenmeier" became synonymous with "uptight, straight-laced hag" among Spaniards and has subsequently been used to describe multiple female politicians, as well as the Spanish parliament, plus has the women been used as a bad type of 'potential' single and even had an psychological book written about her, simply titled Rottenmeier: la novela by Roberto Carrasco Calvente.
In Latin America, it has been popular since debuting on Mexican TV in 1978 and, much like Spain, Heidi herself become one of Cristina Camargo's most beloved roles, but now she shares famous role spots with dubbing director Francisco Colmenero, as well as fellow actors Diana "Ad" Santos and Eugenia Avendaño.

German version

For the series' German dub, an entirely new soundtrack was composed; the in-episode compositions were created by Gert Wilden and the title song's music by and performed by the Schlager folk duo Gitti und Erika. The lyrics for the title song, which was simply titled "Heidi" were written by Andrea Wagner and Wolfgang Weinzierl the last one who also made the script translations and dubbing direction.
The German-language version of the series was first broadcast on ZDF, German national television programm, from September 18, 1977 to September 24, 1978.

Italian version

Heidi, Girl of the Alps was also a huge success in Italy, where it is still one of the best known and loved anime of all time. Its first broadcast was from February 7 to June 6, 1978, and it had very successful yearly re-runs. A good amount of popularity is also enjoyed by the title song of the Italian version, sung by Elisabetta Viviani. The Italian dub was made from the German one, so it features the same soundtrack and dialogue adaptation.
In Italy, also, the series was summed up and reassembled in three feature films, released in cinemas from 1977 through to 1979. The first of the three, Heidi a scuola, sums up the first part of the series, which includes the arrival of Heidi in the mountains and the meeting with her grandfather. The second, Heidi va in città, summarizes the episodes in which the protagonist is brought to Frankfurt and befriends Clara, although the longing for her grandfather makes Heidi understand after many vicissitudes that she should go back to live in the mountains. The third feature, Heidi torna tra i monti, summarizes the latest episodes of the television series. Heidi, finally back with her grandfather, continues to maintain the friendship at a distance with Clara. Who, precisely during a visit to the girl initially hampered by Mrs. Rottenmeier, will resume the use of her legs. All three titles were officially distributed in 16mm by Sampaolo Film.

Arabic version

The series was dubbed into Arabic and aired in the Arab world. It had an original Arabic opening theme, which was very different from the original Japanese opening theme.

South African Afrikaans version and English-South African theme single

Dubbed for the South African Broadcasting Corporation by Leephy Studios, the show was incredibly popular in South Africa during the late 1970s and early 1980s and had a number of re-runs, its popularity coming from its setting appealing to the country's cultural roots along with the dub making it look like it was originally made in Afrikaans, but also due to the Eurocentrism of apartheid education making the Swiss-German setting resonate with apartheid Afrikaners. While the theme song wasn't initially dubbed into Afrikaans, multiple covers of it in the language exist, including by Carike Keuzenkamp and Kurt Darren, the latter released in 2012 and which makes brand new verses for the song. They describe his childhood memories of Heidi herself and current thoughts of her, including of potentially contacting her through telephone, as well as inviting her with him to somewhere, praising her as well. Later, updated versions of the animated TV series contained the theme song in Afrikaans for the South African audience. At the time the original animated TV series was released in South Africa in 1978, "Heidi" had also been sung in English-South African by artist Peter Lotis, and was released as a single. It attained the Number 2 position on the Springbok Charts on 16 June 1978, and remained on the charts for 13 weeks.

English versions

The entire series has been dubbed into English for broadcast in international English speaking markets. This dub was broadcast on Cartoon Network India and ABS-CBN Philippines and South Africa. The dub possibly originates from the same studio which produced the dub for Anne of Green Gables. This dub has never been released on home media.
Despite this series' international popularity, the full series is less well known in the US and UK. The only version of the this anime to have been commercially released in the United States and United Kingdom is a completely separate feature-length movie version of the TV series, created in 1975, but supposedly not released until 1979 according to various sources. It was later released to home video in both continents in 1985 by Pacific Arts under the title The Story of Heidi. This version was produced by Claudio Guzman and Charles Ver Halen, with the English translation and dialogue by Dick Strome and featured a voice cast including Randi Kiger as Heidi, Billy Whitaker as Peter, Michelle Laurita as Clara, Vic Perrin as the Alm Uncle, the Doctor and Postman, Alan Reed as Sebastian and Mr. Usher, and legendary voice talent Janet Waldo as Aunt Dete. The version is distilled to only a small amount of central episodes, as well as so two of the sub-plots were part of the main plot instead, as well as cutting many other scenes of the episodes, either by shortening them or, most often, removing them entirely. This dub also changes the name of the dog Josef to Bernard, ostensibly because he is a St. Bernard, as well as Pichi to Binky Bird. It aired on Nickelodeon's Special Delivery anthology series in the 1980s.

Indian versions

Heidi is being aired in Tamil,Malayalam and Telugu languages in Chutti TV, kochu TV and Kushi TV respectively, under the respective names "Sweet Alfa" "Lilly" and "Heidi".

Reception

Heidi, Girl of the Alps is still popular in Japan today — the love for Heidi has drawn thousands of Japanese tourists to the Swiss Alps. Stamps featuring Heidi have been issued by Japan Post. Japanese heavy metal rock band Animetal made a cover of the show's original theme song.

Episode list

  1. To the Mountain
  2. In Grandfather's House
  3. To the Pastures
  4. One More in the Family
  5. The Burnt Letter
  6. Whistle Louder
  7. The Fir's Whisper
  8. Where Has Pichi Gone?
  9. The Snowy Alps
  10. A Visit to Grandmother's House
  11. Snowstorm
  12. Sounds of Spring
  13. Return to the Meadows
  14. Sad News
  15. Snowflake
  16. Dorfli
  17. Unexpected Visitors
  18. The Departure
  19. On the Road to Frankfurt
  20. A New Life
  21. I Want to Fly
  22. Where Are the Mountains?
  23. The Great Commotion
  24. The Stray Cat
  25. The White Breads
  26. The Return of Herr Sesemann
  27. Another Grandmother
  28. A Tour to the Woods
  29. Two Hearts
  30. I Want to Catch the Sun
  31. Goodbye, Grandmamma
  32. A Rough Night
  33. Ghost Commotion
  34. To My Dear Mountains
  35. The Starry Sky of the Alps
  36. And To the Pastures
  37. Goat's Baby
  38. In a New House
  39. Don't Give Up, Peter!
  40. I Want To Go To the Alps
  41. The Doctor's Promise
  42. Reunion With Clara
  43. Clara's Wish
  44. A Little Plan
  45. Children of the Mountain
  46. Clara's Happiness
  47. Hello, Grandmother!
  48. A Small Hope
  49. A Promise
  50. Try to Stand
  51. Clara Walks
  52. Until We Meet Again

    Movie

A feature-length film was edited from the series in 1979 by Zuiyo. All cast were replaced excluding Heidi and the grandfather. This movie is also the only incarnation of the Heidi anime to have been released commercially in the United States in English. Isao Takahata remarked "Neither Hayao Miyazaki nor I are completely related to any shortening version" on this work.