Movies - Nippon Animation

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	Movies - Nippon Animation

Nippon Animation (日本アニメーション) is a Japanese animation studio. ('Nippon' is one Japanese pronunciation of '日本', the same kanji used for writing 'Nihon', or 'Japan'.)

Nippon Animation is famous for producing animated cartoons based on works of literature such as Anne of Green Gables and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, co-founders of the famous Studio Ghibli, directed several episodes in the World Masterpiece Theater series.

Company history

What is now Nippon Animation is descended from Zuiyo Eizo (Zuiyo Enterprises), an animation studio that produced several popular series in the early and mid-1970s, including 1974's Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji (Heidi, Girl of the Alps), an adaptation of Johanna Spyri's popular children's book. The Heidi anime was enormously popular in Japan (and later in Europe as well, and the feature-length edit of the TV series also saw a U.S. VHS release in 1985), but Zuiyo Eizo soon found itself in financial trouble because of the high production costs of a series it was attempting to sell to the European market. In 1975, Zuiyo Eizo was split into two entities: Zuiyo (not Zuiyo Eizo), which absorbed the debt and the rights to the Heidi anime, and Nippon Animation, which was essentially Zuiyo Eizo's production staff (including Miyazaki and Takahata). The newly rechristened Nippon Animation found success right away with Maya the Bee (Mitsubachi Maaya no Boken) and A Dog of Flanders (Furandasu no Inu), which became the first entry in the World Masterpiece Theater series. Hayao Miyazaki left Nippon Animation in 1979 in the middle of the production of Anne of Green Gables to make the Lupin III feature Castle of Cagliostro, but the studio continued on and continued to be successful without him.

Body of work

The World Masterpiece Theater lasted for 23 seasons, from A Dog of Flanders in 1975 to Remi the Homeless Child (Ie Nakiko Remi, Sans Famille) in 1997. Only a few WMT series were ever dubbed in English for the American market, including Tom Sawyer (1980), Swiss Family Robinson (Kazoku Robinson Hyoryuki: Fushigi na Shima no Furone) (1981), and Little Women (Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari, 1987). The WMT serials found much more success in Europe, with among the most popular including Anne of Green Gables (Akage no Ann, 1979, which was Hayao Miyazaki's last work for Nippon Animation before leaving the studio), and Little Princess Sarah (Shokojo Seera, an adaptation of A Little Princess, 1985).

Nippon Animation has also produced many other series based on Western works of literature which were not part of the World Masterpiece Theater, as well as original works and adaptations of Japanese manga. Many of these are included in the list of the studio's works below.

Of the studio's productions not based on Western literature, the most popular is undoubtedly Chibi Maruko-chan (1990), based on the popular manga by Momoko Sakura. At its peak, this slice-of-life anime about an unusually intelligent elementary-school-aged girl and her family and friends managed an audience rating of nearly 40%, making it one of the highest-rated anime series ever.

Works adapted from Western literature

World Masterpiece Theatre series

World Masterpiece Theater (Sekai Meisaku Gekijo) productions:

A Dog of Flanders (Furandasu no Inu) - 1975
From the Apennines to the Andes (Haha wo Tazunete Sanzen Ri) - 1976
Rascal the Raccoon (Araiguma Rascal) - 1977
The Story of Perrine (Perrine Monogatari) - 1978
Anne of Green Gables (Akage no Ann) - 1979
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Tomu Sooyaa no Boken) - 1980
Swiss Family Robinson (Kazoku Robinson Hyoryuki: Fushigi na Shima no Furone) - 1981
Lucy of the Southern Rainbow (Minami no Niji no Lucy) - 1982
Story of the Alps: My Annette (Arupusu Monogatari Watashi no Annetto) - 1983
Katri the Milkmaid (Makiba no Shojo Katori) - 1984
A Little Princess (Shokojo Seera or Little Princess Sarah) - 1985
Pollyanna
(Ai Shojo Porianna Monogatari) - 1986
Little Women (Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari) - 1987
Little Lord Fauntleroy
(Shokoshi Cedie) - 1988
Peter Pan and Wendy (Peetaa Pan no Boken) - 1989
Daddy Long-Legs (Watashi no Ashinaga Ojisan) - 1990
The Sound Of Music (Torappu Ikka Monogatari) - 1991
The Bush Baby - 1992
Little Women II: Jo's Boys (Wakakusa monogatari Nan to Jo-sensei) - 1993
Tico of the Seven Seas (Nanatsu no Umi no Tico) - 1994
Romeo and the Black Brothers (Romeo no Aoi Sora) - 1995
Lassie (Meiken Rasshii) - 1996
Sans Famille (Ie Naki Ko Remi) - 1996: The final installment in the WMT, derided by fans of the franchise for making drastic changes to the story (including changing the gender of the lead character). It received the lowest ratings ever for a WMT serial and was pulled off the air after only 23 episodes. Lassie had been canceled after only 26 episodes, making 1996 the only calendar year in which there were two WMT serials in their entirety.

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