Heidi, Girl of the Alps facts for kids

Heidi, Girl of the Alps
Cover of Japanese DVD 1
Quick facts for kids アルプスの少女ハイジ (Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji)
Genre	Drama
Anime television series
Directed by	Isao Takahata
Produced by	Junzō Nakajima (Head) Shigehito Takahashi
Written by	Isao Matsuki
Music by	Takeo Watanabe (Japanese version) Gert Wilden (German version)
Studio	Zuiyo Eizo
Network	Fuji TV
Original run	January 6, 1974 – December 29, 1974
Episodes	52 (List of episodes)

Heidi, Girl of the Alps (Japanese: アルプスの少女ハイジ, Hepburn: Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji) is a popular anime television series. It was made by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the Swiss book Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning by Johanna Spyri (1880). The show was directed by Isao Takahata. Many other famous anime creators, like Yoichi Kotabe and Hayao Miyazaki, also helped make it.

Heidi is part of the "World Masterpiece Theater" series. These shows were made between 1974 and 1997. They brought classic Western children's stories to life through animation. The studio that made Heidi, Zuiyo Enterprises, later split into two companies in 1975. One of them, Nippon Animation, continued the World Masterpiece Theater series.

Story of Heidi

Heidi is a five-year-old orphan. Her aunt Dete has been taking care of her. But Dete finds a new job in Frankfurt and cannot take Heidi with her. So, Dete takes Heidi to live with her grandfather, Alm-Onji. He lives alone in a cabin high up in the Swiss Alps.

At first, Alm-Onji seems scary to the villagers. But Heidi quickly wins his heart with her cheerful spirit. She loves spending her days on the mountain. She plays with Peter, a goatherd who looks after the village goats. In winter, she sometimes visits Peter's blind grandmother. Heidi is very happy living freely in the mountains.

One day, Aunt Dete returns. She has found a chance for Heidi to be a companion to a rich girl named Clara. Clara lives in Frankfurt and uses a wheelchair. Dete tricks Heidi into going to Frankfurt. She promises Heidi can return home anytime. But once they arrive, Dete leaves Heidi with Miss Rottenmeier. Miss Rottenmeier is Clara's very strict governess.

Heidi and Clara quickly become good friends. Heidi's lively ways make the quiet house much more exciting. Clara loves hearing Heidi's stories about the Alps. These stories make Clara dream of a different life. Heidi misses her mountains very much. She tries to escape sometimes.

Clara's grandmother visits Frankfurt. She becomes good friends with Heidi. With her help, Heidi finally learns to read. This surprises the tutor who had tried for months without success. But when Clara's grandmother leaves, Heidi becomes very sad. Miss Rottenmeier forbids her from talking about the Alps. Heidi starts to walk in her sleep because she misses home so much.

Mr. Sesemann, Clara's father, returns home. He and the doctor find Heidi sleepwalking. The doctor says Heidi is very homesick. He tells Mr. Sesemann to send her back to the Alps. Clara is sad but is promised she can visit Heidi. Heidi travels back home with the kind butler, Sebastian. She is overjoyed to be reunited with her grandfather and Peter.

Heidi's return and her new love for reading change Alm-Onji. He fixes up a house in the village. They move there for the winter so Heidi can go to school. They become friends with the villagers. Peter even wins a sled race. In spring, they return to the mountain.

Clara wants to visit Heidi. Her father sends the doctor to check if the Alps are safe for her. The doctor sees how much the mountain air helps Heidi. He agrees it would be good for Clara.

Clara comes to the Alps with Miss Rottenmeier. Miss Rottenmeier dislikes the simple mountain life. But Clara's grandmother soon arrives. She sees how much better Clara is doing. She sends Miss Rottenmeier home. Clara's grandmother trusts Alm-Onji to care for Clara. With the help of Heidi and Alm-Onji, Clara starts to walk again. She returns home with her father and grandmother. Clara promises to visit her friends in the Alps again next spring.

Characters

Main characters

• Heidi (Adelheid): She is 5 years old when the story begins. She is an orphan. Heidi is curious, energetic, and smart. She makes friends easily with most people and animals. Her only family are her Aunt Dete and her grandfather, Alm-Onji.
• Alm-Onji: Heidi's grandfather. He is an old man, strong and wise about the mountains. He lives alone in the Swiss Alps. He is skilled at making things from wood. He also keeps goats and makes cheese.
• Peter: An 11-year-old goatherd. He takes care of the village goats in summer. He lives with his mother and blind grandmother. Peter is not very good at school. He becomes good friends with Heidi.
• Clara Sesemann: A 12-year-old girl from a rich family in Frankfurt. She has difficulty walking and uses a wheelchair. Clara lives a lonely life until Heidi comes to stay. She and Heidi become very close friends.

Other characters

• Joseph: Heidi's grandfather's dog, a St. Bernard. He is usually lazy but helpful in emergencies. This dog was created just for the TV series.
• Yuki: A small goat in Peter's flock. She likes Heidi right away.
• Brigette: Peter's mother.
• Peter's Grandmother: Peter's grandmother, who is blind. She dreams of someone reading her favorite book of songs.
• Aunt Dete: Heidi's aunt. She is sometimes seen as caring more about herself than others.
• Fräulein Rottenmeier: The strict governess and housekeeper for the Sesemann family.
• Sebastian: The kind butler of the Sesemann family.
• Tinette: The maid of the Sesemann family.
• Johan: The carriage driver for the Sesemann family.
• Mr. Sesemann: Clara's father. He is a wealthy businessman. He is often away from home for work.
• The Doctor: Clara's doctor and a friend of the Sesemann family. He also becomes friends with Heidi.
• Frau Sesemann: Clara's grandmother and Mr. Sesemann's mother. She is a lively and fun person. She is very different from Fräulein Rottenmeier.

Cast

Additional English Voices

• Alan Reed (Mr. Usher)
• Vic Perrin (Postman)
• Julie McWhirter (Neighbor Lady)
• Barney Phillips (Mr. Kaehlin)

Heidi Around the World

The Heidi, Girl of the Alps anime has been translated into about twenty languages. It became very popular in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Arab world, and South Africa.

Spanish versions

In Spain, the series first aired in 1975. It was simply called Heidi. It was so popular that comic books and other items were made. The song "Abuelito, dime tú" became one of the most famous children's songs in Spain. The character "Rottenmeier" became known as a very strict person.

In Latin America, the show has been popular since 1978.

German version

Christian Bruhn, the composer of "Heidi", famous German theme song version.

For the German version, new music was created. Gert Wilden wrote the music for the episodes. The title song, "Heidi", was written by Christian Bruhn. It was sung by Gitti und Erika. The German version first aired in 1977.

Italian version

Heidi, Girl of the Alps was also a big hit in Italy. It first aired in 1978 and was shown again many times. The Italian theme song, sung by Elisabetta Viviani, is also very popular. The Italian version used the same music and dialogue as the German one.

In Italy, the TV series was also made into three movies. These movies were shown in cinemas between 1977 and 1979. They told the story of Heidi's adventures in shorter forms.

Arabic version

The series was translated into Arabic and shown in the Arab world. It had its own unique Arabic opening song.

South African versions

The show was very popular in South Africa in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was dubbed into Afrikaans and English. Many singers have covered the German theme song in Afrikaans. The English version of the theme song, sung by Peter Lotis, was also very popular.

English versions

The whole series has been dubbed into English. This English version was shown on Cartoon Network India and in South Africa.

In the US and UK, a different movie version of the TV series was released. This movie was made in 1975 but came out in 1979. It was later released on video in 1985 as The Story of Heidi. This movie version was much shorter than the TV series. It changed some parts of the story and character names. For example, Heidi's dog Josef was called Bernard. This movie aired on Nickelodeon in the 1980s.

Tagalog version

The series was also dubbed in Tagalog in the Philippines. It aired on ABS-CBN in 1997.

Indian versions

Heidi is shown in India in several languages. These include Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu. The show has different names in some of these languages, like "Sweet Alfa" and "Lilly".

Episode list

• To the Mountain
• In Grandfather's House
• To the Pastures
• One More in the Family
• The Burnt Letter
• Whistle Louder
• The Fir's Whisper
• Where Has Pichi Gone?
• The Snowy Alps
• A Visit to Grandmother's House
• Snowstorm
• Sounds of Spring
• Return to the Meadows
• Sad News
• Snowflake
• Dorfli
• Unexpected Visitors
• The Departure
• On the Road to Frankfurt
• A New Life
• I Want to Fly
• Where Are the Mountains?
• The Great Commotion
• The Stray Cat
• The White Breads
• The Return of Herr Sesemann
• Another Grandmother
• A Tour to the Woods
• Two Hearts
• I Want to Catch the Sun
• Goodbye, Grandmamma
• A Rough Night
• Ghost Commotion
• To My Dear Mountains
• The Starry Sky of the Alps
• And To the Pastures
• Goat's Baby
• In a New House
• Don't Give Up, Peter!
• I Want To Go To the Alps
• The Doctor's Promise
• Reunion With Clara
• Clara's Wish
• A Little Plan
• Children of the Mountain
• Clara's Happiness
• Hello, Grandmother!
• A Small Hope
• A Promise
• Try to Stand
• Clara Walks
• Until We Meet Again

Movie Version

A full-length movie was made from the TV series in 1979 by Zuiyo. This movie is the only version of the Heidi anime that was officially released in English in the United States. The directors of the original TV series, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, were not involved in making this shorter movie version.

See also

In Spanish: Heidi (anime) para niños