Belle and Sebastian (TV series)
Encyclopedia
is an anime
adaption of a series of French
novels called Belle et Sébastien
by Cécile Aubry
. The series ran on the Japan
ese network NHK
from April 7, 1981 – June 22, 1982. It consists of 52 episodes and was a co-production of MK Company, Visual 80 Productions and Toho Company, Ltd.
. Toshiyuki Kashiwakura was the animation director and character designs were by Shuichi Seki. The show was broadcast on French and Japanese television in 1981, with American
cable network Nickelodeon
picking it up in 1984. In the United Kingdom
, it aired on Children's BBC
in 1989 and 1990.
This anime used many staffers from Nippon Animation
's World Masterpiece Theater
franchise, thus the look and feel is similar to that of a WMT production even though Nippon Animation itself was not involved with this series.
The series has been aired in many countries outside Japan
and has been dubbed
and subtitled in English
and numerous other languages.
, a mountain range
between France
and Spain
. Sebastian has no friends because he is teased by the other children for not having a mother. But one day, he meets a gentle white Pyrenees dog who has been falsely accused of terrible crimes. He names her Belle and they become the best of friends. To save her from an unjust fate, Sebastian leaves his adoptive family and begins traveling with Belle and his little dog Poochie. They have many adventures as they elude the police and search for Sebastian's long-lost mother.
Belle
Poochie
Grandfather Cecil
Anne-Marie
Isabel
Sarah
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaption of a series of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
novels called Belle et Sébastien
Belle et Sébastien
Belle et Sébastien is a novel by Cécile Aubry about a six-year-old boy named Sébastien and his dog Belle, a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, who live in a small French Alps Mountain village on the French side of the border between France and Italy...
by Cécile Aubry
Cécile Aubry
Cécile Aubry was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director.Born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard, Aubry began her career as a dancer...
. The series ran on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese network NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
from April 7, 1981 – June 22, 1982. It consists of 52 episodes and was a co-production of MK Company, Visual 80 Productions and Toho Company, Ltd.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
. Toshiyuki Kashiwakura was the animation director and character designs were by Shuichi Seki. The show was broadcast on French and Japanese television in 1981, with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable network Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
picking it up in 1984. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it aired on Children's BBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
in 1989 and 1990.
This anime used many staffers from Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
's World Masterpiece Theater
World Masterpiece Theater
is a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year on 7:30p.m. on Sunday. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 then resumed in 2007....
franchise, thus the look and feel is similar to that of a WMT production even though Nippon Animation itself was not involved with this series.
The series has been aired in many countries outside Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and has been dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
and subtitled in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and numerous other languages.
Plot
The series is about the mountain-based adventures of a young boy named Sebastian and his Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog Belle who live in a small village in the PyreneesPyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, a mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Sebastian has no friends because he is teased by the other children for not having a mother. But one day, he meets a gentle white Pyrenees dog who has been falsely accused of terrible crimes. He names her Belle and they become the best of friends. To save her from an unjust fate, Sebastian leaves his adoptive family and begins traveling with Belle and his little dog Poochie. They have many adventures as they elude the police and search for Sebastian's long-lost mother.
Characters
Sebastian- Sebastian is a 7-year-old boy from the Pyrenees Mountains in France. Since he was born, he has been living with his adoptive grandfather, Cecil, and Anne-Marie. Sebastian is good-natured and energetic, but the children in town tease him because he doesn't have a real mother. Sebastian's deepest desires are to find his mother and to have a good friend.
Belle
- Belle ("Jolly" in the Japanese version) is a large white Great Pyrenees dog who escaped into the French countryside. She is gentle and warmhearted, but her attempts to help those in need are misunderstood. She is labeled "The White Monster" and the police are constantly on her tail.
Poochie
- Poochie is a little puppy who rides around in Sebastian's pocket. Although Poochie is always yapping and getting into mischief, he is a good friend to Sebastian and Belle.
Grandfather Cecil
- Cecil took Sebastian in as a baby and acts as his adoptive grandfather. He is a loving mentor who teaches Sebastian all he knows about the mountains and the wilderness.
Anne-Marie
- Anne-Marie is Cecil's biological granddaughter. She has helped care for Sebastian since he was born, and fancies herself as his mother despite being the age of an older sister at best. She loves Sebastian deeply, but is often overprotective and a little harsh.
Isabel
- Isabel is Sebastian's real mother, a traveling Gypsy. She went against the gypsy code and married an outsider, but he died before she delivered their son. Isabel had her baby secretly in the Pyrenees Mountains, and promised to come back for him one day when her people were able to understand.
Sarah
- Sarah is a sick, lonely little girl Sebastian meets on his journey. Both Sarah and Sebastian long for friends their own age to play with, so they quickly become close. Sarah reappears several times during Sebastian's journey to lend a helping hand.