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{{Short description|Japanese anime series}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=cult|世界名作劇場|date=2024-02}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Italic title}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2021}}
[[File:AkageNoAnneDVD.jpg|thumb|DVD release of ''[[Anne of Green Gables (1979 TV series)|Anne of Green Gables]]'' (1979), the first series under the ''World Masterpiece Theater'' title]]

{{nihongo|'''''World Masterpiece Theater'''''|世界名作劇場|Sekai Meisaku Gekijō}} is a Japanese TV [[animated]] series that showcased an animated version of a different [[children's literature|classical book or story]] each year from 19:30 to 20:00 on Sunday on [[Fuji TV]]. It aired from 1969 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2009. It is commonly abbreviated to {{nihongo|'''''Meigeki'''''|名劇|Meigeki}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://elemental-note.net/text/meigeki_history/ |title=Elemental Note: Chronological settings of the World Masterpiece Theater |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031224742/http://elemental-note.net/text/meigeki_history/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~nem/link/meigeki.html |title=The Room of links: Links of the World Masterpiece Theater |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=13 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913192419/http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~nem/link/meigeki.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
The first several series were produced by [[Mushi Production]] and sometimes [[TMS Entertainment|Tokyo Movie Shinsha]], often commissioned by [[Zuiyo|Zuiyo Eizo]], and then by Zuiyo itself. The series was then continued by Zuiyo's division [[Nippon Animation]], which was officially established in June 1975 during the run of ''[[A Dog of Flanders (1975 anime)|A Dog of Flanders]]''. In both cases, the series originally aired primarily on [[Fuji TV]]. [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and [[Isao Takahata]] both worked on several of the series. ''World Masterpiece Theater'' as produced by Nippon Animation lasted for 23 seasons, from ''A Dog of Flanders'' in 1975 to ''[[Remi, Nobody's Girl]]'' (家なき子レミ, ''Ie Naki Ko Remi'', ''Sans Famille'') in 1997. Nippon Animation restarted the series in 2007 with the release of ''[[Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette]]'', which premiered on BS Fuji on 7 January, with ''Porufi no Nagai Tabi'' (''The Long Journey of Porphy'') subsequently airing on the same network beginning on 6 January 2008, making it the 25th World Masterpiece Theater series. The most recent and 26th series is ''[[Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables]]'' (lit. ''Hello Anne ~ Before Green Gables'').

To date, only seven series were ever dubbed in English for the North American market: ''[[Fables of the Green Forest]]'' (1973), ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (anime)|Tom Sawyer]]'' (1980), ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1981), ''[[Tales of Little Women|Little Women]]'' (1987), ''[[Peter Pan: The Animated Series|The Adventures of Peter Pan]]'' (1989), ''[[The Bush Baby]]'' (1992), and ''[[Tico of the Seven Seas|Tico & Friends]]'' (1994). The anime satellite television network, [[Animax]], who also aired numerous installments of the series across Japan, later translated and dubbed many of the series' installments into English for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia, such as ''[[Princess Sarah]]'' (小公女セーラ, ''Shōkōjo Sēra''), ''[[Remi, Nobody's Girl]]'' (家なき子レミ, ''Ie Naki Ko Remi''), ''[[Little Women (1987 TV series)|Little Women]]'' (愛の若草物語, ''Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari''), and others. The serials also found success in Europe, with ''[[Anne of Green Gables (anime)|Anne of Green Gables]]'' (1979), ''[[Heidi, Girl of the Alps]]'', as well as the aforementioned ''Princess Sarah''.

The series has been known by various names over the years (as shown below), but "the World Masterpiece Theater" is the name most commonly used by viewers. Nippon Animation's official English name for the series is "The Classic Family Theater Series".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Program{{!}}NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.|url=http://www.nipponanimation.com/program/classic/|website=www.nipponanimation.com|access-date=16 May 2020|archive-date=17 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517022736/http://www.nipponanimation.com/program/classic/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The sponsorship of this series has changed several times, the first was [[Calpis]] alone (1969–1978), while the second was [[House Foods]] alone (1986–1993, 2007–2008).

Starting in 2017 Amazon Prime Video made various series available in HD quality, but cropped for 16:9 displays<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0743CTG72|title=The Adventures of Tom Sawyer|website=www.amazon.com|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B076MCTL9J|title=Tales of Little Women|website=www.amazon.com|access-date=16 May 2020|archive-date=7 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207174240/https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B076MCTL9J/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B019EFFIKI|title=Swiss Family Robinson|website=www.amazon.com|access-date=16 May 2020|archive-date=25 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225012733/http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B019EFFIKI?|url-status=live}}</ref> in the US and UK markets. Amazon did not use the "World Masterpiece Theater" label and only kept the subtitle for each series.

In March 2023, [[Capcom]] teamed up with Nippon Animation to promote ''[[Resident Evil 4 (2023 video game)|Resident Evil 4]]'' with a mini-series called {{Nihongo|''Resident Evil Masterpiece Theater: [[Leon S. Kennedy|Leon]] and the Mysterious Village''|バイオ名作劇場　ふしぎの村のレオン|Baio Meisaku Gekijō: Fushigi no Mura no Reon}}, with voices provided by the game's development team.

==Features==
{{original research|section|date=July 2021}}
The stories adapted by World Masterpiece Theater tended to have the following features in common:

# The main character's family environment is an orphan or a [[single-parent family]]. The main character loses either or both father and mother.
# The main theme is family, and the influence of a deceased parent remains until the end.
# An animal character appears.
# The stage is set in a real city.
# The era is set between the 19th century and the end of [[World War II]].
# No prince or princess was added (after ''Andersen Stories'' ended).

As these backgrounds, the time when this series was broadcast (1975–1997), it was common that TV was possessed by "one per a family", anime which are easy to put regardless of age were preferred, and were oriented for family. Videos became widespread in Japan in the late 1980s, and the time that TV was possessed by "one per a person" became common is after the Cold War (since 1992).

As an exception to the above, the double-parents family is ''[[Tales of Little Women]]'' (1987), the fictional world is ''[[Peter Pan: The Animated Series|The Adventures of Peter Pan]]'' (1989), and the work set after the World War II and without the original novel is ''[[Tico of the Seven Seas]]'' (1994).

==Companion volume==
Apart from Fuji TV, there was also a companion volume of the World Masterpiece Theater, which was broadcast on [[TV Tokyo]] from 19:30 to 20:00 on Thursday. This is sponsored by [[Sumitomo Electric Industries]] alone, but it is characterized by the theme of a specific field rather than the family. ''[[Moero! Top Striker]]'' (1991) and ''[[Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (TV series)|Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair]]'' (1992) are works of this companion volume.

==Recurring casts==
The following people frequently appeared in the World Masterpiece Theater, including the companion volume on TV Tokyo.

;Director
* Kōzō Kusuba
* Yoshio Kuroda: Other than the director, he also worked on storyboards and series composition, for example.
;Sound director
* Etsuji Yamada
;Voice actor
* [[Eiko Yamada]]
* [[Mitsuko Horie]]
* [[Keiko Han]]
* [[Rihoko Yoshida]]
* [[Taeko Nakanishi]]
* Yoshiko Matsuo
* [[Ai Orikasa]]
* [[Kazue Ikura]]
* [[Ogata Kenichi|Ogata Ken'ichi]]

==Productions==
===Before Nippon Animation – Calpis Comic Theater (1969–1974)===
Note: These are the only series that are not included into the World Masterpiece Theater franchise.
* {{nihongo|''[[Dororo (1969 TV series)|Dororo/Dororo and Hyakkimaru]]''|どろろと百鬼丸|Dororo to Hyakimaru|1969}}, 26 episodes: Adapted from the manga ''[[Dororo]]'' by the Japanese manga artist [[Osamu Tezuka]]. Produced by [[Mushi Production]]. The only series in black and white.
* {{nihongo|''[[Moomin (1969 TV series)|Moomin]]''|ムーミン|Mūmin|1969–1970}}, 65 episodes: Adapted from the [[Moomin]] books by the Finnish author [[Tove Jansson]]. Produced by [[Zuiyo]] and animated by [[TMS Entertainment|Tokyo Movie Shinsha]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Andersen Monogatari (TV series)|Andersen Stories]]''|アンデルセン物語|Anderusen Monogatari|1971}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from several [[Hans Christian Andersen bibliography|stories]] by [[Hans Christian Andersen]], the Danish [[fairy tale]] writer. Produced by Zuiyo and animated by Mushi Production.
* {{nihongo|''[[New Moomin]]''|新ムーミン|Shin Mūmin|1972}}, 52 episodes: A remake of the 1969–1970 ''Moomin'' series, based more closely on the books. Produced by Zuiyo and animated by Mushi Production.
* {{nihongo|''[[Fables of the Green Forest]]''|山ねずみロッキーチャック|Yama Nezumi Rokkī Chakku|1973}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from the stories of animal-themed children's writer, [[Thornton Burgess]]. Produced by Zuiyo and animated by Mushi Production.
* {{nihongo|''[[Heidi, Girl of the Alps]]''|アルプスの少女ハイジ|Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji|1974}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Heidi]]'' by [[Johanna Spyri]]. Produced and animated by Zuiyo.

===Nippon Animation – Calpis Children's Theater (1975–1977)===
Note: These are the 26 official entries of the World Masterpiece Theater franchise.
* {{nihongo|''[[Dog of Flanders (TV series)|A Dog of Flanders]]''|フランダースの犬|Furandāsu no Inu|1975}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from the [[A Dog of Flanders|novel of the same name]] by [[Maria Louise Ramé]] (aka Ouida). First series produced by Nippon Animation but still credited to Zuiyo and broadcast in the Calpis Comic Theater only in episodes 1 to 20 and 24 to 26.
* {{nihongo|''[[3000 Leagues in Search of Mother|Marco, 3000 Leagues in Search for Mother]]''|母をたずねて三千里|Haha o Tazunete Sanzen Ri|1976}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from a small part of ''[[Heart (novel)|Heart]]'', the chapter named "From the Apennines to the Andes", written by Italian author [[Edmondo De Amicis]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Rascal the Raccoon]]''|あらいぐまラスカル|Araiguma Rasukaru|1977}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Rascal (book)|Rascal]]'' by [[Sterling North]].

===Calpis Family Theater (1978)===
* {{nihongo|''[[The Story of Perrine]]''|ペリーヌ物語|Perīnu Monogatari|1978}}, 53 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Nobody's Girl (novel)|En Famille]]'' by [[Hector Malot]].

===World Masterpiece Theater (1979–1985; no title sponsor)===
* {{nihongo|[[Anne of Green Gables (1979 TV series)|''Anne of Green Gables'']]|赤毛のアン|Akage no An|1979}}, 50 episodes: Adapted from the [[Anne of Green Gables|novel of the same name]] by [[Lucy Maud Montgomery]].
* {{nihongo|[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (anime)|''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'']]|トム・ソーヤーの冒険|Tomu Sōyā no Bōken|1980}}, 49 episodes: Adapted from the [[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer|novel of the same name]] by [[Mark Twain]].
* {{nihongo|''[[The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island]]''|家族ロビンソン漂流記ふしぎな島のフローネ|Kazoku Robinson Hyōryūki: Fushigi na Shima no Furōne|1981}}, 50 episodes: Adapted from ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson]]'' by [[Johann David Wyss]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow]]''|南の虹のルーシー|Minami no Niji no Rūshī|1982}}, 50 episodes: Adapted from the Australian novel ''[[Southern Rainbow]]'' by [[Phyllis Piddington]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Story of the Alps: My Annette]]''|わたしのアンネット|Watashi no Annetto|1983}}, 48 episodes: Adapted from the English children book, ''[[Treasures of the Snow]]'' by [[Patricia St. John]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Katri, Girl of the Meadows]]''|牧場の少女カトリ|Makiba no Shōjo Katori|1984}}, 49 episodes: Adapted from the Finnish novel ''Paimen, piika ja emäntä'' by [[Auni Nuolivaara]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Princess Sarah]]''|小公女セーラ|Shōkōjo Sēra|1985}}, 46 episodes: Adapted from ''[[A Little Princess]]'' by [[Frances Hodgson Burnett]].

===House Foods World Masterpiece Theater (1986–1993)===
* {{nihongo|''[[The Story of Pollyanna, Girl of Love]]''|愛少女ポリアンナ物語|Ai Shōjo Porianna Monogatari|1986}}, 51 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Pollyanna]]'' and ''[[Pollyanna Grows Up]]'', by [[Eleanor H. Porter]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Tales of Little Women]]''|愛の若草物語|Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari|1987}}, 48 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Little Women]]'' by [[Louisa May Alcott]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Little Lord Fauntleroy (anime)|Little Prince Cedie]]''|小公子セディ|Shōkōshi Sedi|1988}}, 43 episodes: Adapted from [[Frances Hodgson Burnett]]'s novel, ''[[Little Lord Fauntleroy]]''.
* {{nihongo|''[[Peter Pan: The Animated Series|The Adventures of Peter Pan]]''|ピーターパンの冒険|Pītā Pan no Bōken|1989}}, 41 episodes: Adapted from [[J. M. Barrie]]'s play and novel, ''[[Peter and Wendy|Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up]]'' and ''Peter and Wendy''.
* {{nihongo|''[[My Daddy Long Legs]]''|私のあしながおじさん|Watashi no Ashinaga Ojisan|1990}}, 40 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Daddy-Long-Legs (novel)|Daddy-Long-Legs]]'' by [[Jean Webster]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Trapp Family Story]]''|トラップ一家物語|Torappu Ikka Monogatari|1991}}, 40 episodes: Adapted from ''[[The Story of the Trapp Family Singers]]'' by [[Maria Augusta von Trapp]], which also inspired the musical ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' and its [[The Sound of Music (film)|film version]].
* {{nihongo|''[[The Bush Baby]]''|大草原の小さな天使ブッシュベイビー|Daisōgen no Chiisana Tenshi Busshu Beibī|1992}}, 40 episodes: Adapted from ''[[The Bushbabies]]'' by [[William Stevenson (Canadian writer)|William Stevenson]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Little Women II: Jo's Boys]] (Tale of Young Grass: Nan and Miss Jo)''|若草物語ナンとジョー先生|Wakakusa Monogatari: Nan to Jōsensei|1993}}, 40 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Little Women]]'''s sequel, ''[[Little Men]]'' by [[Louisa May Alcott]].

===World Masterpiece Theater (1994–1997; no title sponsor)===
* {{nihongo|''[[Tico and Friends]]''|七つの海のティコ|Nanatsu no Umi no Tiko|1994}}, 39 episodes: An original story.
* {{nihongo|''[[Romeo's Blue Skies]]''|ロミオの青い空|Romio no Aoi Sora|1995}}, 33 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Die schwarzen Brüder]]'' by [[Kurt Held]] (published under the name of his wife [[Lisa Tetzner]]).
* {{nihongo|''[[Famous Dog Lassie]]''|名犬ラッシー|Meiken Rasshī|1996}}, 26 episodes: Adapted from the short story ''[[Lassie Come-Home]]'' by [[Eric Knight]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Remi, Nobody's Girl]]''|家なき子レミ|Ie Naki Ko Remi|1996–1997}}, 26 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Sans Famille]]'' by [[Hector Malot]].

===House Foods World Masterpiece Theater (2007–2008)===
* {{nihongo|''[[Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette|Les Misérables: Little Girl Cosette]]''|レ・ミゼラブル少女コゼット|Re Mizeraburu Shōjo Kozetto|2007}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from ''[[Les Misérables]]'' by [[Victor Hugo]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Porphy no Nagai Tabi|The Long Journey of Porphy]]''|ポルフィの長い旅|Porufi no Nagai Tabi|2008}}, 52 episodes: Adapted from ''The Orphans of Simitra'' by [[Paul-Jacques Bonzon]].

=== World Masterpiece Theater (2009) ===
* {{nihongo|''[[Kon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables|Hello Anne: Before Green Gables]]''|こんにちはアン|Konnichiwa An 〜Bifō Guriin Gēburusu|2009}}, 39 episodes: Adapted from the ''Anne of Green Gables'' prequel, ''[[Before Green Gables]]'' by [[Budge Wilson]].

== Feature films ==
Two additional theatrical feature films remake were produced as part of the franchise:
* ''[[The Dog of Flanders|The Dog of Flanders: The Movie]]'' (劇場版フランダースの犬, ''Gekijōban Furandāsu no Inu'', 1997)
* ''[[Marco: 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother]]'' (Marco 母をたずねて三千里, ''Maruko Haha o Tazunete Sanzenri'', 1999)
Re-edited footage films of ''Heidi, Girl of the Alps'', ''3000 Leagues in Search of Mother'', ''The Story of Perrine'' and ''Anne of Green Gables'' were also released in theater in Japan over the years. Subsequently, every series of the franchise received a re-edited footage [[Original video animation|OVA]] released on DVD by [[Bandai]] and later broadcast as TV specials.

== See also ==
* ''[[Masterpiece (TV series)|Masterpiece Theater]]'', an unrelated yet similar anthology series produced by [[WGBH-TV|GBH Boston]] for [[PBS]]
* ''[[Animated Classics of Japanese Literature]]''
* ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''

== References ==
<references />

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Oltolini |first1=Maria Chiara |title=Rediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation: The Adaptation of Children's Novels Into the World Masterpiece Theater Series |date=2024 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1501389900}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.nippon-animation.co.jp/work/meisaku/ Official website]
* {{Ann|anime|430}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Masterpiece-Theater-%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E5%8A%87%E5%A0%B4/373079392777300 Official Facebook page]

{{World Masterpiece Theater}}
{{Nippon Animation}}

[[Category:World Masterpiece Theater series| ]]
[[Category:Nippon Animation]]
[[Category:1960s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:1970s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:1980s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:2010s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:1969 Japanese television series debuts]]
[[Category:1997 Japanese television series endings]]
[[Category:2007 Japanese television series debuts]]
[[Category:2009 Japanese television series endings]]

World Masterpiece Theater - Revision history

imported>Citation bot: Altered title. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by CorrectionsJackal | Category:Culture articles needing translation from Japanese Wikipedia | #UCB_Category 275/303