History Anime / WorldMasterpieceTheater

* Other works by Nippon Animation based on Western literature:

* '''1983''' ''Anime/AlpsStoryMyAnnette'' (Watashi no Annetto) based on the children's book ''Literature/TreasuresOfTheSnow'' by Patricia St. John.

* '''1983''' ''AlpsStoryMyAnnette'' (Watashi no Annetto) based on the children's book ''Literature/TreasuresOfTheSnow'' by Patricia St. John.

* HomeVersionSoundtrackReplacement: ''Trapp Family Story'' originally opened with a Japanese version of "[[Theater/TheSoundOfMusic Do-Re-Mi]]", but reruns and the DVD change the song to "Smile Magic".

* AdaptationExpansion: Many of their anime expand on the source material and include things, personalities, and even characters that didn't exist in the original books. But these actually worked in their series' favor, because they did this for varying reasons, like expanding on certain plots and characters to make them more interesting and three dimensional.

* HomeVersionSoundtrackReplacement: ''Trapp Family Story'' originally opened with a Japanese version of "Do-Re-Mi", but reruns and the DVD change the song to "Smile Magic".

** ''[[Anime/FushigiNoKuniNoAlice Alice in Wonderland]]'' (aired on TV Tokyo)

* From 1979 to 1980, Tokyo 12 Channel (now known today as TV Tokyo) had a series of anime programs called "Kirin Masterpiece Romance Theater" (Kirin being the sponsor), produced by DAX International, with each program set in Europe (except ''Kinpatsu no Jeannie'', which takes place in America during the Civil War) and having characters dealing with numerous hardships. While they were obviously done to compete with WMT, they differed in that three out of four shows done for the lineup were original stories developed by the Japanese studio. The shows were ''Anime/NobaraNoJulie'' ("Julie the Wild Rose"), ''Paris no Isabelle'' ("Isabelle of Paris"), ''Kinpatsu no Jeannie'' ("Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair", very loosely inspired by the Stephen Foster song of the same name but the story is wholly original otherwise), and ''Sasurai no Shôjo Nell'' ("Nell the Wandering Girl", based on "The Old Curiosity Shop" by Creator/CharlesDickens). Each show lasted 13 episodes, with the exception of "Nell", which ran for 26.

* From 1979 to 1980, Tokyo 12 Channel (now known today as TV Tokyo) had a series of anime programs called "Kirin Masterpiece Romance Theater" (Kirin being the sponsor), produced by DAX International, with each program set in Europe (except ''Kinpatsu no Jeanie'', which takes place in America during the Civil War) and having characters dealing with numerous hardships. While they were obviously done to compete with WMT, they differed in that three out of four shows done for the lineup were original stories developed by the Japanese studio. The shows were ''Anime/NobaraNoJulie'' ("Julie the Wild Rose"), ''Paris no Isabelle'' ("Isabelle of Paris"), ''Kinpatsu no Jeanie'' ("Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair"), and ''Sasurai no Shôjo Nell'' ("Nell the Wandering Girl", based on "The Old Curiosity Shop" by Creator/CharlesDickens). Each show lasted 13 episodes, with the exception of "Nell", which ran for 26.

* From 1979 to 1980, Tokyo 12 Channel (now known today as TV Tokyo) had a series of anime programs called "Kirin Masterpiece Romance Theater" (Kirin being the sponsor), produced by DAX International, each program set in Europe (Except ''Kinpatsu no Jeanie'', which takes place in America during the Civil War) and having characters dealing with numerous hardships. While they were obviously done to compete with WMT, they differed in that three out of four shows done for the lineup were original stories developed by the Japanese studio. The shows were ''Anime/NobaraNoJulie'' ("Julie the Wild Rose"), ''Paris no Isabelle'' ("Isabelle of Paris"), ''Kinpatsu no Jeanie'' ("Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair"), and ''Sasurai no Shôjo Nell'' ("Nell the Wandering Girl", based on "The Old Curiosity Shop" by Creator/CharlesDickens). Each show lasted 13 episodes, with the exception of "Nell", which ran for 26.

* From 1976 to 1979, [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] aired ''Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi'', produced by Dax International, which consisted of anime adaptations of classic works of children's literature from around the world (not just the West). Some of the novels and stories that received WMT adaptations, including ''Little Women'' and ''A Little Princess'' among others, were also covered in this earlier series, which was dubbed in English and aired in Canada under the title ''Tales of Magic''.

* '''1994''' ''Anime/TicoOfTheSevenSeas'' (Nanatsu no Umi no Tiko) an original story developed by the Nippon Animation team, the only time this ever happened with WMT. The show got dubbed in English by Ocean Productions as ''Tico and Friends'' and aired in Canada on local TV channels as well as in Singapore on the channel Kids' Central. This dub was notable for having Creator/ChantalStrand play Nanami in one of her earliest voice acting roles.

* '''1997''' ''Anime/IeNakiKoRemi'' (Remi, Nobody's Girl or Homeless Girl Remi) after the novel ''Literature/SansFamille'' by French writer Hector Malot.

* '''1969''' ''Manga/{{Dororo}}'' (Creator/MushiProductions) (the first entry in the series, but also the only one based on a Japanese manga)

''World Masterpiece Theater'' (''Sekai Meisaku Gekijou'', 世界名作劇場) is a [[LongRunner long-running]] series of anime adaptations of classic western literature by Creator/NipponAnimation most of the time, who were formerly known as Zuiyo Enterprise until 1975. Each year the company takes a classic western novel and adapts it into a series of about 50 episodes. The different masterpiece series are, with the exceptions of the occasional sequels or {{prequel}}, not connected with each other.

* '''1989''' ''[[Anime/PeterPanNoBouken Adventures of Peter Pan]]'' (Pītā Pan no Bōken) after [[Literature/PeterPan the novel]] by the Scottish writer J. M. Barrie.

* YodelLand: ''Heidi'' is not just set there, the novels it and its approximately several thousand other adaptions helped to create the idyllic countryside of YodelLand as we know it today. The opening theme song even has yodeling in it (or a Japanese approximation). The ''Trapp Family Story'' which is based on the same source as Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic also has shades of this.

** ''Piccolino no Boken'', based on Carlo Collodi's ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'' (aired on TV Asahi, not to be confused with ''Anime/MokkuOfTheOakTree'' aka ''Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio'', which as made by Creator/TatsunokoProduction)

** ''Anime/JungleBookShonenMowgli'' (aired on TV Tokyo)

** ''Anime/FushigiNoKuniNoAlice'' (aired on TV Tokyo)

* ''Sougen no Shoujo Laura'' (1975-1976), based on ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Understandable, since Nippon Animation produced it and it has a lot of hallmarks of a typical WMT show. However, it was never part of WMT and even aired on a different network, TBS.
* One of the original sponsors of the WMT, soft-drink manufacturer Calpis, sponsored the sort-lived "Calpis Masterpiece Theater" on TBS in 1981-82. This was short-lived and only included two programs, both made by Nippon Animation: ''Ai no Gakko Cuore Monogatari'' (based on the same source material as the 1976 WMT entry) and the Japan/Spain coproduction ''WesternAnimation/DogtanianAndTheThreeMuskehounds'' (based on ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers''). After the latter series aired, Calpis withdrew its sponsorship and the block was cancelled, although the time slot did continue to be used for anime.
* The above two examples are just a few of scores of other Nippon Animation-produced adaptations of Western literature over the years which aired on rival channels/networks. Others include the aforementioned ''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'' (TV Asahi) and Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' (based on Alexander Key's ''The Incredible Tide'' and aired on Creator/{{NHK}}) as well as other collaborations with European studios such as ''Anime/MayaTheBee'' (TV Asahi), ''Piccolino (Literature/{{Pinocchio}}) no Bouken'' (TV Asahi, not to be confused with Tatsunoko's ''Anime/MokkuOfTheOakTree'' aka ''Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio''), ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldWithWillyFog'' (TV Asahi), ''Marcelino Pan y Vino'', and ''[[Anime/FushigiNoKuniNoAlice Alice in Wonderland]]'' (TV Tokyo).

* GhibliHills: Early entries into the series feature the talents of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki and it shows.
** Also, Yoshifumi Kondo, who would go on to direct WhisperOfTheHeart, was a character designer on ''Anne of Green Gables'' and ''Little Women'' and worked as an animator on some of the other series.
** Yoshiharu Sato, character designer for ''MyNeighborTotoro'', worked in the same capacity on several WMT series including ''Pollyanna'' and ''Little Women II: Jo's Boys.''
** OhProduction also provided animation assistance for works by both Nippon Animation and Ghibli, resulting in much cross-pollination between the two studios.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: By the late 80's, the series' popularity was starting to decline and Nippon Animation attempted to make it relevant in an era where shojo and shonen anime are making waves in the anime industry. This includes creating a show based on fantasy (''Peter Pan no Bouken''), popular movie (''Trapp Family Story'') and action-adventure (''Bushbaby'', ''Tico of the Seven Seas'' and ''Romeo's Blue Skies''). Needless to say, it flopped.

** Nello, Marco, Sterling, Perrine, Anne, Sarah and Romeo are also prominently displayed in merchandises and exhibits in Japan. Sometimes, Flone and Alfredo receive this favorable treatment as well.

* AdaptationDyeJob: Becky Thatcher is a blonde in the original novel of ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer''. In the ''WMT'' version, she's a redhead.

* From 1976 to 1979, TBS also aired ''Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi'', produced by Dax International, which consisted of anime adaptations of classic works of children's literature from around the world (not just the West). Some of the novels and stories that received WMT adaptations, including ''Little Women'' and ''A Little Princess'' among others, were also covered in this earlier series, which was dubbed in English and aired in Canada under the title ''Tales of Magic''.
* ''Sougen no Shoujo Laura'' (1975-1976), based on ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Understandable, since Nippon Animation produced it and it has a lot of hallmarks of a typical WMT show. However, it was never part of WMT and even aired on a different network, Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem (TBS).

''World Masterpiece Theater'' is a [[LongRunner long-running]] series of anime adaptations of classic western literature by Creator/NipponAnimation most of the time, who were formerly known as Zuiyo Enterprise until 1975. Each year the company takes a classic western novel and adapts it into a series of about 50 episodes. The different masterpiece series are, with the exceptions of the occasional sequels or {{prequel}}, not connected with each other.

* The above two examples are just a few of scores of other Nippon Animation-produced adaptations of Western literature over the years which aired on rival channels/networks. Others include the aforementioned ''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'' (TV Asahi) and Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' (based on Alexander Key's ''The Incredible Tide'' and aired on Creator/{{NHK}}) as well as other collaborations with European studios such as ''Anime/MayaTheBee'' (TV Asahi), ''Piccolino (Literature/{{Pinocchio}}) no Bouken'' (TV Asahi, not to be confused with Tatsunoko's ''Anime/MokkuOfTheOakTree aka ''Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio'' which aired on Fuji TV), ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldWithWillyFog'' (TV Asahi), ''Marcelino Pan y Vino'', and ''[[Anime/FushigiNoKuniNoAlice Alice in Wonderland]]'' (TV Tokyo).

* The above two examples are just a few of scores of other Nippon Animation-produced adaptations of Western literature over the years which aired on rival channels/networks. Others include the aforementioned ''Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics'' (TV Asahi) and Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' (based on Alexander Key's ''The Incredible Tide'' and aired on Creator/{{NHK}}) as well as other collaborations with European studios such as ''Anime/MayaTheBee'' (TV Asahi), ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldWithWillyFog'' (TV Asahi), ''Marcelino Pan y Vino'', and ''[[Anime/FushigiNoKuniNoAlice Alice in Wonderland]]'' (TV Tokyo).

* From 1976 to 1979, TBS also aired ''Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi'', produced by Dax International, which consisted of anime adaptations of classic works of children's literature from around the world (not just the West). Some of the novels and stories that received WMT adaptations, including ''Little Women'' and ''A Little Princess'' among others, were also covered in this earlier series, which was dubbed in English and aired in Canada under the title ''Tales of Magic''.