Emily of New Moon (2007) aka Kaze no Shoujo Emily

Emily of New Moon aka Kaze no Shoujo Emily (translated to English as "Emily, the Wind Girl") is an animated television series that was based on L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon trilogy.

The Emily of New Moon anime series was a single season with 26 episodes. Each episode was roughly 25 minutes in length. The series was produced by Hideaki Miyamoto, and the series music was by Akira Miyagawa. The series aired on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Educational TV from April 7, 2007 to September 29, 2007.

The protagonist Emily Byrd Starr was voiced by actress Tomoko Kawakami. The anime's plot primarily follows that of the novel Emily of New Moon with some scenes from Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest. Set on Prince Edward Island, Canada, the series follows the growth of a young girl Emily Starr. The story begins with Emily, who lives alone with her father. When her father dies, Emily is adopted by her strict Aunt Elizabeth and moves to New Moon Farm. Facing loneliness and isolation, Emily writes letters to her dead father. Emily meets and becomes close friends with Ilse Burnley, Teddy Kent, and Perry Miller. Each of the friends has a special talent. Emily loves to write and dreams of becoming a novelist.

Cast:
Tomoko Kawakami as Emily Byrd Starr
Akemi Okamura as Perry Miller
Kôki Miyata as Teddy Kent
Sachiko Kojima as Ilse Burnley
Emi Shinohara as Kaze no Oba-san (Mrs. Wind) (narration)
Masako Ikeda as Laura Murray
Rokuro Naya as Jimmy Murray
Toshiko Fujita as Elizabeth Murray
Akio Ohtsuka as Mr Carpenter
Atsuko Enomoto as Rhoda Stuart
Aya Hisakawa as Aileen Kent
Chiemi Ishimatsu as Jennie Strang
Kiyoyuki Yanada as Allan Burnley
Misaki Sekiyama as Carrie Strang
Niina Kumagaya as Miss Brownell
Shigenori Sôya as Douglas Starr
Touko Aoyama as Grace and Saucy Sal
Youko Matsuoka as Aunt Ruth

External Link:
Official Emily of New Moon (2007) Website

Image credit:
Drawing of Emily Bryd Starr from Emily of New Moon (2007) aka Kaze no Shoujo Emily. © NHK

Created December 11, 2006. Last updated April 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series in Jordan

When my fiancé was traveling in Jordan for work earlier this month, he turned on the television and was surprised to see Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (aka Annetoon) on TV. The show was dubbed in Arabic. He took a few photographs for me.

Here's a photograph of a talking willow tree:


Here's a photograph of Gilbert Blythe in Annetoon:


It's more evidence that Anne of Green Gables is everywhere.


Image credits:
Photographs of Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series on TV in Jordan taken by my fiancé.

Created March 29, 2006. Last updated November 9, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne: Journey to Green Gables (2004)

Anne: Journey to Green Gables is a animated film created by Sullivan Entertainment. The film serves as a prequel to both Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and the 1985 Anne of Green Gables miniseries by Kevin Sullivan. The film was released direct-to-video in 2004.

The 85-minute long movie imagines Anne Shirley's life before she reaches Green Gables. After the death of her parents, Anne is in the care of the Hammond family where she is mistreated. Later, she is sent to the Grout Orphanage where the director Madame Poubelle treats the children cruelly. Anne must rely on her imagination to survive.

Kevin Sullivan and Trudy Grant were the executive producers of the film. Kevin Sullivan directed the movie, and he wrote the script with Michael MacLennan. The film features music composed by Peter Breiner and Don Gillis.

The cast includes the following actors who portrayed the voices of the animated characters:

Mckenzie Sullivan as Anne Shirley
Patricia Gage as Marilla Cuthbert
Wayne Robson as Matthew Cuthbert
Al Mukadam as Gilbert Blythe
Kyle Fairlie as Felix King
Patricia Hamilton as Rachel Lynde
Rebecca Peters as Diana Barry
Cedric Smith as Tupper
Mike Beaver as Wilfred
Geoff Kahnert as Bailey
Kathryn Greenwood as Mavis
Dalene Irvine as Felicity King
Linda Sorensen as Hetty King
Ellen-Ray Hennessy as Mrs. Hammond
Kim Kuhteubl as Alice Lawson
Sara Botsford as Mrs. Barry / Frau Schuller

Synopsis (from the Annetoon website):
"Anne: Journey to Green Gables is an imaginative, animated prequel to the celebrated films that have charmed world audiences for two decades. In this brand new story, Anne has yet to go to Green Gables and dreams of having a family of her own. But as fate would have it, she is thrown into the clutches of Madame Poubelle, the faded aristocratic director of Grout Orphanage. It takes all of Anne’s scope for the imagination for her to endure until she gets to Green Gables."

Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne: Journey to Green Gables. © Sullivan Entertainment. Used with permission.

Official Websites:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne: Journey to Green Gables - Watch the film online at Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables Kids Channel on YouTube.
Shop at Sullivan

References:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne: Journey to Green Gables at IMDB

Purchase and watch Anne: Journey to Green Gables on DVD:


Created October 18, 2005. Last updated November 8, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Miniature Diorama

My boyfriend gave me a blind box, which he spotted while traveling in Seattle. It's from the "Little Anime Series World Masterpiece Theater" collection. Each box contains a miniature diorama from one of five World Masterpiece Theater anime series produced by Nippon Animation. One of the anime series included is Anne of Green Gables (Akage no An). Knowing that I love Anne of Green Gables, my boyfriend bought a box for me and hoped for the best. Lucky for me, my box contained the Anne of Green Gables scene.

This blind box collection was manufactured by MegaHouse in 2003. The five World Masterpiece Theater series included in the collection are: Anne of Green Gables (1979), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976), Rascal the Raccoon (1977), A Dog of Flanders (1975), and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1980). The scenes for the five series are depicted on the sides of the blind box and on the insert inside the box (pictured below):





Inside the red box was a pink case that looked like a tiny book:



A brown plastic box, designed to look like wood, slides out of the pink case:



Opening the box reveals the eight items shown below: the Green Gables kitchen, Matthew's couch and shoes, the Green Gables kitchen table, a bowl, a pair of birds, and three characters: Matthew Cuthbert, Marilla Cuthbert, and Anne Shirley:



Here's a closer view of Matthew Cuthbert (who's asleep), Marilla Cuthbert, and Anne Shirley (carrying a layered cake):



Here are a few views of the Anne of Green Gables diorama with Matthew asleep on his couch, Marilla bustling about the kitchen, and Anne carrying a lovely layered cake (that hopefully is flavored with vanilla instead of liniment):





Here's a close-up view of the Green Gables diorama:



Created June 27, 2005. Last updated January 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (2000-2001)

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (aka Anne: The Animated Series or Annetoon) is a television show created by Sullivan Entertainment that aired on PBS from 2000 to 2001. The educational cartoon is geared towards six- to ten-year-olds, and each episode focuses on a challenge of childhood and provides lessons for children about self-confidence, creativity, loyalty, and more.

The series follows the adventures of 10-year-old Anne Shirley and her friends Gilbert Blythe, Diana Barry, and Felix King. Anne lives in Avonlea where she was adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. The series includes characters from L.M. Montgomery's novel and Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables miniseries and Road to Avonlea TV series.

Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series ran for one season and had 26 episodes. Each episode was 30 minutes long. When the show aired on PBS, real children commented on the show at the end of each episode. Sullivan Entertainment's Annetoon website provides educational resources for teachers using the show to teach children Anne-themed lessons in schools.

Kevin Sullivan and Trudy Grant were the executive producers of the series, which was directed by Liliane Andre. The series was written by Michael MacLennan and featured music composed by Peter Breiner.

Bryn McAuley portrayed the voice of Anne Shirley. Patricia Gage played Marilla Cuthbert, and Wayne Robson portrayed Marilla's brother Matthew Cuthbert. Anne's classmate Gilbert Blythe was portrayed by Ali Mukaddam, and Emily Hampshire provided the voice of Anne's best friend Diana Barry. Kyle Fairlie gave voice to Felix King, and Dalene Irvine played Felicity King. Patricia Hamilton portrayed the voice of Rachel Lynde. Hamilton is well known for portraying Rachel Lynde in Sullivan Entertainment's prior productions: Anne of Green Gables (1985), Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987), and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000), Road to Avonlea (1990-1996), and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008).

In 2004, an animated film titled Anne: Journey to Green Gables was produced as a prequel to Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series.

Synopsis (from the Annetoon website):
"Anne: The Animated Series presents 26 entertaining and educational episodes. In this series, you will follow Anne as her out of control imagination leads her through many different adventures, which demonstrate important lessons in loyalty, resolving conflict and problem-solving. Join Anne and her friends in both difficult times and lots of laughter in this animated, family friendly version of Anne that you are sure to enjoy."

Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series. © Sullivan Entertainment. Used with permission.

Official Websites:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and Anne: Journey to Green Gables
Teacher's Resources at the Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series website
Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series - Watch the series online at Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables Kids Channel on YouTube.
Shop at Sullivan

References:
AnneToon.com - Official website for Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and Anne: Journey to Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series at IMDB

Purchase and watch Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series on DVD:


Created July 1, 2002. Last updated November 13, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An

Anne of Green Gables aka Akage no An (translated to English as "Red-Haired Anne") is a beautifully animated television series that was based on L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables. The plotline closely follows that of the novel and begins when Anne meets Matthew at the train station in Prince Edward Island. The anime series was produced by Nippon Animation in Japan in 1979 as part of the World Masterpiece Theater series (1). The series is 50 episodes long, and it first aired on Fuji Television from January 7, 1979 to December 30, 1979.

Anne of Green Gables was written and directed by the acclaimed screenwriter and director Isao Takahata, who is known for directing Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). In 1985, Takahata founded the treasured Studio Ghibli together with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki. Studio Ghibli is admired for its artistry, creativity, and beauty in storytelling. Hayao Miyazaki created the settings and layouts for episodes 1 to 15 of the Anne of Green Gables anime. Miyazaki is the beloved anime director of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and Spirited Away (2001). In 1990, Takahata edited the first six episodes of Anne of Green Gables into a film for theatrical release (1).

Yoshifumi Kondo was the character designer for the vibrant Anne Shirley. Anne’s voice was portrayed by the Japanese actress Eiko Yamada. She provided the voices of several other characters in the World Masterpiece Theater series, including Jo in Tales of Little Women and Little Women II: Jo's Boys. The opening and closing theme songs (“Kikoeru kashira” and “Samenai yume”) were composed by Akira Miyoshi and sung by Ritsuko Ohwada.

Anne of Green Gables aired in several countries throughout the world. It was broadcast in Canada in the mid-1990s under the title Anne...La maison aux pignons verts by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and dubbed in French (1, 2). In addition, the anime aired as Anna dai capelli rossi in Italy, Ana de las Tejas Verdes in Spain, Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos in Portugal, and Anne mit den roten Haaren in Germany. The series was also dubbed in English and broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation and by Japan Entertainment Television in Taiwan.

In 2009, an anime prequel to Anne of Green Gables (1979) premiered called Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (translated to English as “Hello Anne: Before Green Gables”).


Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An. © Nippon Animation

References:
1. Helen McCarthy. Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. 1999. 223.
2. Team Ghiblink. Nausicaa.Net http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/wmt/index.html (2001).

Purchase and watch Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An (Note: Most official Akage no An Blu-Ray/DVD sets are available for Region 2 (Japan), and they are not officially available in all region formats yet):



Created March 1, 2002. Last updated January 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com