WAdventures of the Little Koala is an anime television series produced by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. It aired originally in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 4, 1984, through March 28, 1985, and then aired in the United States on Nickelodeon dubbed in English from June 1, 1987, until April 2, 1993. The storyline revolved around Roobear Koala and his friends and their utopian village in a fictional version of New South Wales, Australia, known in the Japanese version as Yukari Village, within the shadow of a real rock formation known as the Breadknife.
WBarbapapa is a 1970 children's picture book by the French-American couple Annette Tison and Talus Taylor, who lived in Paris, France. Barbapapa is both the title character and the name of his "species". The book was the first of a series of children's books originally written in French and later translated into over 30 languages.
WBōken Korobokkuru is a kodomo anime series.
WDoctor Snuggles is an animated children's television series created by Jeffrey O'Kelly, based on original artwork by Nick Price, about a friendly and optimistic inventor who has unusual adventures with his friends. The show featured fantastical scenarios typically based on the outlandish inventions of Doctor Snuggles, supported by a variety of supporting characters including anthropomorphic animals and objects.
WThe Flight of Dragons is a 1982 animated fantasy film produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. loosely combining the speculative natural history book of the same name (1979) by Peter Dickinson with the novel The Dragon and the George (1976) by Gordon R. Dickson. It stars the voices of John Ritter, Victor Buono, James Gregory, James Earl Jones, and Harry Morgan. The film centers upon a quest undertaken to stop an evil wizard who plans to rule the world by dark magic. A major theme within the story is the question of whether science and magic can co-exist. This is told mostly through the experience of character Peter Dickinson, drawn from the 20th century into the magical realm.
WFrosty's Winter Wonderland is a 1976 animated Christmas television special and a sequel to the 1969 special Frosty the Snowman, produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by Topcraft. It is the second television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. It returns writer Romeo Muller, character designer Paul Coker, Jr., music composer Maury Laws and actor Jackie Vernon as the voice of Frosty, while Andy Griffith stars as the narrator with the rest of the cast consisting of Shelley Winters, Dennis Day, and Paul Frees. The special premiered on ABC on December 2, 1976.
WThe Hobbit is a 1977 American animated musical television special created by Rankin/Bass, a studio known for their holiday specials, and animated by Topcraft, a precursor to Studio Ghibli. The film is an adaptation of the 1937 book of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien, and was first broadcast on NBC in the United States on Sunday, November 27, 1977.
WIppatsu Kanta-kun is an anime created by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft. Along with Temple the Balloonist, it was one of the last works for which Tatsunoko co-founder Tatsuo Yoshida was credited as a creator; Yoshida died before the series began airing. The series was released in two DVD box sets in January 2010.
WThe Jackson 5ive is a Saturday morning cartoon series that aired on ABC from September 11, 1971 to October 14, 1972. Produced by Rankin/Bass and Motown Productions, it is a fictionalized portrayal of the careers of Motown recording group the Jackson 5. The series was rebroadcast in syndication between 1984 and 1985, during a period when Michael Jackson was riding a major wave of popularity as a solo artist. It also briefly re-aired in 1999 on TV Land as part of their "Super Retrovision Saturdaze" lineup. The series was animated mainly in London at the studios of Halas and Batchelor, and some animation done at Estudios Moro, Barcelona, Spain and Topcraft, Japan.
WThe Last Unicorn is a 1982 animated fantasy film about a unicorn who, upon learning that she is the last of her species on Earth, goes on a quest to find out what has happened to others of her kind. Based on the 1968 novel The Last Unicorn written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay, the film was directed and produced by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. It was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft.
WLupin the Third: Part II is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment. It is the second television anime series adaptation of the Lupin III manga created by Monkey Punch. Although originally broadcast as simply Lupin III , the series is now often referred to as New Lupin III by Japanese fans. Among English-speaking fans, this series is commonly known as the "Red Jacket" series in reference to Lupin's outfit.
WThe Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? , also known as Super Spacefortress Macross, is a 1984 Japanese animated movie based around the Macross television series.
WMazinger Z is a Japanese super robot manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. It was adapted into an anime television series which aired on Fuji TV from December 1972 to September 1974. A second manga series was released alongside the TV show, this one drawn by Gosaku Ota, which started and ended almost at the same time as the TV show. Mazinger Z has spawned several sequels and spinoff series, among them being Great Mazinger, UFO Robot Grendizer and Mazinkaiser.
WHayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation.
WNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1982 manga. It was animated by Topcraft for Tokuma Shoten and Hakuhodo, and distributed by the Toei Company. Joe Hisaishi, in his first collaboration with Miyazaki, composed the score. The film stars the voices of Sumi Shimamoto, Goro Naya, Yoji Matsuda, Yoshiko Sakakibara and Iemasa Kayumi. Taking place in a future post-apocalyptic world, the film tells the story of Nausicaä (Shimamoto), the young princess of the Valley of the Wind. She becomes embroiled in a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom that tries to use an ancient weapon to eradicate a jungle full of giant mutant insects.
WNelvana Enterprises, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded on July 30, 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at the North Star.
WThe Osmonds is a 1972 ABC-TV Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Rankin/Bass Productions starring the Osmond Brothers. Each episode features the family in a different location around the world, with young Jimmy's antics usually driving the plot of the episode. As with most television series oriented around bands, the Osmonds' songs were featured prominently in the series. The series also featured their talking pet dog, Fuji. Marie Osmond did not appear in the series, as she would not make her performing debut until 1973. An abridged version of their hit song "One Bad Apple" was used for the opening and closing credits of the show.
WPaul's Miraculous Adventure is an action-adventure anime television series created by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV and various other local stations across Japan from October 3, 1976, to September 11, 1977, and lasted 50 half-hour episodes. The series director was Hiroshi Sasagawa, of Speed Racer and Tokimeki Tonight fame.
WThe Return of the King is a 1980 animated musical fantasy television film created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. It is an adaptation of the 1955 high fantasy novel The Return of the King, being the third and final volume of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and is a sequel to the 1977 film The Hobbit.
WThe Stingiest Man in Town is a 1978 animated Christmas musical television special based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. It was created by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, and features traditional animation rather than the stop motion animation most often used by the company. It was an animated remake of a long-unseen, but quite well received, live-action musical special which had starred Basil Rathbone, Martyn Green, and Vic Damone. The live-action version had been telecast on December 23, 1956, on the NBC anthology series The Alcoa Hour, and was published on DVD in 2011, by VAI. The animated remake first aired December 23, 1978, in the United States on NBC, and was telecast in Japan the next day.
WStudio Ghibli Inc. is a Japanese animation film studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo. The studio is best known for its animated feature films, and has also produced several short subjects, television commercials, and one television film. The studio's mascot and most recognizable symbol is a character named Totoro, who is a giant catlike spirit from the 1988 anime film My Neighbor Totoro. Among Studio Ghibli's highest-grossing films are Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004) and Ponyo (2008). The studio was founded on June 15, 1985, by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, after the successful performance of Topcraft's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). It has also collaborated with video game studios on the visual development of several video games.
WIsao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei Animation after graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1959. He worked as an assistant director, holding various positions over the years and collaborating with colleague Hayao Miyazaki, eventually directing his own film, The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1969). He continued his partnership with Miyazaki, notably directing the television series Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976), and Anne of Green Gables (1979). Takahata, Miyazaki and others formed Studio Ghibli in 1985, where he would direct Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), and My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999). His last film as director was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013), which was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Animated Feature Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
WTime Bokan is a Japanese anime series first aired on Fuji TV from October 4, 1975 to December 25, 1976 throughout Japan every Saturday at 6:30pm, with a total of 61 30-minute episodes. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft, who later produced a number of spinoff programs as part of the "Time Bokan Series". A new anime adaption titled Time Bokan 24 ran from October 1, 2016 to March 18, 2017.
W'Twas the Night Before Christmas is a 1974 animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and based on the famous 1823 poem that opens with this line. The special first originally aired on CBS on December 8, 1974 where it aired annually until 1994, when The Family Channel took over its syndication rights. AMC took over syndication rights for the special in 2018.
WTakashi Watanabe is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He is best known for directing the anime series Slayers, Boogiepop Phantom, and Shakugan no Shana.
WThe Wizard of Oz is a 1982 anime feature film directed by Fumihiko Takayama, from a screenplay by Yoshimitsu Banno and Akira Miyazaki, which is based on the 1900 children's novel by L. Frank Baum, produced by Yoshimitsu Banno and Katsumi Ueno for Toho.