World Masterpiece Theater

World Masterpiece Theatre (世界名作劇場, Sekai Meisaku Gekijō) was a Japanese animated television staple where a different classical book or story was adapted for a series. It ran from 1969 to 1997, with a brief reboot from 2007 to 2009.

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were showrunners for three different series between 1974 and 1979: Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), directed by Takahata with scene design and layout by Miyazaki; Marco, 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976) directed by Takahata; and Anne of Green Gables (1979) directed by Takahata with scene design and layout by Miyazaki for the first 15 episodes, before leaving its production.