| Belle and Sébastien | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Cécile Aubry |
| Original title | Belle et Sébastien |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Genre(s) | Children's |
Belle et Sébastien is a novel by Cécile Aubry[1] [2][3] about a six-year-old boy named Sébastien and his dog Belle, a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, who live in a small French Alps Mountain village on the French side of the border between France and Italy. Sébastien lives with his adopted grandfather, sister, and brother, as his mother, a Rom, died after giving birth to him while trying to cross the border on Saint Sebastian's day. The novel, known in English-speaking countries as Belle and Sebastian, was made into a French live-action television series in 1965, and a Japanese anime version nearly two decades later.
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The live action show, filmed in black-and-white, was broadcast in France from 1965 to 1970. In 1967, it was dubbed and the title was anglicized to Belle and Sebastian and first appeared on British television's BBC1 on Monday afternoons, with an initial airing date of October 2, 1967, its initial run concluding on January 1, 1968. Shown in the time slot after Blue Peter, this dubbed French adventure was subsequently re-repeated many times and became an essential ingredient of school holiday television.[4] Filmed in and around the village of Belvédère in the Alpes-Maritimes, its authentic locations, sensitive writing, and winning performances by the actors, makes it an enduring classic. Its deep theme is the power and importance of love. The part of Sébastien in the TV series was played by Mehdi El Glaoui, Cécile Aubry's son from her marriage to a Moroccan prince.[5] Mehdi also sings the final song, L'Oiseau.[6]
The serial spawned two further 13 part colour film sequels 'Sebastien parmi les Hommes' (Sebastien Among Men) (1968) retitled 'Belle, Sebastian and the Horses' by the BBC and 'Sebastien et la Mary-Morgane' (Sebastian and the Mary Morgan) (1970) this second sequel was not broadcast by the BBC.
The Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian took their name from the TV series.[7][8] Lauded by critics,[9][10]
New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga included a cover version of the TV series' theme song Belle on her most recent album, which was titled Belle and released in New Zealand on 11 November 2011.
The anime version, released initially under its Japanese name of Meiken Jolie,[11] was created in 1980, a joint production of MK Company, Visual 80 Productions and Toho Company, Ltd., with animation director Toshiyuki Kashiwakura helming the project and character designs from Shuichi Seki. The show was broadcast on French, Italian and Japanese television in 1981, with American cable network Nickelodeon picking it up in 1984.[12]