Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri is based on a short story by Edmondo de Amicis about an Italian boy, Marco, and his journey in search of his mother. Italy was in a deep depression, so to support her family, Marco's mother went to Argentina to work as a domestic (like Piccolo's sons went to America to work in Porco Rosso). But after she wrote to her family that she was sick, her letters stopped coming. So Marco decided to go to Argentina to look for her, only to find she was no longer at the address Marco had. Marco had to travel across Argentina to find her, meeting many wonderful people, and encountering many adventures during his journey.

Takahata directed the series and Miyazaki did layout. This anime might be the distant ancestor of Porco Rosso". Not only was the hero's name Marco (from Genova, as Porco is), but also the heroine's name was Fiolina. Marco took a ship named "Folgore" to Argentina. "Folgore", which means lightning, was the name of Porco's new engine in the movie, and the name of Porco's plane in the manga.

One "ri" is equal to about 2.44 miles (3.9km), so 3000 ri is equal to about 7320 miles (11,712km). This series is also known as Marco.
 

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Anne of Green Gables

(Akage no An)

Based on a novel series by Lucy Maude Montgomery, this Takahata-directed story is about an orphan girl who went to live in Green Gables. Miyazaki did layouts up to the 15th episode, but he left Nippon Animation for Tokyo Movie Shinsha to make Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. The animation director was Yoshifumi Kondou, the director of Whisper of the Heart. Takahata later edited the first six episodes into a film, which was released in 1990. A French-dubbed Anne was broadcast on French CBC in Canada.
 

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Heidi, Girl of the Alps

(Arupusu no Shoujo Heiji)

Based on a novel by Johanna Spyri, Alps no Shoujo Heidi was directed by Takahata. Miyazaki did all the layouts of every episode, which is something only a superhuman can do. It was the first of the WMT series, and was a big success. It blew the competition, Uchuu Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato), out of the water (or shot them down). Its depiction of Heidi's daily life in every detail was revolutionary as a "TV manga for kids" at that time, and established Takahata's realistic directing style.
 

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Rascal the Raccoon

(Araiguma Rasukaru)

Araiguma Rascal is based on a novel by Sterling North. It tells the story of a friendship between a boy, Sterling, and a raccoon, Rascal, and is set in America in the early 20th Century. Rascal is still a very popular character in Japan.
 

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