Princess Sara

Princess Sara (Japanese: 小公女（プリンセス）セーラ, Hepburn: Shōkōjo Sēra, lit. "Little Princess Sara"), also spelled as Princess Sarah for disambiguation purposes, is a Japanese anime television series based on the 1905 children's novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It aired from January to December 1985, as part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater. The series follows Sara Crewe, a young girl student of an all-girls boarding school who later becomes orphaned and is forced to work as a servant.

For other uses, see Princess Sarah (disambiguation).
Princess Sara
Logo from the opening of Princess Sara
小公女セーラ
(Shōkōjo Sēra)
Genre
Anime television series
Directed byFumio Kurokawa
Produced byJunzō Nakajima (Nippon Animation)
Taihei Ishikawa (Fuji TV)
Written byKeiko Mukuroji
Ryūzō Nakanishi
Music byYasuo Higuchi
StudioNippon Animation
Original networkFuji TV, Animax, Family Gekijo
English networkAnimax Asia
Original run 6 January 1985 – 29 December 1985
Episodes46

The anime series was remade into a Filipino live-action film adaptation, released in 1995. A Filipino television drama adaptation also aired in 2007. It was also dubbed in other languages including Arabic[1] under the title (سالي, Sally) and was a huge success in the Arab World and widely popular, spanning reruns in the 1990s and early 2000s and was subsequently added to Netflix Middle East on November 19, 2020.[2]

Plot

In 1885, Captain Ralph Crewe, a wealthy English widower living in British-ruled India, enrolls his ten-year-old daughter Sara Crewe at the Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies in London. She excels in her studies and is loved deeply by her classmates and friends, but earns the hatred of class representative Lavinia Herbert and the grudge of the headmistress Miss Minchin. On the day of her eleventh birthday, Sara learns of her father's death and bankruptcy from an infuriated Miss Minchin, who decides to hire the orphaned girl as an unpaid maid in the school. Miss Minchin and Lavinia attempts to make Sara's life miserable and break her spirit, but with the help of her friends, Sara tries to endure all the hardships with her kindness and imagination.

Characters
Sara Crewe as she appears in the series
Sara Crewe (セーラ・クルー, Sēra Kurū)
The main protagonist of the series and a student of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, who is the daughter of Ralph Crewe. Sara is a kind-hearted, compassionate, brave, optimistic, imaginative, and intelligent girl who aspires to be a lady.
Captain Ralph Crewe (ラルフ・クルー, Rarufu Kurū)
Voiced by: Banjō Ginga
Sara's loving and devoted father.
Miss Maria Minchin (マリア・ミンチン)
Voiced by: Taeko Nakanishi
The strict, cruel headmistress of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, and Amelia's older sister.
Miss Amelia Minchin (アメリア・ミンチン, Ameria Minchin)
Voiced by: Yuri Nashiwa
Miss Minchin's kind but meek younger sister, who is a school teacher in Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies.
Lavinia Herbert (ラビニア・ハーバート, Rabinia Hābāto)
Voiced by: Eiko Yamada
The oldest student of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Sara's rival, who is bitterly jealous of her wealth and popularity. Lavinia is prideful, sadistic, cynical, and very manipulative.
Becky (ベッキー, Bekkī)
Voiced by: Mie Suzuki
A scullery maid in Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Sara's closest best friend, who lives in the attic of the school. Becky is an optimistic, clumsy, and hardworking girl who comes from the town of Ashfield.
Peter (ピーター, Pītā)
Voiced by: Chika Sakamoto
A street-smart boy and Sara's loyal best friend, who greatly admires her. Cheerful and hardworking, Peter is good at driving a carriage and is also seen working at a market. and He is also considered as a love interest to Sara.
Ermengarde St. John (アーメンガード・セントジョン, Āmengādo Sentojon)
Voiced by: Maki Yaosaka
A student of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Sara's schoolmate and best friend. Ermengarde is a plump girl who is slow at learning. She is also a victim of Lavinia's bullying.
Lottie Legh (ロッティ・レイ, Rotti Rei)
Voiced by: Naoko Watanabe
The youngest student of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Sara's schoolmate and daughter-figure. Lottie is a four-year-old girl who is prone to tantrums.
Jessie (ジェシー, Jeshī) and Gertrude (ガートルード, Gātorūdo)
Voiced by: Seiko Nakano and Harumi Iizuka (as Jessie), Run Sasaki (as Gertrude)
Two students of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies who are Lavinia's closest schoolmates.
Molly (モーリー, Mōrī)
Voiced by: Asami Mukaidono
A resident maid of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and James' wife.
James (ジェームス, Jēmusu)
Voiced by: Daisuke Gōri
A resident cook of Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Molly's husband.
Mariette (マリエット, Marietto)
Voiced by: Sanae Takagi
A maid in Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies who is serving for Sara.
Monsieur Dufarge (デュファルジュ先生, Dyufaruju sensei)
Voiced by: Toshiya Ueda
A French teacher at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies.
Mr. Tom Carrisford (トム・クリスフォード, Tomu Kurisufōdo)
Voiced by: Shūsei Nakamura
A kind old man who lives in another house next to Miss Minchin's seminary. Mr. Carrisford is Ralph Crewe's best friend.
Ram Dass (ラムダス, Ramudasu)
Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka
An Indian lascar serving for Mr. Carrisford. Ram Dass has a pet monkey called Surya (スリャ, Surya).
Mr. Carmichael (カーマイケル弁護士, Kāmaikeru bengoshi)
Voiced by: Yūsaku Yara
Mr. Carrisford's solicitor and confidant.
Donald Carmichael (ドナルド・カーマイケル, Donarudo Kāmaikeru)
Voiced by: Mitsuko Horie
Mr. Carmichael's polite, generous son.
Janet Carmichael (ジャネット・カーマイケル, Janetto Kāmaikeru)
Voiced by: Asami Mukaidono
Mr. Carmichael's daughter and Donald's sister.

Other characters
Mr. Barrow (バロー弁護士, Barō bengoshi)
Voiced by: Yuzuru Fujimoto
A solicitor who is invested into Ralph Crewe's business.
Lavinia's father (ラビニアの父, Rabinia no chichi)
Voiced by: Kazuhiko Kishino
Lavinia's father.
Lavinia's mother (ラビニアの母, Rabinia no haha)
Voiced by: Kumiko Takizawa
Lavinia's mother.
Anne (アンヌ, Annu)
Voiced by: Chieko Honda
An orphaned street child who meets Sara outside the bakery.
Teddy (テディ, Tedi)
Voiced by: Kazue Ikura
Becky's younger brother.
Martha (マーサ, Māsa)
Voiced by: Chie Kōjiro
Becky's younger sister.
Jim (ジム, Jimu)
Voiced by: Sanae Takagi
Peter's friend.
Dr. Wild (ワイルド医師, Wairudo ishi)
Voiced by: Ryūji Saikachi
An alcoholic doctor.
Old Preist (老司祭, Rō shisai)
Voiced by: Yasuo Muramatsu
A kind-hearted priest in a church in the city.
Soldier ((兵士, Heishi)
A soldier from London who helps Sara pick up the potatoes during a rainy day.

Media

Anime
See also: List of Princess Sara episodes

Princess Sara, directed by Fumio Kurokawa and produced by Nippon Animation, being the eleventh entry in the World Masterpiece Theater, premiered in Japan on January 6, 1985, and concluded on December 29, 1985, after 46 episodes on Fuji TV. Shunji Saida is the character designer for the anime series. The musical score is composed by Yasuo Higuchi. The series features two pieces of theme music, both performed by Satoko Shimonari: the opening theme is "Hana no Sasayaki" (花のささやき, lit. "Whisper of a Flower"), and the ending theme is "Himawari" (ひまわり, lit. "Sunflower"). The Filipino dub of the series aired in the Philippines in the early 1990s, on ABS-CBN.[3]

It was also aired on Animax, who later broadcast the series across its respective networks worldwide, including its English language networks in South Asia and Southeast Asia, dubbing and translating the series into English under the title Princess Sarah. Animax's version was the series' only English translation, and the series has yet to be commercially released in the United States.[4]

The series has been also selected as one of the best 100 Japanese anime series of all time by the viewers of TV Asahi.[5]

Film

The success and popularity of the anime series in the Philippines inspired a live-action film adaptation. Sarah... Ang Munting Prinsesa (lit. "Sarah, The Little Princess"), produced by Star Cinema and directed by Romy Suzara, was released on June 7, 1995. The film stars Camille Prats as Sarah Crewe. In the mid-2010s, the film was digitally restored and remastered by the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project, which to date are restoring old damaged classic Filipino movies to a high-definition format.[6]

Television drama

A Filipino television drama adaptation of the series, produced by ABS-CBN, aired from November 12 to December 21, 2007 on the Primetime Bida block. The series stars Sharlene San Pedro as Sarah Crewe. The story is loosely based on the anime series and took further creative liberties from the original source material, with fantasy elements being introduced in the story.

International titles
  • 小公女セーラ (Japanese Title)
  • Die kleine Prinzessin Sara (German Title)
  • La Princesa Sara (Spanish Title)
  • Little Princess (English Title)
  • Sara Lovely Sara (Italian Title)
  • Mała księżniczka Sara (Polish Title)
  • Princess Sara (English Title)
  • Princesse Sarah (French Title)
  • Sali سالي (Arabic and Central Kurdish Title)
  • Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa (Tagalog Title)
  • Küçük Prenses (Turkish Title)
  • سارا کرو (Farsi Title)
  • 莎拉公主 (Chinese Title)
  • 소공녀 세라 Sogongnyeo Serra (Korean Title)

References
  1. "Princess Sarah – Anime News Network". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
  2. "Princess Sarah – Netflix MENA". Netflix.
  3. "World Masterpiece Theater Series Aired in the Philippines Part Three". For Young Pinoy Audience. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018.
  4. "Princess Sarah – Animax Asia". Animax Asia. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  5. TV Asahi: SmaStation, aired on 28 February 2009
  6. "'Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa' returning in HD". ABS-CBN News. March 10, 2015.

Further reading
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