''Heidi's Song'' is a 1982 American animated

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and based on the 1881 novel '' Heidi'' by Johanna Spyri. It was directed by Robert Taylor from a screenplay by Taylor,

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...

and Jameson Brewer, and stars Margery Gray as the title character, alongside the voices of Lorne Greene and Sammy Davis Jr. It is one of only four films Hanna-Barbera ever made that did not feature their trademark characters (along with '' Charlotte's Web'', '' C.H.O.M.P.S.'', and '' Once Upon a Forest''). The film was released on November 19, 1982 by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. Its box office receipts were disappointing, attributed by Joseph Barbera to incompetent distribution; it was released the same week as two other animated features.

Plot

An orphaned girl named Heidi is sent to live with her paternal grandfather by her maternal Aunt Dete, who has been looking after her since she was a baby. Her grandfather initially dislikes having her around because she interferes in his routine. But when he hurts his leg, she helps nurse him back to health, and during this time they bond together. Heidi meets the local goatherd, a boy named Peter, and often goes with him and the village's goats on their daily grazing trips higher up the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

. One day, however, Aunt Dete arrives to take Heidi away again, saying that a wealthy family in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, wants her to come live with them. Her grandfather reluctantly lets her go. She arrives at the house in Frankfurt, where she learns she's supposed to become the companion of a wealthy but invalid girl named Klara. Her governess and guardian, Fräulein Rottenmeier, disapproves of Heidi's simple country ways, but Klara likes her and insists that she stay. She brings joy into Klara's life, especially when she gives her a basket of kittens as a present. When Fraulein Rottenmeier discovers them, she locks Heidi in the rat-infested basement. Peter and the country animals come to Heidi's rescue. Together with Klara, they travel to the Wunderhorn without telling Fraulein Rottenmeier. At this time, Klara's father returns home after being away on business, and is angered that she has disappeared. He immediately leaves for the Wunderhorn, and this time Fraulein Rottenmeier and the butler, Sebastian, take the opportunity to flee. The three children travel up the mountain, but Klara stops halfway so that Heidi can run on ahead without pushing her wheelchair. Heidi does so and is joyfully reunited with her grandfather. Back halfway down the mountain, Klara's kitten, Snowball, is attacked by a hawk. Klara crawls out of her wheelchair and uses a stick to fight off the hawk. She then discovers that she is able to stand. Her father arrives and together they celebrate her mobility and Heidi's return.

Voice cast

* Lorne Greene as Grandfather * Sammy Davis Jr. as Head Ratte * Margery Gray as Heidi * Michael Bell as Willie * Peter Cullen as Gruffle * Roger DeWitt as Peter * Richard Erdman as Herr Sessman * Fritz Feld as Sebastian * Pamelyn Ferdin as Klara * Joan Gerber as Fräulein Rottenmeier * Virginia Gregg as Aunt Dete * Janet Waldo as Tinette * Frank Welker as Schnoddle and Hootie * Michael Winslow as Mountain

Music

Hoyt Curtin scored the film, while Sammy Cahn and Burton Lane wrote the songs. Original songs performed in the film include:

Critical reception

Movie historian Leonard Maltin gave the film just 1.5 out of a possible 4 stars, declaring it "...Little better than most Saturday morning fare -- due to awkward continuity, lifeless animation, and an excess of cute animals."

Home media

The film was first released on VHS in 1985 by Worldvision Home Video. GoodTimes Home Video (under their Kids Klassics label) re-released it on VHS in 1988. Turner Home Entertainment gave it one final VHS re-release in 1998. Warner Home Video released it to DVD-R for the first time on July 31, 2012 through Warner Archive.

References

External links

*
''Heidi's Song''
at the Big Cartoon DataBase *
Excerpt

''Heidi's Song'' on Amazon
{{Paramount theatrical animated features 1982 films 1982 American animated films 1982 children's films American children's animated fantasy films American children's animated musical films Films set in Frankfurt Heidi films Animated films set in Switzerland Hanna-Barbera animated films Paramount Pictures animated films Paramount Pictures films Animated films based on children's books Animated films about orphans Films produced by William Hanna Films produced by Joseph Barbera Films with songs by Burton Lane Animated films based on novels Films scored by Hoyt Curtin 1980s children's animated films 1980s English-language films Animated films set in Germany English-language musical films 1982 musical films