''Heidi 4 Paws'' is a feature-length children's film that retells the classic story of
Heidi
''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...
using dogs in all the acting roles. ''Heidi 4 Paws'' was
syndicated to
public television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
stations in the United States through
American Public Television
American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and indepe ...
and
WTTW Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_name ...
in November/December 2008.
Based on the 1881 novel of the little Swiss orphan by
Johanna Spyri
Louise Spyri (; ; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories, and is best known for her book '' Heidi''. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, as a child she spent se ...
, ''Heidi 4 Paws'' closely follows the original 1880 best-selling novel, but with a canine twist. The young Heidi is sent to live with her reclusive Grandfather high in the Alps. Just as Heidi adjusts to her new life in the mountains, she is taken away by her social worker. Heidi finds herself living in the big city with Clara Sesehound, who has been made an invalid after a debilitating illness. Although Heidi comes to love Clara, her quest to return to the mountains dominates her stay. In the end, she is able to reunite with her beloved Grandfather. When Clara later comes to visit, she miraculously regains her ability to walk.
''Heidi 4 Paws'' is the first in an intended series of eight films that retell classic stories with live action dogs playing all the roles.
Origins
Inspired by the 1930s MGM shorts, ''
Dogville Comedies From 1929 to 1931, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a series of nine short comedy films called ''All Barkie Dogville Comedies'', sometimes known as the "barkies" (in a parody of "talkies")."Movieland Goes Roman", Performing and Captive Animals' Defen ...
'', children's television series such as ''
Wishbone'', and the family film ''
Babe
Babe or babes may refer to:
* Babe, a term of endearment
* A newborn baby
* An attractive (especially female) person
People Nickname
* Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Maj ...
'', writer/director Holly Goldberg Sloan (''
Angels in the Infield
''Angels in the Infield'' is a 2000 Disney television film directed by Robert King and starring Patrick Warburton, Brittney Irvin, David Alan Grier, and Kurt Fuller. A follow up to the 1994 film '' Angels in the Outfield'', and the 1997 film ''An ...
'', and ''
The Big Green'') created the 4 Paws brand as a way to revitalize classic literature for a new generation.
Three partners, Tim Goldberg, Tim Ellis, and Chuck Sloan, joined forces to create Goldberg Sloan, and made ''Heidi 4 Paws'' independently, without financial support from a major studio. The film took over four years to make, and features a blend of live action photography, 3D animation and visual effects.
Characters
* Heidi: a golden Labrador puppy, Heidi is a precocious orphan who is abandoned into the care of her gruff Grandfather
* Grandfather: a crusty sheepdog, Grandfather is an Alpine hermit whose life is changed by the love of his little grandpuppy, Heidi
* Peter the Goatherd: a whippet, Peter the Goatherd is in charge of caring for Grandfather's goats, Daisy and Dusky. He becomes Heidi's first real friend
* Clara Sesehound: a cockapoo mix, Clara is a wealthy invalid who asks her father for a companion and gets more than she bargained for in Heidi
* Grandmamma Sesehound: a kind Labrador, Grandmamma brings peace to the Sesehound household and teaches Heidi how to read
* Detie: a beagle, Detie is Heidi's social worker.
* Sebastian: an apricot poodle, Sebastian is the butler in the Sesehound household
* The Doctor: a lovable old terrier, the Doctor is a good family friend of the Sesehound's whose kindness to Heidi helps to diagnose her chronic homesickness
* Miss Rottenmeier: Clara's strict and fussy governess who takes an immediate disliking to Heidi but when Heidi leaves, she misses her and catches a cold
* Mr. Sesehound: a German Shepherd, Mr. Sesehound is Clara's often absent but well-meaning father
Cast
*
Meghan Strange - voice of Heidi
*
Richard Kind
Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...
- voice of Grandfather
*
- voice of Peter the Goatherd
*
Kimberly Beck
Kimberly Beck (born January 9, 1956) is a former American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Trish Jarvis in Joseph Zito's '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984). Her other film roles include Alfred Hitchcock's ''Marni ...
- voice of Clara Sesehound
*
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
- voice of Grandmamma Sesehound
* Joanne Baron - voice of Detie
*
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including ''Cocoon'', ''Police Academy'', ''Three Men and ...
- voice of Sebastian
*
Stephen Rea - voice of The Doctor
*
Majandra Delfino
Maria Alejandra Delfino ( ; born February 20, 1981), known professionally as Majandra Delfino, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Maria DeLuca on '' Roswell'', and as Andi on the CBS sitcom ''Friends with Bette ...
- voice of Miss Rottenmeier
*
Marshall Bell
Archibald Marshall Bell (born September 28, 1942) is an American character actor. He has appeared in many character roles in movies and television. He is known for roles in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'' (1985), '' Stand by M ...
- voice of Mr. Sesehound
* Mike Fishburn - voice of Mr. Usher the teacher
Other
Sixteen different dogs have roles in the film. All but two of the sixteen dogs were rescue animals, coming from local animal shelters. Only the title role of Heidi, played by eight-week-old purebred yellow lab puppies, and an apricot poodle playing the butler Sebastian, were from breeders. The title character of Heidi was played by nine different puppies. Since the dogs grew as filming progressed, they were only able to work for a week at a time before they had outgrown their role and their costumes.
References
* Teamer, Shaunese
''WTTW National Productions Presents Heidi 4 Paws: A Furry Tale.''* Bates, Samantha
''Elmira Siblings Give Voice to Singing Canines.''* Bickett, Iris
"Who, who, who let the dogs out."''The Breeze'', October 2004.
4 Paws Entertainment
External links
*
''Heidi 4 Paws''a
American Public Television
{{Heidi
2008 television films
2008 films
American television films
Films about dogs
Heidi films
2000s children's fantasy films
Television series by WTTW
Films directed by Holly Goldberg Sloan
2009 films
2000s English-language films