The feature-length film edit of the TV series, released in March 1979, was engineered completely by Zuiyo, with no additional involvement from Nippon Animation, Takahata or Miyazaki.

A wealthy German businessman, Mr. Sesemann, is searching for a companion for his wheelchair-using daughter Clara, who is crippled due to rickets.

Although at first promised that she can return at any time, Heidi quickly learns of the ruse and tries to convince Dete to let her stay but is instead dragged to Frankfurt by force.

When they finally arrive at the Sesemann mansion, Dete abandons her under the authority of Miss Rottenmeier, the strict, no-nonsense governess in charge of Clara's welfare.

Clara is enchanted by Heidi's stories of the Alps, which paints a picture of a life completely different from the sheltered and lonely one she is normally accustomed to.

Forbidden by Miss Rottenmeier to ever mention or even think of the Alps again, Heidi rapidly goes into a decline, eventually becoming a sleep-walker, whose passage through the hallways is mistaken for that of a ghost, terrorizing the household.

Summoned home to deal with the haunting, Mr. Sesemann, with the aid of the doctor, catch Heidi in the middle of the night.

Under the care of Sebastian, Heidi embarks on the long trip home, finally returning to her grandfather, Peter and his family.

In due course, Clara comes to the Alps with Miss Rottenmeier, who shows a clear disapproval of the rustic conditions, an open fear of animals, and distress at the potential for accidents on the mountain.

In 1967, future Zuiyo founder Shigeto Takahashi, manager of TCJ at the time, produced a 5-minute pilot short for a series based on Johanna Spyri's novel, but the project was shelved until the new studio was founded.

[3][4] For an accurate depiction of the settings, Takahashi asked his staff to make a scout trip to Switzerland, so that they could carefully study the locations for the series.

In summer of 1973, Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki and new character designer (and animation director) Yōichi Kotabe made a two-day visit to Maienfeld and later they also traveled to Frankfurt in Germany.

Before his trip to Switzerland, Kotabe had drawn Heidi with two pigtails based on Mori's previous design, but he removed them after a Swiss librarian told him that a 5-year-old girl who lives in the mountains wouldn't be able to tie one.

For the grandfather's design, Kotabe took inspiration from a wooden carved figure in a local souvenir shop, which he quickly sketched without being noticed by the shopkeeper.

The TV series was able to reach major stardom in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Arab world, and South Africa.

[citation needed] The show became one of the most popular anime of all time in Spain, enough to have its own Spanish merchandise, including a comic book adaptation-turned-continuation of the series, published bi-weekly by Ediciones Recreativas and consisting of over an hundred issues in total from 1975 to 1981.

"Abuelito, dime tú" became one of the best known children's songs in Spain[7] and Heidi herself became one of both Sélica Torcal and Marisa Marco's most famous roles.

[8] The name "Rottenmeier" became synonymous with "uptight, straight-laced hag" among Spaniards and has subsequently been used to describe multiple female politicians,[9] and the Spanish parliament, among others in Spain, and has the woman been used as a bad type of 'potential' single (the suggestion coming from her first reference name "Fräulein" meaning "unmarried woman").

[citation needed] For the series' German dub, an entirely new soundtrack was composed; the in-episode compositions were created by Gert Wilden and the title song's music by Christian Bruhn and performed by the Schlager folk duo Gitti und Erika.

Heidi, finally back with her grandfather, continues to maintain the friendship at a distance with Clara, who, precisely during a visit to the girl initially hampered by Mrs. Rottenmeier, will resume the use of her legs.

Also, the series has been shown in numerous Arab countries, such as Bahrain,[20] Jordan, Lebanon, Oman,[21] Palestine,[20] Qatar, Syria[22] and the UAE.

[26] Later, updated versions of the animated TV series contained the theme song in Afrikaans for the South African audience.

This version was produced by Claudio Guzman and Charles Ver Halen, with the English translation and dialogue by Dick Strome and featured a voice cast including Randi Kiger as Heidi, Billy Whitaker as Peter, Michelle Laurita as Clara, Vic Perrin as the Alm Uncle, the Doctor and Postman, Alan Reed (who died in 1977) as Sebastian and Mr.

[31] Japanese heavy metal rock band Animetal made a cover of the show's original theme song.

[32] All the songs in the series are written by Eriko Kishida, composed by Takeo Watanabe and arranged by Yuji Matsuyama.

Ending theme: "Wait and See" (まっててごらん, Mattete Goran), sung by Kumiko Osugi, with yodeling by Nelly Schwartz.