Belle and Sebastian

They say childhood lasts forever. It certainly often seemed that way when this interminable cartoon series was screened on Children's BBC in the Eighties.

The premise was simple. Belle was a large furry white dog, a cross between Digby and Stephen King's Cujo. Sebastian was a socially maladjusted village boy. Sebastian befriended Belle (who lived in the mountains) and would ride upon his back for fun and generally lark about.

The local villagers, however, were generally a bit reactionary and Jean de Florette-esque, disapproved of this relationship and attempted to shoot the dog. Sadly, they never succeeded.

That was it - stretched over numerous episodes. Unlike Dogtanian and Willy Fogg, Belle and Sebastian didn't even have a catchy theme tune to redeem it. Poor, even if the cool Nineties indy band did take their name from it.

This show is yet, another piece from my childhood. Like many shows I watched in my younger days, I watched this on Nickelodeon. It was about a boy named Sebastian who was trying to find his Gypsy mother who had abandoned him years earlier. He was protected by his dog Belle, whom also protected its puppy Poochie. I think there was another character as well who was a fellow Gypsy who had taken care of Sebastian since his mother left him.

This is another wonderful show of a Euro-Japanese coproduction which was evident in the 80's. Other recommendations in this sort include "Mysterious Cities of Gold", "Spartacus", and "Ulysse 31". Why these countries don't do shows together anymore is a mystery. This show gets a 10.

I was born in 1978 and as a young child I enjoyed following the adventures of Belle and Sebastian on Nickelodeon. I have recently rewatched the series and I have to say it's very emotional. Sebastian might get into a lot of trouble but he's a good boy with strong morals and he's a good role model for children. Belle is a sweet natured dog and Poochie is cute and brave. The series follows a quest both to find Sebastian's mother and keep Belle safe from those who misunderstand her as a dangerous dog. They find many friends to help them along the way as Sebastian learns about his Roma heritage and helps others as well as being helped by others.

Some may be offended by the term "gypsy" but the story itself is very anti-prejudice. It even features a policeman who joined the force to help keep things fair for his people.

Some parts of the anime reference corporal punishment and soem parts reference Catholicism which some modern audiences may not like, but I feel like these are part of a somewhat accurate portrayal of early 20th century life in France and Spain.

The story starts in France and most of it takes place in Spain. Various place names are referenced which can be educational.

Belle and Sebastian was my absolute favorite show when I was young. It was on in the mornings before school. I used to watch that along with David the Gnome and The Little Prince (who I always thought was a girl). Anyway, I started watching it because my mom really liked the show. She taped every episode which we still have on video. It was the most endearing cartoon I have ever seen. It's not often there is a children's show about getting robbed and chased, bullied, ignored, and ostracized. I remember crying on some episodes and feeling really bad for Sebastian because he had to sleep outside. For some reason none of my friends ever remember watching this show, no matter how many times I bring it up. However, most of my friends from France have seen it when they were young. I remember everything about the show and Sebastian was the most good hearted kid, always helping people and sharing everything he had. I actually had the pleasure of viewing the whole series in sequence, every episode, last year when I was making a copy of the tapes for someone who contacted me from this website. It was still as gritty as I remember and still entertaining 15 years later.

I have been trying to identify this cartoon years after it stopped airing on Nickelodeon in the late 1980's. I won't restate the plot and indeed the show had a pretty strightforward premise, but what a change of pace it was to a seven year old to whom shows like Double Dare and the VERY mundane "Hey Dude" and "Salute Your Shorts" did not cater.

I was never able to see all the episodes from beginning to end but this was a very memorable show inasmuch as the raw mood and tone it set. I never followed the story, but never having seen the conclusion left the characters of the young boy, Sebastian, his big white dog and the Inspector crystalized like ghosts in my mind. In my own interpretation, that is how Belle and Sebastian will always be: like a pair of ghosts roaming the French countryside. A boy who can never find his mother-- perhaps an apparition herself.

To suggest that a show like this was dull or useless is inconceivable to me. I realize what I have described is mostly what I have brought to the TV show from my own imagination but I was only able to do that because the show took its time with a very simple story and allowed me to do with it as I wished.