# 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976)

> A young Italian boy crosses Argentina on foot and by chance in search of his mother, who went abroad to work and stopped writing.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/8303

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 52
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, family, drama, adventure
- Network: Tokyo Channel 12
- Cast: Yoshiko Matsuo, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Yukiko Nikaido, Kiyoshi Kawakubo, Akiko Tsuboi, Noriko Ohara, Mie Azuma, Ichiro Nagai
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074002/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, heartwarming, earnest, hopeful, melancholic

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively for its heartfelt journey and warm characters, though it is a gentle, dated family classic rather than a critical landmark.

## Synopsis

3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976) is a Japanese animated family adventure series created for Tokyo Channel 12 and produced by Nippon Animation as part of the World Masterpiece Theater tradition. Young Marco Rossi (voiced by Yoshiko Matsuo) leaves his home in Italy after his mother, who has gone to Argentina to work as a domestic to support her family, stops answering her letters. Marco's loyal determination to find her carries him across a vast continent, and his companions along the way include his family members back home, such as his brother Tonio (voiced by Kazuyuki Sogabe) and sister Anna (voiced by Yukiko Nikaido). Each episode is built around a new town, a new encounter and a new obstacle, so the journey unfolds as a sequence of self-contained adventures inside one continuing quest. The series is a single 52-episode season with a warm, wistful tone, mixing tender sentiment with moments of hardship and danger. Its setting is a late nineteenth century emigration era, moving through Italian villages, the sea crossing and the Andes Mountains. Fans of Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables will find the same gentle, emotionally earnest storytelling, with a child's unwavering devotion at its heart.

## Shows like 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother

- [Nobody's Boy: Remi (1977)](https://ember.film/tv/40632)
- [Tales of Little Women (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/19916)
- [De Pocas Pocas Pulgas (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/39002)
- [Future Boy Conan (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/17776)
- [Galaxy Express 999 (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/29200)
- [Hello! Sandybell (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/9019)
- [Princess Sarah (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/32722)
- [Candy Candy (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/8492)
- [Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/27148)
- [Around the World With Willy Fog (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/4889)

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