Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat

Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat
Based onThe Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan
Directed byJoseph Jacques
Voices of
Theme music composerJudith Henderson
ComposerJames Gelfand
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
Original languages
  • English
  • Chinese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes40 (79 segments)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerLéon G. Arcand
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 3, 2001 (2001-09-03) –
October 5, 2002 (2002-10-05)
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Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat, or simply Sagwa, is a children's animated television series based on the children's book The Chinese Siamese Cat, created by Amy Tan which aired on PBS Kids, co-produced by Canada-based animation studio CinéGroupe and Sesame Street creator Sesame Workshop.[1]

In the series, which is set c. 1895–1912, after the cinematograph was patented and during the late Qing dynasty, Sagwa has fun in her day-to-day life while learning and teaching valuable life lessons. The show is notable for its setting and messages about family obligations and loyalty. The show is also intentionally cross-cultural, with the theme song in both English and Chinese.[2]

The series was developed and produced for television by executive producers George Daugherty and Michel Lemire, and producers David Ka Lik Wong and Leon G. Arcand.[3]

The series aired from September 3, 2001, to October 5, 2002, running for one season and 40 episodes.[4]

The series won the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for Children's Film in 2001, as well as winning an Outstanding Individual in Animation award for background artist Valery Mihalkov at the 29th Daytime Emmy Awards and a "TV Series - Family/Children" award at WorldFest Houston in 2002.

  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 525–526. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 704–705. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ "PBS Sagwa". Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  4. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 212. ISBN 9781476672939.