Only recently I was made aware of (meaning, I turned on the TV and saw) a TV cartoon show called “Little Amadeus”. I was hooked the moment I heard the theme song, which basically was a song about little Mozart having all sorts of fun being little and a genius. Go figure.
While watching the show, I wondered if maybe it wasn’t possible to create shows of other composers as well. What about “Little Ludwig van”, a cartoon about little Ludwig van Beethoven, who, unfortunately, doesn’t lead the happy life as a youngster, mainly because his father is a rather harsh alcoholic who tends to wake up his prodigal son after coming home from the tavern so he could entertain his boozer buddies with his genius. And, since the show should appeal to the “Little Amadeus” crowd as well, there could a joint episode where both geniuses meet and play for the friends. Happy Amadeus and surly Ludwig van.
Beethoven’s years as a youngster would then of course be the real focus of attention, with his mother dying when he’s 16, his father becoming more and more of a deranged alcoholic, and the overpowering burden of being responsible for bringing up his other two siblings. In the course of these rather depressing episodes, Beethoven would then turn from a joyful young wunderkind to the grumpy men with wild hair we know him as today. The show could end in a wonderfully tragic finale with Beethoven losing his hearing, a development which would then be attributed to the beatings he had received from his father when young.
Finally even the young would understand the mystery behind Beethoven’s legendary surliness.
For more ideas on TV shows featuring young geniuses, please use the comments. Oh, and yes, there already is a show about a child-doctor.