What is the name of this old cartoon series?

What is the name of this old cartoon series?
Here’s what I remember about it:
- The series were made prior to 1997 (they may date back as far as the 60′s for all I know)
- They are about the life of a little boy who tries to find his family again. He was stolen as a baby from a rich family and then gets adopted by an old man who does circus-type shoes and owns a monkey and some other animals. After all of the animals die of some sort of disease (don’t remember) and the old man passes away from freezing to death, the child finds himself with another family for a while. They are poor and survive by selling flowers. The kid finds himself homeless multiple times afterward.
-I don’t know the country or language of origin… It is likely to not be from the US.
I saw it in Quebec (French Canada). So it may have been in french although I highly doubt it. Really, the cartoon could be a anime for all I know. The whole cartoon has a bitter-sweet/drama theme to it. It may even be a tragedy though since I don’t remember the end.
Another scene I remember: The boy is on some sort of ferry/boat (don’t remember why) and he sees a woman with a child (who is in a wheelchair) on a ferry nearby (they "cross" each other at sea). Although neither realize it, the woman is the mother of the boy. Also, he finds his family crest in order to find his family…
I really, really, want to know how the series end..
Also, I either saw it either in late 1996 or early 1997. Though, once again, that doesn’t guarantee the cartoon series was released then.

The story sound similar to the plot of the anime ".Nobody’s boy:Remi"

http://www.haru.tv/red/animeimg/2130.jpg

http://patrickmacias.com/remi.jpg

Is this the cartoon you are talking about?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ie_Naki_Ko

Hope I helped! =D

Technorati Tags: Anime, Cartoon Series, circus, Family Crest, Ferry Boat, Freezing To Death, French Canada, Haru, Ko, Monkey, Multiple Times, Naki, Old Man, Quebec, Remi, Tragedy, Type Shoes, Wheelchair, Wiki, Wikipedia

Tagged as: Anime, Cartoon Series, circus, Family Crest, Ferry Boat, Freezing To Death, French Canada, Haru, Ko, Monkey, Multiple Times, Naki, Old Man, Quebec, Remi, Tragedy, Type Shoes, Wheelchair, Wiki, Wikipedia