Apparently, the reverse -- series starting with girls, later replaced by boy
characters -- has never been done, except perhaps with Little Men
(Louisa May Alcott, Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1871) which followed
Little Women (Alcott, same publisher, 1868/1869)
==================================================================
Air Bud
Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (film, 2002)[No.4 in series]
Andrea Framm (Caitlin Wachs) is the dog's wrangler in this version;
Josh is off to College, so his sister gets the dog involved in sport
this time around.
Air Bud Spikes Back (film, 2003)[No.5 in series]
Andrea Sullivan (formerly Framm) (Katija Pevec) is primary "dog
agent" again, this time with the dog playing volleyball.
Tagline: A teenager and her athletic dog . . .
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Bang! You're Dead
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS, 1955-1960; NBC, 1960-1963;
NBC, 1985-1987; USA Network, 1987-1988)
"Bang! You're Dead", 1961
Jackie Chester (Billy Mumy) has a gun. Be worried.
"Bang! You're Dead" (segment of "Pilot", 5 May 1985
Amanda (Bianca Rose) is now the one with the gun. Keep worrying.
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The Black Stallion
The Young Black Stallion (film, 2003)[No.3 in series]
This is a "prequel" to The Black Stallion (1979) and The Black Stallion Returns
(1983), all three by the same author. This installment is the story of
Neera (Biana Tamimi), "a young girl who befriends a young black stallion".
[quote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Black_Stallion]
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Dr Dolittle
Dr Dolittle 3 (film, 2006)[No.3 in series]
Maya Dolittle (Kaya Pratt)
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Free Willy
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (film, 2010)[No.4 in series]
Kirra Cooper (Bindi Irwin) bonds with whale and tries to help him find his pod (home).
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Karate Kid
The Next Karate Kid (film, 1994)[No.4 in series]
Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank)
(NOTE: in 2010, the franchise returned to a main-character boy in the remake
The Karate Kid, with Jaden Smith as Dre Parker)
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Lassie
Courage of Lassie (1946)[No.3 in series]
After beginning her long road home with Joe Carraclough (Roddy McDowall) in
Lassie Come Home (1943) and a sequel, Son of Lassie (1945, featuring
Laddie along with Joe Carraclough [Peter Lawford]), the dogs took a break from
boy-humans in this film, which has Kathie Merrick (Elizabeth Taylor) adopting
the canine, then misplacing her -- wait, it's actually him, and the dog's name
is Bill!
The Lassie franchise, of course, continues ad infinitum in movies as
well as TV, with most of the human-handling done by boys: Jeff Miller
(Tommy Rettig) in the Lassie TV series from 1954-1957; Timmy Martin (Jon Provost)
continuing in the TV series, 1957-1964 and in the feature Lassie's Great Adventure
(1963); Chip Stratton (Shane Sinutko) along with his sister, Samantha Stratton
(Sally Boyden), who share the caretaking chores in Lassie: A New Beginning (tv film, 1978);
Will McCullough (Will Estes [Will Nipper]) in The New Lassie, back on TV (1989-1992);
Matthew Turner (Thomas Guiry) in Lassie (film, 1994, story updated; not a remake);
Timmy Cabot (Corey Sevier) in yet another TV series called Lassie (1997-1999);
and so on, and so on . . .
[For a more complete list (when you've got lotsa time), see at IMDb.com/ ]
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Oliver! (stage)
Girls commonly play the parts of Fagin's "boys" in productions
mounted in the 1990s and later.
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The Omen
Omen IV: The Awakening (film, 1991)[No.4 in series]
Delia York (Asia Vieira) replaces the evil (and dead) Damien Thorn.
(NOTE: in 2006, it's back to the boy as evil incarnate, with Seamus
Davey-Fitzpatrick as Damien, alive again in The Omen, a remake of the 1976 original)
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Prehysteria!
Prehysteria! 3 (film, 1995)[No.3 in series]
Ella MacGregor (Whitney Anderson) and her family get help from the dinosaurs
to save their family mini-putt (miniature golf) business that has been
taken over by an evil villain (!).