There are only 2 scary parts: Pepito wears a red devil mask and says "boo" to the girls who have sneaked into the kitchen; Pepito and Madeline are kidnapped by Pepito's tutor. I know the latter sounds terrible, but for some reason, it was not terrifying to my daughter. (We almost always watch with her.) This beats Disney the frightening animated movies in many ways. (Mary Poppins is a terrific exception.) There was one "damn" that I counted.

This was beautifully written, directed and acted.

16 of 17 found the following review helpful:

Sweet and Charming Children's Movie  Mar 29, 2002
By Matthew Horner
Madeline is a slight but utterly charming film taken from the children's books by Ludwig Bemelmas. It does not possess the dramatic content of The Secret Garden or A Little Princess, but it's free of the cynicism of the modern five-year old, as in The Rugrats Movie. It has an innocence which is downright old-fashioned. I liked it, and I am cynical and somewhat over the age of five.

Aren't the best stories about little girls often about orphans? That's what bright, adorable eight-year old Madeline is, as are her eleven schoolmates in a small private school in Paris. Usually the students dress alike, but they have several outfits. There are some wonderfully colorful scenes of the young ladies exploring the City of Lights. All have distinct personalities, which causes them to disagree on many subjects. This makes for some charming bits of dialog.

In charge of this group is the wise and tolerant nun, Miss Clavell, and the cold, lonely Lord Covington, whom the girls refer to by such names as Lord Coo Coo Face. These two characters are played by an American treasure, Francis McDormand, and a British one, Nigel Hawthorne. McDormand won an Oscar for Best Actress in Fargo, while Hawthorne was nominated for Best Actor in The Madness of King George. This picture is more of a holiday than an acting job for these major talents, but it's always nice to see them.

Madeline is spirited and exuberant. She gets into one mess after another. She winds up in the hospital, falls into the River Seine, nearly destroys the Spanish Embassy, smuggles a dog into the school and finds herself accidentally kidnapped by circus clowns. As directed by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer and portrayed by the delightful Hatty Jones, Madeline is never seen as a bad girl. She's simply a very bright and curious one.

The plot may be old hat and predictable, but the film is handled in such a light and lyrical style that I doubt many children will care. It's so professionally done that most adults caught having to sit through it should find it a pleasant hour and a half. Filmed on location in Paris, it is indeed lovely to look at.

Madeline got overlooked at the boxoffice in a very crowded 1998. Besides the already mentioned Rugrats, we were treated to three other animated film events - Antz, A Bug's Life and The Prince of Egypt. Hopefully, the less ambitious Madeline will find the audience it deserves on DVD.

Rated PG for a reason called "momentary language". If anyone knows what this phrase means, please let me know.

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:

For all young at heart aged 2 to 122 years of age  Nov 08, 2004
By Gary Selikow
A really exquisite movie that will make you laugh, cry, and keep putting it on again for more
The movie is about a girls school in Paris and the adventures of 12 adorable little girls, with the cutest and most interesting of all being the plucky flame haired little tyke, with a heart of gold Madeline (Hatty Jones).
With adventures taken from the timeless books, including little Madeleine's appendicitis, and her rescue from the water by the golden retriever Genevieve, the centerpiece of the story is the battle of the girls and their loving guardian Miss Clavel (Frances McDormand) to keep their school and their dog, against the cruel plans of Lord Covington (Nigel Hawthorne) and also foiling a thuggish tutor cum kidnapper Leopold (Ben Daniels)

This is really beautiful, not only for kids, but for all young at heart aged 2 to 122 years of age.

There are just so many wonderful memorable heart-stealing scenes, funny cute and poignant.


6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful movie!  Nov 29, 1998

My 7 year old daughter and I saw Madeline at the movies and can't wait for the video! I rarely buy videos, but this is a must have. Every little girl should see Madeline. It's very clean, action packed, funny and touching all rolled into one. My daughter spoke with a French accent for weeks after seeing the movie.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Madeline is one of my very favorite movies  May 05, 2000

I think Madeline is a fabulous movie. It is especially funny when the girls stop people from buying the house by unscrewing the doors. I also think it is sad when the old lady dies. Hatty Jones is a wonderful actress. I was rather scared when she got kidnapped by the circus, though. The story is wonderful.

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