Synopsis

In 1956 Paris, fearless schoolgirl Madeline lives with eleven classmates in a boarding school threatened with closure and sale. Determined to protect the only home she has known, she uses her courage and clever schemes to fight the adults' plans. Along the way, Madeline befriends Pepito, the son of a neighboring Spanish diplomat, and becomes involved in an unexpected family crisis.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film draws material from four Ludwig Bemelmans books: Madeline, Madeline and the Bad Hat, Madeline's Rescue, and Madeline and the Gypsies.

• Unlike the books, the film presents Madeline as an orphan. This change makes the school her true home and gives her campaign to save it a more personal motivation.

• The story was moved from the late 1930s to 1956, partly to avoid placing the film against the background of World War II.

• Principal photography took place in Paris and nearby French locations between September and December 1997. Several landmarks associated with the books appear in the finished film.

• Most of the costumes were made in Paris. The filmmakers used vivid blue and red uniforms rather than gray, which they felt would make the girls' clothing look too bleak.

• Miss Clavel's outfit combines elements of a novice's veil with the habit of a full nun. The design was softened and colored blue to echo the illustrations while remaining practical for a live-action film.

• Hatty Jones was nine years old during production. The young performers received several hours of schooling each filming day, with tutors working alongside the production.

• The film was released by TriStar Pictures on July 10, 1998, and runs approximately 88 minutes.

• The closing use of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is a deliberate period anachronism: the song was not released until 1967, eleven years after the film's stated setting.