A Little Princess (1995)
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97% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
81% of users liked it
(223,301 ratings)
A privileged, free-spirited young girl tries to adapt to life in a strict boarding school in this charming, critically acclaimed children's fantasy. Adapting a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, also the author of The Secret Garden, the film shifts the story's setting to World War I. 10… More A privileged, free-spirited young girl tries to adapt to life in a strict boarding school in this charming, critically acclaimed children's fantasy. Adapting a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, also the author of The Secret Garden, the film shifts the story's setting to World War I. 10 year-old Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) has been left in a respected New York City boarding school while her British father heads overseas to fight. Filled with wild stories and a playful attitude, the unconventional Sara becomes popular amongst her classmates but quickly comes into conflict with the harsh headmistress, Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron), who attempts to quash the child's individuality. The young girl's situation takes a serious turn for the worse when she unexpectedly receives word of her father's death, and, suddenly impoverished, is forced into life as a servant. Treated as a lesser class of person by her former companions, Sara instead befriends her fellow servants and turns to the power of imagination in order to maintain hope for the future. In addition to changing the story's setting, screenwriters Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler add a layer of Indian mythology to the tale, allowing director Alfonso Cuaron the chance to punctuate the riches-to-rags fable with a series of lush, imaginative fantasy sequences. Though A Little Princess had difficulty attracting audiences during its initial run, its visual splendor and touching storytelling were praised by many critics, several of whom proclaimed the film one of the best family-oriented productions of its time. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Directed By
- Alfonso Cuarón, Alfonso CuarÓn
- Written By
- Frances Hodgson Burnett, Richard LaGravenese
- Genres
- Drama, Kids & Family
- In Theaters
- Aug 4, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The film uses studio resources to create an entrancing world both in New York and in the heroine's fantasies about India.
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
An astonishing work of studio artifice, A Little Princess is that rarest of creations, a children's film that plays equally well to kids and adults.
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Wally Hammond, Time Out
An exemplary version of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
A bright, beautiful and enchantingly childlike vision.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Cuaron's version of magic realism consists of seeing incredibly fanciful sets and situations in precise detail.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Eleanor Bron
as Miss Minchin
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Liam Cunningham
as Captain Crewe/Prince Rama
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Liesel Matthews
as Sara Crewe
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Rusty Schwimmer
as Amelia Minchin
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Arthur Malet
as Charles Randolph
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Vanessa Lee Chester
as Becky
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Judith Drake
as Bakery Woman
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David Fresco
as Begger Man in Fantasy Forest
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Taylor Fry
as Lavinia
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Peggy Miley
as Mabel Cook
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Alison Moir
as Princess Sita
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Lomax Study
as Monsieur Dufarge
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Tim Winters
as Frances Milkman
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Robert P. Cohen
as Ermengarde's Father
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Chris Ellis
as Policeman
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Nathaniel Merrill
as Doctor in Hospital
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Vincent Schiavelli
as Mr Barrow
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Heather DeLoach
as Ermengarde
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Kelsey Mulrooney
as Lottie
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Camilla Belle
as Jane
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Kaitlin Cullum
as Ruth
- Rachael Bella



