[.ca] Eloise: At The Plaza

From Amazon.com:
Kay Thompson's literary classic comes to life in this TV movie starring a free-spirited 6-year-old living in New York's Plaza Hotel. Sofia Vassilieva lights up the screen as Eloise, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Hilary Knight's illustrated namesake, from her bright red ribbon to her dainty designer shoes. Equal parts irrepressible imp and cherubic charmer, Eloise has the run of the hotel under the (mostly) attentive eye of beloved Nanny, played "rawther" marvelously by the timeless Julie Andrews. As the Plaza prepares for its debutante ball, a young prince arrives incognito, who Eloise befriends in her usual dervish style. The cast's comic timing transforms otherwise seeming clichés into a masterful romp through several stories-within-a-story, whether it's Eloise matchmaking a romantic liaison for Nanny, or orchestrating reconciliation between the prince and his estranged father. A making-of featurette and art lesson by Hilary Knight round out this heartwarming package, a fitting tribute to Eloise's creator. (Ages 5 and older) --Lynn Gibson

So cute!:
I really love the Eloise books, and I was worried that the movies were going to be bad, but this is truly a great feel-good movie that I will watch over and over again!

Find a child counselor before viewing Eloise:
This is the sort of child targeted entertainment you don't want your kid to watch without close parental supervision. There are too few positive role models for our children today and Eloise simply compounds the problem. Most children can not fully separate themselves from the fictional portrayals of peers, and often adopt character personalities through repeated exposure. Eloise's character exacerbates the problem by compounding the behaivoral traits of an overly spoiled child with a wanton disregard for authority. With proper parent/child conversation after watching this movie this can be a valuable lesson and aid in developing a positive attitude towards a child's own current socio-economic status. Most parents will not do this and few can afford the child psychology bills that will help their child later in life when these seeds of discontent blossom during adolesence into a general disrespect for social norms and values. Eloise will never age. She has no peers. She will not develop through life and take on responsibility as an adult. She will remain in her room, spouting nosense, without respect or civilty for those she views as peers or pissants. Please think twice before pressing play and leaving your child alone in the room with this trully rotten character model. *Please note: there is no rating available on Amazon for Zero stars....however this title proves the need for such a rating. BakaTBakaSTakaT.Cz

Eloise is amazing!:
OK, I honestly don't know what that guy is on, but how can he say Eloise is a terrible role-model? In a society filled with people such as Britney or Christina most parents would be thrilled to know that their 14 year old daughter admires someone half her age who says and does what everyone (regardless of age)is thinking, or wants to do! No matter who you are and what age you are, you have something to learn from Eloise, whether that means stay in style with her Adrianne Vitadini pink and white striped sheets (which I have by the way, but I've had them for 8 years), or to take a risk, stand up to someone, and to be yourself no matter what the circumstances! Eloise, in my opinion is a fabulous role model, for young kids, teens wanting to stay young, or adults wanting to let out that Eloise that I know for a fact is in us all!! Was that kinda preachy??? lol and just for the record--i am 14!

At last! But there is one glaring omission...:
As a longtime Eloise fan who also knows a lot of the background behind the books and their author, Kay Thompson, I am astounded that the DVD extras -- or liner notes -- failed to mention several obvious tributes to Thompson that were in the telemovie. First, the "signature Eloise pink" color that appears throughout the costume and set design could also be seen as a sly reference to Thompson, whose big musical number in the Hepburn/Astaire classic film "Funny Face" was, oddly enough, "Think Pink!" Also, at the close of the movie, when you see Eloise through a doorway embracing a shadowy figure that is obviously her mother, you also see a clue to Eloise's real mother, Kay Thompson, in the oversized white hat that the shadowy figure is wearing, one of Thompson's signature accessories. Perhaps this can be rectified in the DVD release of "Eloise At Christmastime." It would be a shame to deny Kay Thompson at least some of her richly deserved recognition. Artist Hilary Knight gets more than enough "props," ironic when you consider that it was Knight who was largely responsible for stalling the reissuance of the classic Eloise books, as he "didn't want to only be remembered as the guy who drew Eloise." I can think of a lot worse things to be remembered for. Please...more background on the genius Kay Thompson!

Amazing Film Version:
Six-year-old Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva), is a crazy, fun-loving, curious little girl living in New York's fabulous Plaza Hotel, who manages to find mystery, mayhem, and adventure, no matter where she goes, while her wonderful Nanny (Julie Andrews) chases her all over the place. And, in ELOISE AT THE PLAZA, Eloise sure does get into a lot of mischief. She's trying to wrangle herself an invitation to New York's biggest society event of the season, the Debutante ball, searching for a Prince who is supposedly staying at the Plaza, and playing matchmaker for Nanny, who just happens to have a secret crush on a certain Lord living at the hotel. With appearances by Jeffrey Tambor, playing a fantastically neurotic Mr. Salamone, Hilary Knight, the original artist who illustrated all of the ELOISE books, and a dog and turtle, playing Skipperdee and Weenie, who couldn't be more precious, ELOISE AT THE PLAZA is sure to please even the most cold-hearted person. A must-have for all. You won't be disappointed. Erika Sorocco