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“A Little Princess" is another magical family film based on a book by Frances Hodgson Burnett , whose work also inspired "The Secret Garden." Both films approach the characters of her children with calm solemnity and delight, placing them in vast, wonderful, frightening houses, and allowing them to discover some of the lessons of life there. Unlike the insipid devices of most family films, Burnett's plots understand that children take stories very seriously indeed, and that all stories are really about the uncertain place of the child in the mysterious world of adults.

"A Little Princess," which opens just before World War I, tells the story of Sara Crewe ( Liesel Matthews ), who until the age of 10 or 11 is raised by her father in India. Then her father finds it his duty to go off and fight in the war, and he places Sara in a magnificent private school in New York, run by a forbidding headmistress named Miss Minchin ( Eleanor Bron ), who is impressed by Capt. Crewe's wealth and assigns little Sara to a suite so luxurious, it could have been decorated by Cecil Beaton.

Miss Minchin's school, like most of the places in the movie, is obviously a set, and no less fascinating for that. It crouches at the end of a street like the palace of a Victorian robber baron, and inside, the glistening hardwood floors reflect the light of high stained-glass windows. But all is not an idyll here; in her first moments at the school, Sara notices Becky ( Vanessa Lee Chester ), a black girl in a simple dress, mopping the floor.

Sara soon becomes the most popular girl in school because of her ability to spin fantasies out of mundane materials. Give her a boring child's book to read aloud, and in her hands it will become a legend from India. Most of the girls quickly idolize her, and one who doesn't, a spiteful little snob with long hair, is warned by Sara, in what sounds like a display of supernatural prescience, "I wouldn't brush my hair as much if I were you." Then one day, Sara's birthday party is interrupted with an ominous command: "Go to your room and get a simple black dress." There has been a major reversal in her life, and soon she's sharing attic quarters with Becky. What happens then depends on large servings of coincidence, fate, melodrama and adventure, and is thoroughly satisfactory in all of those departments. Miss Minchin reveals herself as a cold snob, and Bron's performance is all the more effective because it is cool and contained, instead of going over the top into cartoon exaggeration. "If you fail to meet the standards of this institution," she informs Sara at one low point, "you will be expelled. The streets of this city are not kind to homeless orphans." "A Little Princess" was directed by the Mexican born Alfonso Cuaron , and produced by Mark Johnson , the producer on such films as "Good Morning, Vietnam" and " Avalon ." I mention both, because it is well-directed and produced: Cuaron's version of magic realism consists of seeing incredibly fanciful sets and situations in precise detail, and Johnson has provided him with the freedom and logistical support to create such places as the street where Miss Minchin's school looms so impressively.

Imagination is a precious gift, and too many films hammer it down into submissiveness. Children sit transfixed before films and TV shows that substitute action for fancy; cartoon characters fly through space and blast one another endlessly, providing kids with the impression of a story without the substance.

Movies like "A Little Princess" and " The Secret Garden " (now on video) contain a sense of wonder, and a message: The world is a vast and challenging place, through which a child can find its way with pluck and intelligence. It is about a girl who finds it more useful to speak French than to fire a ray gun. I know there are more kids this season who want to see " Judge Dredd ," " Die Hard With a Vengeance " and the new Batman movie than kids who want to see "A Little Princess," and I feel sorry for them.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

A Little Princess (1995)

Rama Liam Cunningham as Father Prince

Eleanor Bron as Miss Minchin

Liesel Matthews as Sara Crewe

Based On The Novel by

• Frances Hodgson Burnett

Directed by

• Alfonso Cuaron
• Elizabeth Chandler
• Richard Lagravenese

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A Little Princess Review

09 Feb 1996

A Little Princess

This screen adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's second most famous book (after The Secret Garden) flopped big-time Stateside, bowled over by a string of expensive but less competent blockbusters. Which is a shame, because a film as beautifully made and downright enjoyable as this one has true universal appeal.

Having adjusted to a life of luxury in India with her widowed pop, imaginative rich kid Sara Crewe (Matthews) is packed off to an exclusive boarding school in New York after World War I breaks out and Daddy is drafted into the army. After becoming a favourite with the other girls thanks to some surreptitious night-time story-telling sessions, the school fees stop arriving when her father is reportedly killed, leaving the unfortunate Sara to be banished to the attic by wicked headmistress Miss Minchin (Bron) and forced into a life of servitude.

While those familiar with Burnett's book may be a mite peeved by certain liberties taken with the storyline - most notably whisking the setting across the pond from its previous London location - the rest can't fail to be utterly captivated. Mexican director Cuaron casts a magical, fairy-tale glow over the storyline, decking everything, except for a series of stunning day-glo fantasy sequences, in verdant tones, and leaving no sentimental or comic outlet uncharted. The young, largely female cast (especially the appealingly big-eyed Matthews) mercifully manage to transcend the barrier between cute and irritating, although it's Bron's starchy, seething schoolmarm who steals the show.

A LITTLE PRINCESS

What You Need To Know:

(Ro, B) Romantic worldview with moral elements.

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Every once in a while a movie comes along that so innocently touches the heart as to become a classic. Such is A LITTLE PRINCESS, the story of a wealthy, precious and precocious little girl, Sarah Crewe and her adventures at Miss Minchin’s School for Girls. It is also the tale of her father’s separation from her by the horrors of war, her time living as an orphan and their subsequent triumphant reunion. Raised in the jungles of India, young Sara lives in a world filled with exotic experiences and an adoring father, who he is forced to leave her at the boarding school while he goes to fight in W.W.I. When he is reported killed, Sara is reduced to poverty until a miracle happens.

A LITTLE PRINCESS is a very good technical production. Casting is impeccable; every character is memorable. The story (taken from the family favorite by the same name) is well written, and the cinematography is at times breathtaking. The acting performances are simply delightful. In this movie, magic (“believing in what you want and yet cannot see”) is portrayed as somewhat similar to what the Bible calls faith. This is a child’s innocent representation of a source of hope in the midst of an otherwise hopeless situation. As such, it should not be faulted. All ends well in this well-crafted adventure movie which could well become a family classic.

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A Little Princess Parent Guide

It's the early 1900's, and Liesel Matthews plays Sara Crewe, the daughter of a wealthy British businessman. Her father leaves for the war, and she is left under the cold stare of Headmistress Minchin.

Release date May 10, 1995

Run Time: 97 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by rod gustafson.

It’s the early 1900’s, and Liesel Matthews plays Sara Crewe, the daughter of a wealthy British businessman. Her father leaves for the war, and she is left under the cold stare of Headmistress Minchin, the owner of a girls’ school, who can only tolerate Sara’s popularity and optimism by remembering the money the girl contributes to her purse.

In the midst of her trials Sara often finds comfort by retreating into a world of imaginary fairy tales from India, the country where she and her father lived before she came to the New York boarding school. (These sequences may be a little frightening for very young viewers.) When she discovers sharing her stories also helps other lonely students, her true selfless nature shines. Much to the chagrin of Miss Mitchin, Sara proves that being a princess has more to do with moral fiber than circumstances.

The beautiful cinematography of this film skilfully contrasts warm and cold colors to emphasise the changing moods. But I was disappointed when the scriptwriters chose to force this wonderful story to fit the Hollywood mold, which demands (especially from children’s movies) simple good and bad guy characters, a happy ending, and revenge. Miss Minchin’s retribution is neither believable nor necessary, and the inclusion of this one tiny scene is like a flaw in an otherwise diamond of a film.

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Rod Gustafson

A little princess rating & content info.

Why is A Little Princess rated G? A Little Princess is rated G by the MPAA

This additional information about the movie’s content is taken from the notes of various Canadian Film Classification boards:

Infrequent portrayals of corpses in a war context, with little detail shown.

- Infrequent portrayals of frightening monsters in a fantasy context.

- Infrequent mild profanity.

Page last updated July 17, 2017

A Little Princess Parents' Guide

How did Sara’s attitude about her difficult living conditions help to make the situation more bearable? Likewise, how does Miss Minchin’s attitude contribute to her unhappiness even though her circumstances are good?

The conclusion of this movie harks back to the days of the Hays Production Code (see Ratings Under Pressure in our Big Picture section). Introduced during the 1930’s but replaced with the current rating system in the late 60’s, the code insisted that the bad guy meet with his just rewards. Could Miss Minchin have learned her lesson any other way?

If your family enjoys A Little Princess, look in your library for the Frances Hodgson Burnett book that the movie was based upon. Your children will be amazed at how much can change between a novel and a screenplay.

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Frances Hodgson Burnett has written several children’s stories, and often includes English characters that have lived in India. Her story, The Secret Garden has also been made into a movie.

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A Little Princess Reviews

• 83   Metascore
• 1 hr 40 mins
• Drama, Fantasy, Family, Kids
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel about a young girl who's taken to a stern boarding school while her father fights in WWI.

This new version of Frances Hodgson Burnett's children's classic boasts first-rate production values and a political sensitivity befitting the '90s, but it doesn't quite capture the magic of the 1939 Shirley Temple vehicle. 1914, Simla, India: Imaginative 10-year-old Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) lives with her wealthy, widowed father (Liam Cunningham), a British Army captain. Sara enjoys her life in exotic India, but the coming of the Great War destroys the tranquillity of Sara's life. Her father must rejoin his regiment, and places Sara in Miss Minchin's School for Girls in New York City. Stern headmistress Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron) hates the girl, and when Sara's father is reported killed in battle, she launches a campaign to crush the Sara's resilient spirit. A LITTLE PRINCESS is adapted respectably by screenwriters Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler, meticulously produced, opulently designed--particularly in the colorful fantasy sequences--elegantly photographed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and adequately (in the case of Eleanor Bron, more than adequately) acted. While Shirley Temple is a more appealing youngster than newcomer Liesel Matthews, Matthews is both sassy and unabashedly emotional. And though the new LITTLE PRINCESS is a far darker affair than the 1939 version, Mexican-born director Alfonso Cuaron doesn't make it anywhere near as drab and moody as Agnieszka Holland's more artistically and commercially successful THE SECRET GARDEN.

Little Princess, A (United States, 1995)

A "family movie" is often loosely defined as a motion picture that, aimed at children, is likely to bore parents to tears. Numerous examples leap to mind, most of them from Walt Disney Studios, a production company that holds the curious distinction of making animated features that are more mature than live-action ones. However, A Little Princess isn't from Disney, it's from Warner Brothers. Most importantly, it's not only suitable for consumption by those over age 10, it's actually enjoyable.

The film is based on the popular 1888 children's book Sara Crewe by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is the third filmed version, following 1917's A Little Princess with Mary Pickford and 1939's, which featured Shirley Temple. While not as good as 1993's The Secret Garden (another movie based on a Hodgson story), this new version of A Little Princess can more than hold its own in a sea of overly-commercial attempts to grab children's hard-earned money. Unfortunately, since it actually takes the time to develop characters and a story while eschewing explosions, it's unlikely to garner much at the box office. Witness the performance of similar recent films if you doubt that.

The main character is Sara, played delightfully by newcomer Liesel Matthews. The motherless girl has grown up in India, a land where "the air is so hot you can taste it." In fact, the scenes there are filmed with warmth and color to emphasize the beauty as seen through Sara's eyes. The year is 1914, and World War One is in full swing. When Sara's father (played by Liam Cunningham), a British army captain, decides to rejoin his regiment, he deposits Sara in an exclusive girls' school in New York City. Run by the nasty Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron), this is a place that stifles creativity in favor of etiquette and strict rules. Sara is immediately unhappy there, but her fortunes go from bad to worse when her father is declared dead in Europe and all his assets are seized by the Indian government. Sara is left penniless and forced to work as a servant to earn her keep.

A Little Princess is an engaging tale about self-respect and the importance of imagination. In India, Sara is told that "all girls are princesses", and this is a lesson she clings to when forced to mop floors and serve meals. Even dressed in rags and living in a bare attic room, she is special -- and so are all the others around her, regardless of whether they're nice, snobbish, or bossy. Princess or pauper, there's no difference in Sara's eyes.

She also accepts magic. In her father's words, "Magic has to be believed -- that's the only way it's real." Her stories about Princess Sita and Prince Rama not only enchant her schoolmates, but they give Sara an escape route once her father has been declared dead. She uses fantasy as a tonic for her bleak reality without ever losing sight of what's happening around her. Together with her friend Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester), she ventures to amazing places without leaving her room.

To be sure, A Little Princess has a few missteps. For one thing, Miss Minchin could have been played with less villainy, but younger viewers will probably appreciate the one-dimensional nastiness. There are also a few moments of overt sweetness, but these are easily forgiven. Actually, there's very little this movie has to apologize for -- it's the rare kind of picture that can be enjoyed by viewers of eight, eighteen, and eighty.

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• (There are no more better movies of this genre)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
• (There are no more better movies of Liesel Matthews)
• (There are no more worst movies of Liesel Matthews)
• Wimbledon (2004)
• (There are no more better movies of Eleanor Bron)
• (There are no more worst movies of Eleanor Bron)
• Jude (1996)
• Centurion (2010)
• Last Voyage of the Demeter, The (2023)
• Clash of the Titans (2010)
• (There are no more worst movies of Liam Cunningham)

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A Little Princess

• Sara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
• When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth. Sara's belief that "every girl's a princess" is tested to the limit, however, when word comes that her father was killed in action and his estate has been seized by the British government. — James Meek <[email protected]>
• 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 with 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 1914, young Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) lives in India with her wealthy widowed father, Ralph Crewe (Liam Cunningham), a captain in the British Army. Immersed in Indian culture, Sara absorbs the many stories and folktales she hears from a local woman, Maya (Pushpa Rawal), from whom she adopts the mantra "all women are princesses." Her circumstances change abruptly with the onset of World War I, which requires Captain Crewe to return to the army barracks. He enrolls Sara at her late mother's girlhood boarding school, Miss Minchin's School for Girls, in New York City. As they sail for America, Sara dreads her impending separation from her beloved father, but is reminded of his devotion when he presents her with a heart-shaped locket which he had given to Sara's mother when they married. The locket contains photographs of Sara's parents, and it instantly becomes her most treasured possession. After arriving in bustling New York, Captain Crewe takes Sara to her new school. They are greeted by the warm and cheerful Amelia Minchin (Rusty Schwimmer), the younger sister of the school's headmistress and director, Miss Maria Minchin (Eleanor Bron). The senior Minchin, whose demeanor is in sharp contrast to Amelia's, greets the Crewes with honeyed mannerisms clearly influenced by Captain Crewe's wealth. Captain Crewe had spared no expense in ensuring his daughter's comfort. He secured the school's largest bedroom suite for Sara, had her beautiful clothes and toys shipped over from India, and promised large monthly payments to cover any excess utilities. Miss Minchin gives them a tour of the facilities and introduces Sara to the other pupils during their French lesson. Miss Minchin notices the locket around Sara's neck and attempts, rather sharply, to remove it, asserting that jewelry is against school rules. Sara, however, insists on keeping it, respectfully promising to only wear it in her room during personal time. To say their goodbyes before Captain Crewe's ship departs, Sara and her father are shown into Sara's splendid suite, which is fully prepared and decorated with treasures from India. Captain Crewe presents Sara with a new doll, Emily, whom he says possesses the magical power to act as messenger between them while he is away. He encourages her to believe in magic, for it must be believed to be real. Sara tearfully watches her father's carriage disappear down the road as she sits in her window, cradling Emily. Sara's first morning at school does not go smoothly. Not being used to adhering to a schedule, she is late for breakfast and is distracted when she sees her mother's photograph on the wall with other alumni. Miss Minchin, already viewing Sara as spoiled and overindulged, dislikes her further when Monsieur Dufarge (Lomax Study), the French teacher, praises Sara's fluent grasp of the language while still despairing of Miss Minchin's accent and pronunciation. Sara is chided for "talking at the table" after thanking the servant girl, Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester), for serving her porridge. Later, in a letter to her father, Sara writes that the school rules are strange to her, but she will endeavor to obey them. Once the enigma of the wealthy new classmate wears off, the other girls begin to approach Sara. A haughty older girl, Lavinia (Taylor Fry), makes no secret of her disdain for Sara's kind nature and passion for storytelling, but the other girls are entranced by Sara's mental library of Indian sagas. Sara forms a close bond with Ermengarde (Heather DeLoach), a bespectacled misfit who endures harsh treatment from both Miss Minchin and Lavinia. Sara's stories and natural empathy give her the ability to calm Lottie (Kelsey Mulrooney), the youngest pupil, who is prone to loud and frequent tantrums. Amelia Minchin, who was always charged by her sister to handle Lottie's fits, had always been unsuccessful in her attempts, and is immensely relieved that Sara is so effective. Sara is curious about the servant girl, Becky, to whom the students are expressly forbidden to speak. While the other girls seem to grasp that Becky's being African American "means something" in their society, Sara, having grown up away from American culture, sees no logical reason to avoid Becky. She sneaks up to the attic, where Becky sleeps in pitiful conditions, and witnesses Becky icing her bruised and blistered feet. Becky notices Sara and, startled, tells her they will both be in trouble if Sara comes to the attic again. Sara, saddened by Becky's situation, later leaves her a gift of splendid fur-trimmed slippers and a note of friendship. It soon becomes habit for most of the girls to sneak into Sara's room at night to listen to her stories. She had been telling them, in installments, the saga of Princess Sita, her husband Prince Rama, and the evil ten-headed demon who kept them apart. The girls know it is against the rules to leave their rooms at night, and Miss Minchin's dislike for Sara's imaginative worldview is now obvious to all the pupils, so Sara encourages them to be quiet during the stories and to leave if there is danger of being found out. The absence of her father is still weighing heavily on Sara, who clings to her doll, Emily, for comfort. She and Ermengarde both feel dejected when parents of the other pupils come to visit the school. Ermengarde's father had virtually abandoned her at school, attempting to force her to adapt to an environment that was damaging to her happiness and self-esteem. Sara attempts to cheer her up, but is saddened to watch the sea of happy mothers and fathers reunited with their daughters. With a flash of hope, Sara sees a man in military uniform and follows him outside, but her spirits are dashed when she sees he is not Captain Crewe. To celebrate Sara's birthday, as per Captain Crewe's instructions, no expense was to be spared. The girls enjoy a lavish cake, and dance in the parlor while Amelia and Ermengarde play a cheerful rag on the piano. Amid the festivities, Miss Minchin receives an unexpected visit from Captain Crewe's solicitor, Mr. Barrow (Vincent Schiavelli), who informs her in private that Captain Crewe is unaccounted for and presumed dead. As such, the British government has seized his fortune and will allow no more payments to Miss Minchin for Sara's care. As she had been expecting a rather large payment for the current month, Miss Minchin is furious and abruptly stops the birthday party, sending all the girls to their rooms except Sara. With little effort at sympathy, Miss Minchin tells Sara that her father is dead, that she has no family nor money, and she must now forfeit all her valuable belongings to Miss Minchin to cover the unpaid debt. In addition, Sara is demoted from student to servant, and is sent to the attic with a drab black frock, one book, a candle, and Emily, the one luxurious possession she was permitted to keep. Miss Minchin snatches the locket from Sara's neck, threatens to have her arrested if she withholds another valuable, and leaves her alone in the leaky attic. Sara, who had been in a horrified daze since she had heard the news, finally breaks down and weeps for the loss of her father. Sara's new life beings at five o' clock every morning, when she reports to the kitchen to help the cook with breakfast. She now serves porridge to her former classmates, whom Miss Minchin has forbidden any communication with. Ermengarde, Lottie, and her other friends are clearly distressed by Sara's plight. Sara and Becky become close friends and visit with each other through a broken plank in the shared wall of their attic rooms. Becky encourages Sara to continue telling her stories and believing in magic, but Sara is too depressed to embrace her former optimism and imagination. In the large townhouse next door to the school lives Mr. Randolph (Arthur Malet), a wealthy, elderly, wheelchair-bound man whose son, John, recently left to fight in the army. Mr. Randolph's manservant is an imposing Indian gentleman called Ram Dass (Errol Sitahal), who is constantly accompanied by a playful pet monkey. While shopping for groceries in the market square, Sara witnesses two army officers deliver the news of John's disappearance to Mr. Randolph, who is led inside weeping by Ram Dass. During her next market trip, Sara is handed a coin by a kindly boy, whose mother immediately scolds him for giving his money to a "beggar." Sara uses the coin to buy herself a bun from the bakery, but before consuming it, she sees a shabbily-dressed woman with three young children attempting to sell flowers on the street. Sara gives her treat to one of the children, and their mother insists she have a flower in return, calling her a "princess" for her action. Feeling much sympathy for Mr. Randolph's situation, Sara threads the yellow rose through the handles of the old man's front door. With the aid of Becky's friendship, Sara begins to reclaim fragments of her former positive perspective, and even enjoys herself when the two girls play a vengeful prank on Miss Minchin after witnessing her be cruel to a young chimney sweep. She also develops a cordial relationship with Amelia, who confides in Sara her displeasure with her job and her sister's treatment of her. Sara coyly encourages Amelia to pursue a future with Francis (Time Winters), the milkman, with whom Amelia had been awkwardly flirting for some time. Meanwhile, Mr. Randolph is taken to an army hospital and asked to identify an anonymous injured soldier, whom the doctors thought might be the old man's missing son. The soldier, wearing bandages around his eyes and afflicted with memory loss, is not John Randolph, but Ram Dass persuades Mr. Randolph to take the man into his home to recuperate, reasoning that the stranger might know what happened to John. Ram Dass has also taken notice of the miserable conditions of Sara and Becky, as his room at the Randolph house is adjacent to their attic quarters. He and Sara form something of a silent friendship from their respective windows. Sara's friends concoct a daring scheme to retrieve Sara's locket from Miss Minchin's office. When Miss Minchin departs on an errand, Lottie throws a false tantrum to distract Amelia. Ermengarde and a few others sneak into the deserted office and quietly search for the locket, which is soon found in a desk drawer. To their horror, Miss Minchin returns early to fetch a forgotten glove, and the girls are nearly caught in the act. Fortunately, Becky distracts Miss Minchin long enough for the girls to escape to safety. That night, Sara's friends make a risky journey to the attic to return the locket to Sara, who is touched and deeply grateful. Their reunion is halted by the arrival of Miss Minchin, who furiously sends the pupils to their rooms before descending on Sara and Becky. Though Sara hides the locket before Miss Minchin can notice it, the fact that she had been caught interacting with school pupils results in harsh punishment. Miss Minchin tells Sara that for the entirety of the next day, Becky will be locked in her attic room while Sara performs both of their workloads, and neither of them will receive any food. She attempts to break Sara's spirit further by taunting Sara's resilient "princess" outlook, but Sara stands firm in her beliefs. Miss Minchin threatens to throw Sara out if she is found with any of the girls again, and storms out in tears of rage. Becky is miserable, seeing no hope for herself or Sara, as they await their punishments. Sara resorts to her imagination, suggesting that they eat an imaginary feast that night to stave off the next day's hunger. Becky eventually is persuaded, and the girls imagine themselves beautifully dressed and enjoying their favorite foods. Ram Dass witnesses their plight from the Randolph house. In the morning, Sara awakens to a miraculous sight: the attic is decked out for a banquet, with luxurious robes waiting for her and Becky, and a table laden with a magnificent breakfast. Ram Dass, through unknown and possibly mystical means, had granted the girls' wish. Fortified by her fantastic morning, Sara is able to endure the double workload that day. After sunset, Amelia sneaks out of a window and happily runs away with Francis the milkman. Miss Minchin, unaware of her sister's departure, finally notices the absence of Sara's locket in her desk drawer and immediately goes to the attic to confront the girl. Miss Minchin is shocked by Ram Dass's fine gifts, and accuses Sara of stealing them as well as the locket. Sara asserts her innocence, but still refuses to incriminate her friends. Miss Minchin furiously informs Sara that she is going to be arrested for theft, locks her and Becky in the attic again, and leaves to call the police. With a violent thunderstorm raging outside, Sara and Becky formulate a hasty and dangerous escape plan. They use a long, narrow wooden plank as a bridge between their attic window and the ledge of the Randolph house next door. Sara, terrified but determined, promises to return for Becky, and begins to make her way across. The beam is unsteady and made slippery from the relentless rain, and Sara is several floors above street level. Just as Sara reaches the opposite ledge, Miss Minchin arrives in the attic with the police, all of whom are frozen momentarily by the sight of Sara's escape. Miss Minchin orders the police to stop her, and Sara loses her balance, nearly falling to her death. She dangles from the ledge and manages to claw her way to safety, entering the upstairs window. Miss Minchin tells the police to go next door and find her, and to take Becky as well. Sara, drenched and shaken, wanders through Mr. Randolph's house. She is startled when she encounters a man alone in the drawing room, his eyes and upper face obscured by bandages. He senses her presence, and asks her name. Sara realizes with astonishment that this is her father, very much alive and safe. She rushes to embrace him, but though he is clearly affected by her emotion, he does not remember her. Sara desperately tries to awaken his memories, and grows more panicked as the police and Miss Minchin arrive at the front door. They demand entrance from Mr. Randolph, explaining that there is a runaway child in his house. Amid the chaos, Ram Dass stands silently by as policemen drag Sara, screaming, away from her father. As Sara is being taken to a waiting police vehicle, Ram Dass influences Captain Crewe to remove his bandages and see again. Captain Crewe's mind miraculously clears and he races to the street, shouting his daughter's name. Sara breaks free from the police and leaps into her father's arms as they both weep with joy. Ram Dass looks on, chuckling knowingly. On a sunny morning soon afterward, Ermengarde, Lottie, and the rest of the girls congregate on the school's front steps to bid farewell to Sara and Becky, who are returning to India to live with Captain Crewe. Sara leaves her doll, Emily, with her friends to act as messenger between them. After hugging Ermengarde, Sara is approached by Lavinia, who, to everyone's great surprise, embraces Sara with a genuine smile. The girls wave goodbye as Captain Crewe, Sara, and Becky depart in a carriage. Miss Minchin is removed from her lofty position at the school, and is reduced to working as an assistant to the young chimney sweep she had previously mistreated.

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A little princess, common sense media reviewers.

Girl's vivid imagination, kindness enrich all-time classic.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Readers will learn what life was like in an Englis

Despite the harsh realities Sara endures -- loneli

Sara Crewe is strong-willed, smart, and highly ima

The mean headmistress, Miss Minchin, boxes a serva

Written in 1888, Burnett's novel features seri

Parents need to know that Burnett's novel is a beautiful, fanciful, old-fashioned story with a complex heroine. The book is sweet and uplifting throughout, but Sara does suffer a terrible loss and is ill-treated by Miss Minchin, which could upset very young children. This classic novel also contains some old…

Educational Value

Readers will learn what life was like in an English girls' boarding school in the Victorian era, and gain an understanding of the disparity between living conditions of the wealthy and the poor in London at that time.

Positive Messages

Despite the harsh realities Sara endures -- loneliness, hunger, cold, cruelty -- she remains a generous girl and a leader among the children at Miss Minchin's school. She makes a difference in the lives of her friends, Becky, Ermengarde, and Lottie, sharing her wonderful tales when that is all she has to give. Even strangers who witness Sara's kind actions are inspired to be more charitable to the needy. The novel places a strong value on goodness, as well as the power of imagination. Sara's greatest talent lies in her ability to pretend. She invents elaborate stories and scenarios to lift her own spirits and entertain the other children.

Positive Role Models

Sara Crewe is strong-willed, smart, and highly imaginative, giving her a rich inner life and great coping skills. Though it would seem that Sara's imaginary identity as "princess" sets her above her peers, she means it more as a responsibility to share all she has with the "populace." Her giving nature, fine mind, and excellent manners make her a great role model for her fellow students. Sara is mistreated by the headmistress of the seminary, Miss Minchin, but when the novel begins, her character has already been formed by her life with a loving and devoted father.

Violence & Scariness

The mean headmistress, Miss Minchin, boxes a servant girl's ears a couple of times.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Written in 1888, Burnett's novel features serious haves and have-nots, Victorian-style. Sara Crewe is showered with extravagant gifts by her father; her dolls have fancier clothing than most real people have. Meanwhile, on the streets of London, starving, shoeless beggars tie rags around their feet. Clothing and comforts are described in lavish detail in the book, but material possessions are much less important than goodness.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Burnett's novel is a beautiful, fanciful, old-fashioned story with a complex heroine. The book is sweet and uplifting throughout, but Sara does suffer a terrible loss and is ill-treated by Miss Minchin, which could upset very young children. This classic novel also contains some old-fashioned attitudes. Becky asks if a new neighbor is a "Chinee" because his skin is "yellow." Sara recalls her time living in India, where she had an "ayah who adored her," and servants bowed to her. These passages carry a note of racial stereotyping, but Sara's goodness to all people overshadows her outmoded perspective. The novel has been made into two very good movies: the 1939 version starring Shirley Temple, and a lovely remake from 1995 . Though neither film is true to the plot of the book, both versions are wonderful and faithful to the spirit of Burnett's story and characters.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (5)
• Kids say (18)

Based on 5 parent reviews

VERY book book, a classic every kid should read

A lesson in good naturedness, what's the story.

Sara Crewe, a motherless child who has been raised in India by her wealthy, doting father, is enrolled in Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Girls, a boarding school in London. She is afforded every luxury, and the other students call her \"princess\"; some use the term out of awe and affection, while others are bitterly jealous of her. When Sarah is suddenly left penniless, she is relegated to the life of a servant in a cold, lonely attic room, but her always brilliant imagination becomes her saving grace. Throughout, she remains a magnanimous \"princess,\" who feels best when she is helping others; the wonderful stories she invents, and her kind heart, earn her true friends and eventually lead her to a new home.

Is It Any Good?

A LITTLE PRINCESS is a beautifully crafted novel that celebrates the power of imagination. Sara Crewe is a bright, inventive, and generous young heroine, and female readers will connect with her strongly despite the book's old-fashioned language and setting. In fact, there is something wonderfully compelling about Sarah's attic room, which is transformed from cold blankness to a magical place via Sara's -- and author Frances Hodgson Burnett's -- stories.

The book is almost exclusively populated with girls and women, with the exception of Crewe's briefly seen father and her kind neighbors, so it may not appeal to boys as much as it does to girls. (Boys may enjoy Burnett's The Secret Garden , however, which features great boy characters.)

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what it means for Sara to pretend to be a "princess." Today, young girls think of Disney when they think of princesses, but Sara has some very positive ideas about how a princess should behave.

How does Sara's imagination protect her, and how does she use her creative mind to help others?

What do you think was different about living in the time when A Little Princess takes place? Do you think you would have liked to live in England back then?

Book Details

• Author : Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Illustrator : Tasha Tudor
• Genre : Literary Fiction
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : HarperCollins Children's Books
• Publication date : December 9, 1998
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 13
• Number of pages : 336
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Our editors recommend.

The Secret Garden

Little Women

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A Little Princess Reviews

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Screen Rant

Justice league: crisis on infinite earths - part two review - disappointing superhero film lacks urgency.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two is missing what the first film had in spades - heart, great action, and a sense of urgency.

• Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two has limited character development, which impacts the emotional investment.
• Low stakes and lack of urgency make the film's plot feel tedious.
• Lack of focus and interconnection between characters weakens the overall story.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two begins directly after Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One , an unexpectedly moving entry , ends, continuing the story of the Monitor (Jonathan Adams) and the multiverse of superheroes who are doing everything in their power to stop the destruction of their earths. The film is two of three that will close out the DC Universe Animated Movies’ Tomorrowverse , but while Part One had plenty of action and a lot of heart, Part Two falters and loses steam. The stakes aren’t as high and the characters are more scattered without focus.

The Justice League faces a universe-altering challenge as they confront the Anti-Monitor, whose destructive actions threaten every existence across the multiverse. Heroes and villains alike must unite to stop the cascade of collapsing realities.

• Psycho-Pirate's story is intriguing enough to stay watching
• The animated film has no sense of urgency
• The stakes feel lower than in the first film
• The central relationships lack heart

Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two Lacks Heart

There’s little development of character relationships.

The first film had a lot going on, but it was grounded by The Flash and Iris West. Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two writer James Krieg chooses to center Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) and her time with the Monitor (instead of with Brainy and others) after her ship is pulled in by his satellite (David Kaye). The Monitor grows fond of Supergirl, and they have a father-daughter relationship, but it’s one that barely registers. When she discovers the Monitor’s task is to observe and not interfere in multiversal happenings, their relationship takes a hit.

There’s so little time spent on the Bat Family in general that, by the time they start fighting each other (influenced by an external source), the investment isn’t there to care very much about the outcome.

Their dynamic is an intriguing one, but it’s barely explored. Time passes, but we don’t get that same sense of heart or emotional investment that was so critical to Part One’s success. Supergirl and the Monitor’s relationship, as well as Supergirl’s overall journey, are devoid of emotion and neither are strong enough to carry the film through to the end. Elsewhere, Earth-3 Batman (Jensen Ackles) interacts with his multiverse family — Robin (Zach Callison), Batgirl (Gideon Adlon), Batman Beyond (Will Friedle), among others — but he’s resistant to their help and their affection.

There’s so little time spent on the Bat Family in general that, by the time they start fighting each other (influenced by an external source), the investment isn’t there to care very much about the outcome. There are scenes filled with potential, especially when it comes to the Monitor being influenced by Supergirl’s presence and conviction to help, but they ultimately fall flat. When Supergirl has a nightmare involving Brainy, a relationship that is largely talked about but not fully shown, I was unmoved by the horror she felt, but was obviously meant to stir something in us.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two (2024)

Justice league: crisis on infinite earths - part two has low stakes, it's also not as exciting as crisis on infinite earths - part one.

The underwhelming character dynamics affect the stakes of the mission. Saving the multiverse can start to feel a bit tedious when there’s little investment in everything else. Superheroes, including Wonder Woman and Superman, battle shadow demons, but there is no sense of urgency. It’s as though the film, directed by Jeff Wamester, is stalling. The multiverse, for all its vastness, feels small. With The Flash running around to different worlds, Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One actually felt like the multiverse was ending. Part Two offers little interconnection between characters or intrigue in what’s happening that doesn’t quickly grow tiresome.

Even the drama involving Psycho-Pirate (Geoffrey Arand), a character who has the most interesting storyline and flair, can’t save Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two from being a subpar superhero outing. With so many characters to service and various earths to visit, DC’s animated film falls short of greatness because it doesn’t fully engage with all its moving parts. It drags on for too long and, when the Monitor discovers there is something more sinister going on behind the multiverse’s collapse, the interest in finding out what’ll happen (even if many already know) has deflated.

As it stands, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two is a disappointing entry, failing to truly and comprehensively build a bridge between the first film and the third film. I was excited to see how the rest of the story would unfold, but with an overall lack of focus, stakes, and thrill, the second installment is weaker than the first film. Here’s hoping the third film in the trilogy can pick up the slack and deliver a solid conclusion.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two is now available on digital and Blu-ray.