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Pippi Longstocking (1997 film)

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This article is about the film. For the television series based on this film, see Pippi Longstocking (1997 TV series).

Pippi Longstocking
Video release poster
Directed by
Screenplay byCatharina Stackelberg
Based onPippi Longstocking
by Astrid Lindgren
Produced by
Starring
Edited byNoda Tsarmados
Music byAnders Berglund
Production
companies
Distributed byAB Svensk Filmdindustri (Sweden)[1]
Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (Germany)
Malofilm (Canada)
Release dates
  • 22 August 1997 (1997-08-22) (United States)
  • 3 October 1997 (1997-10-03) (Sweden)
  • 22 January 1998 (1998-01-22) (Germany)
Running time
77 minutes[2]
Countries
  • Sweden
  • Germany
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget
  • 80 million kr[3]
  • ($11.5 million)
Box office$505,335[4]

Pippi Longstocking is a 1997 animated musical adventure comedy film co-directed by Michael Schaack and Clive A. Smith, and written by Catharina Stackelberg, based on the eponymous children's books by Astrid Lindgren.[5] A joint Swedish-German-Canadian venture co-produced by AB Svensk Filmindustri, IdunaFilm, TFC Trickompany and Nelvana Limited, the film features the voices of Melissa Altro, Catherine O'Hara, Gordon Pinsent, Dave Thomas, Wayne Robson and Carole Pope.

For its releases in both the United States and Canada, the film was distributed theatrically by Legacy Releasing, and on VHS and DVD by Warner Home Video under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. It was also served as a pilot of a spin-off television series, which premiered on Teletoon in Canada, and then aired on HBO. From there, only three out of thirteen episodes from the series' first season, Pippi Goes to the South Seas, Pippi Meets Some Pearl Poachers and Pippi Goes Home were combined into a feature film Pippi's Adventures on the South Seas, released on VHS and DVD by HBO Home Video on 2 May 2000.

The film is Nelvana's first animated theatrical feature since Babar: The Movie.

Plot

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The film begins with Pippi sailing around the world with her father, Captain Efraim Longstocking, her pet horse, Horace, her pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and various members of the ship's crew. One night during a hurricane, the captain is washed overboard into the sea. As he drifts off, he calls to Pippi that he will "meet her in Villa Villekulla". To that effect, Pippi and her pet animals make their way home, Villa Villekulla, to await his return. Not long after arriving, she makes friends with the two children across the street — Tommy and Annika, who are captivated by her free spirit and fun-loving attitude. They soon convince her to go to school (for the first time in her life) where she gets into trouble, despite winning the hearts of her classmates.

Pippi also soon attracts the attention of a local social worker, Mrs. Prysselius, who conspires to put her into foster care. When Mrs. Prysselius goes to speak with the local law enforcement of the need for the girl to be placed in a home for orphans, she lets certain details (her lack of adult supervision, living alone, having a large supply of gold coins kept out in the open, and most of all, leaving her door unlocked) be revealed to a pair of thieves already in jail. The thieves, Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson, decide to rob Pippi's home once they break out of jail.

Pippi and her friends take part in many adventures and close-calls, winning over almost everyone, with the exception of Mrs. Prysselius and Tommy and Annika's parents. Just when Mrs. Prysselius has had enough, gets into a breakdown and is about to drag Pippi straight to the children's home herself, Pippi's father returns to take her back to their life on the sea. However, Pippi decides that she can't leave her new friends and decides to stay in Villa Villekulla.

Cast

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Musical numbers

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  1. "What Shall I Do Today?" - Pippi
  2. "Hey-Ho, I'm Pippi" - Pippi
  3. "Recipe for Life" - Pippi, Tommy and Annika
  4. "A Bowler and a New Gold Tooth" - Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson
  5. "A Bowler and a New Gold Tooth" (reprise) - Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson
  6. "Pluttifikation" - Teacher, Pippi and Students
  7. "The Schottische" - Bloom, Pippi and Thunder-Karlsson
  8. "What Shall I Do Today?" (reprise) - Pippi
  9. "Hey-Ho, I'm Pippi" (reprise) - Pippi
  10. "Recipe for Life" (reprise) - Pippi, Tommy and Annika

Release

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Box office

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Pippi Longstocking opened theatrically in the United States on 22 August 1997 in 73 venues. In its opening weekend, the film earned $62,196, ranking number 23 in the box office.[6] The film closed on 30 October 1997, having grossed $505,335 against its budget of $11.5 million, making it a box-office bomb.[4]

Critical reception

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The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 43% rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10.[7] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review, stating "As Goldilocks might say, when it comes to uncomplicated children's entertainment, this Pippi Longstocking is not too big, not too small, but just right."[8] Howard Feinstein of Variety largely disapproved of Melissa Altro's acting, but praised the performances for "Pluttifikation" and "A Bowler and a New Gold Tooth".[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Film #8096: Pippi Longstocking". Lumiere. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ "PIPPI LONGSTOCKING (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 7 February 2000. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Pippi Longstocking (1997) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Pippi Longstocking (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. 31 October 1997. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 197–198. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 22-24, 1997". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. 25 August 1997. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Pippi Longstocking (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  8. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (22 August 1997). "Movie Review: Pippi Longstocking (1997) - A Little Girl So Perky and Powerful". New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  9. ^ Feinstein, Howard (22 August 1997). "Pippi Longstocking". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
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