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A Little Princess Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 5.0
    83

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Universal acclaim
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    There are moments in A Little Princess--particularly Cuaron's Indian play-within-the-play, which is nearly avant-garde in its conception--when you may just want to clap from pleasure. My advice to you is: Go ahead, you're a grown-up. [26 May 26 1995]

  • 100

    out of 100

    Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

    This is a picture that may sound sappy but probably will enrapture audiences lucky enough to catch it. [19 May 1995, p.L]

  • 60

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    For all its rich trappings, A Little Princess is impoverished at the core. [18 May 1995, p.A14]

  • 75

    out of 100

    USA Today Mike Clark

    A Little Princess is the first of its progeny to blend brains with entertainment. This stylish sleeper easily outpaces the studio's starchy updates of "Black Beauty" and "The Secret Garden", and even betters Shirley Temple's 1939 take on Frances Hodgson Burnett's Princess perennial. [18 May 1995, 12D.]

  • 80

    out of 100

    The New York Times Janet Maslin

    Shaking off the solemnity that smothers many a well-meaning, high-minded family film, this one revels in an exuberant sense of play, drawing its audience into the wittily heightened reality of a fairy tale. The material, like the title, is a tad precious, but the finished film is much too spirited and pretty for that to matter.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

    Cuaron perfectly understands how a combination of simplicity and restraint help to create a sense of wonder on screen. Under his sure, quiet direction, A Little Princess casts the type of spell most family films can only dream about. [10 May 1995, p.1]

  • 90

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • See all A Little Princess reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 7+

Wonderful movie of a lonely girl's triumph.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie includes images of war with dead men strewn about trenches and explosions in the background. Sara loses her father in one of the battles and mourns him for much of the movie. Her mother is also dead. One scary scene shows Sara almost fall to her death. Sara is a remarkable character, however. She sticks up for herself and others at all times and captivates all the school girls with her imaginative stories.

  • Families can talk about Sara's empathy and compassion for others. And why are stories so important to her? How do they help her deal with her sadness? How do the stories she tells relate to what's going on in her life?

The good stuff
  • message true3

    Messages: Tolerance of individual differences. Sara is accepting of everyone, including the "nerdy" girl at school, and befriends the young African-American maid before she begins working with her.

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence and scariness: Difficult loss of Sara's father. Battle scenes with explosions in the background and dead bodies strewn over trenches. Neighbor finds out his son has died in the war. Mention of early death of Sara's mother. Scary escape scene where Sara almost falls from a great height.

  • sex false0

    Sexy stuff: Not an issue

  • language false0

    Language: Not an issue

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: School girls find a bottle of alcohol in the headmistress' office.

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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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