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Pippi Longstocking (1997 film)
Encyclopedia
Pippi Longstocking is a 1997 animated musical film from AB Svensk Filmindustri
and Nelvana
, based on the eponymous children's books
by Astrid Lindgren
. It was distributed theatrically by Legacy Releasing
and on DVD by Warner Bros.
, and was served as a pilot of a spin-off television series on HBO in addition to another animated film, "Pippi Longstocking's Adventures on the South Seas". Pippi Longstocking is Nelvana
's first feature film since Babar: The Movie
.
) sailing around the world with her father, Captain Efraim Longstocking (Gordon Pinsent
), her pet horse, Old Man, her pet monkey
, Mr. Nilsson, and various members of the ship's crew. One night during a hurricane, the captain is washed over board 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 (Noah Reid
and Olivia Garratt), 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 (Catherine O'Hara
)), who conspires to put her into foster care. When Miss 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, and having a large supply of gold coins kept out in the open) be revealed to a pair of thieves already in jail. The thieves, Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson, decide to rob Pippi themselves 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 Miss Prysselius and Tommy and Annika's parents. Just when Miss Prysselius has had enough 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.
AB Svensk Filmindustri
AB Svensk Filmindustri or Svensk Filmindustri is a Swedish film production company, distributor and movie theatre chain, currently owned by the Bonnier Group. It was established on December 27, 1919....
and Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
, based on the eponymous children's books
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
by Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
. It was distributed theatrically by Legacy Releasing
Legacy Releasing
Legacy Releasing was an independent film distribution company based in California. It was founded in 1996 by Mark Borde, a veteran in the motion picture industry....
and on DVD by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, and was served as a pilot of a spin-off television series on HBO in addition to another animated film, "Pippi Longstocking's Adventures on the South Seas". Pippi Longstocking is Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
's first feature film since Babar: The Movie
Babar: The Movie
Babar: The Movie is a 1989 drawn-animated film made by Canada's Nelvana Limited and France's Ellipse Programme, and distributed by New Line Cinema. It is based on the characters of Jean de Brunhoff's eponymous children's books, and was a follow-up to the first season of the HBO TV series...
.
Plot
The film begins with Pippi (Melissa AltroMelissa Altro
Melissa Altro is a Canadian actress best known for her voice acting. She has lent her voice to such animated roles as Pippi Longstocking in the 1998 series Pippi Longstocking, and Muffy Crosswire in the long-running PBS animated series, Arthur.Altro guest-starred as Alex in a 1994 episode of Are...
) sailing around the world with her father, Captain Efraim Longstocking (Gordon Pinsent
Gordon Pinsent
Gordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor.-Early life:Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, the son of Flossie ; originally from Clifton, Newfoundland, and Stephen Arthur Pinsent, a papermill worker and cobbler;...
), her pet horse, Old Man, her pet monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, Mr. Nilsson, and various members of the ship's crew. One night during a hurricane, the captain is washed over board into the sea. As he drifts off, he calls to Pippi that he will "meet her in Villa Villekulla
Villa Villekulla
Villa Villekulla is a fictional house that is the home of Pippi Longstocking, a character in a series of books. Pippi lives in Villa Villekulla along with her horse and her monkey, Mr. Nilsson...
". 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 (Noah Reid
Noah Reid
Noah Reid is a Canadian actor.-Personal life:Reid was born in Toronto, Ontario. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for high school and is a graduate of the Canada's National Theatre School. He is also an accomplished musical performer with winnings in various...
and Olivia Garratt), 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 (Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
)), who conspires to put her into foster care. When Miss 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, and having a large supply of gold coins kept out in the open) be revealed to a pair of thieves already in jail. The thieves, Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson, decide to rob Pippi themselves 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 Miss Prysselius and Tommy and Annika's parents. Just when Miss Prysselius has had enough 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
- Melissa AltroMelissa AltroMelissa Altro is a Canadian actress best known for her voice acting. She has lent her voice to such animated roles as Pippi Longstocking in the 1998 series Pippi Longstocking, and Muffy Crosswire in the long-running PBS animated series, Arthur.Altro guest-starred as Alex in a 1994 episode of Are...
as Pippilotta Delicatessa Mackrelmint Windowshade Efraim's Daughter "Pippi" Longstocking, the protagonist. - Catherine O'HaraCatherine O'HaraCatherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
as Mrs. Prysselius, the main antagonist (though unintentionally). - Gordon PinsentGordon PinsentGordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor.-Early life:Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, the son of Flossie ; originally from Clifton, Newfoundland, and Stephen Arthur Pinsent, a papermill worker and cobbler;...
as Captain Efraim Longstocking - Dave ThomasDave Thomas (actor)David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
as Thunder-Karlsson, one of the actual antagonists. - Wayne RobsonWayne RobsonWayne Robson was a Canadian television, film and stage actor best known for playing the part of Mike Hamar, an ex-convict and sometime thief, on the Canadian sitcom The Red Green Show from 1993 to 2006, as well as in the 2002 film Duct Tape Forever.Robson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...
as Bloom, the other actual antagonist. - Carole PopeCarole PopeCarole Pope is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged New Wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian famous entertainers in the world...
as Teacher - Noah ReidNoah ReidNoah Reid is a Canadian actor.-Personal life:Reid was born in Toronto, Ontario. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for high school and is a graduate of the Canada's National Theatre School. He is also an accomplished musical performer with winnings in various...
as Tommy Settegren, one of the supporting protagonists. - Olivia Garratt as Annika Settegren, one of the supporting protagonists.
- Jan Sigurd as Const. Kling
- Tomas BolmeTomas BolmeTomas Robert Olof Bolme is a Swedish actor. He is famous for being the Swedish voice of Tintin, and he is also the voice of the anime hero Cobra. He studied at Teaterhögskolan in Stockholm during the years 1966 to 1969. Bolme has performed at Fria Proteatern, Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm City...
as Const. Klang - Richard Binsley as Mr. Nilsson, the deuteragonist.
- Horse is the tritagonist.
Songs
- "What Shall I Do Today?" - Pippi
- "Hey-Ho, I'm Pippi" - Pippi
- "Recipe for Life" - Pippi, Tommy, Annika
- "A Bowler and a New Gold Tooth" - Thunder-Karlsson, Bloom
- "Pluttifikation" - Teacher, Pippi, Students
- "The Schottish" - Pippi, Thunder-Karlsson, Bloom
- "There's Magic Everywhere" - Pippi
External links
- Review at moria.co.nz
- Review at bfi.org.ukBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
(with cast and crew credits)