Madeline: Perdue à Paris

Based on characters and settings created by author/artist Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939 in his book "Madeline", this is a wonderful 75-minute musical feature for very young children. Our two-year-old girl loves it even though the plot is sophisticated enough to please a ten-year-old. The voice talents of Christopher Plummer (as the narrator) and Lauren Bacall are superb. The characters speak and sing with charming Parisian accents, often breaking into a little genuine French. Like the book, the narration is in verse. The drawings are certainly cleaner than Bemelmans' originals yet retain their stylized charm, including the famous scenes of actual places throughout Paris and the "twelve little girls in two straight lines" led by Miss Clavel.

The story is a new one created 60 years after the book's publication. Its central theme is "family". Unlike the book, here little Madeline seems to be an orphan and longs for a family of her own. Hoping to find long-lost relatives she undergoes a dangerous adventure in which she learns that some of the essential attributes of family may be found among friends with whom one breaks bread. The resourceful and brave Madeline is helped by old friends and helps new ones in turn.

Do not confuse this film with a series of 20-minute cartoons made about a decade earlier. Although also narrated by Christopher Plummer, these shorts are cheap Saturday-morning affairs without merit in plot, animation or music. By contrast "Madeline Lost in Paris" is a keeper.

As a fond lover of the TV series I was intrigued by how this would turn out. Madeline:Lost in Paris is not bad, but also not too great. It is well animated, with lovely Parisian backgrounds and colourful drawings. The characters especially Madeline and Miss Clavel are appealing, and Madame Lacroque is a convincing enough villainess. Also the voice acting from Christopher Plummer, Lauren Bacall, Jason Alexander, Andrea Libman and Stevie Vallance is absolutely top-notch, particularly Bacall who seems to be having a ball with this film. However, some of the story is rushed, and the songs with some rather over-simplistic lyrics are forgettable at best. And maybe I am alone in this notion but the film did have some disappointingly bland dialogue. On the whole though, this is not bad. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Is this movie represented by the band called Lost in Paris out of Philadelphia at www. lost in Paris band. com (no spaces)

I was curious because I do not think there is a very close connection, but perhaps one of the band members is somehow related to the director of the film.

In fact I believe I did hear one of the members saying something about that, and that is how they came up with the name. Perhaps they were trying to promote familiarity with the movie title in artistic circles.

Still it seems a very remote possibility as the music performed is not original, but rather cover songs

I am currently 18 years old, but this movie scarred me so much that I remember every detail of the plot. Basically, Madeline get snatched by a creepy dude who wants her parents money so he pretends to be her uncle. So then he takes her to a CREEPY LACE FACTORY in A BASEMENT with other sad little girls who got SNATCHED. WHAT!!! THATS SO SCARY!! I thought I was going to get snatched and exploited for child labor!! And I remember this poor little girl with black hair got her hair turned into lace because she disobeyed and Madeline almost also got her hair cut off for red lace. WHO CAME UP WITH THIS PLOT!!! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW!! And then all the other little children from Madelines school have to find her based on the beads of Madelines mothers necklace that broke off along the way to the creepy lace factory. Parents, don't show your kids this unless you want them to be shook about it throughout their adult lives.

This movie gave me awful nightmares as a kid. Even watching it now, it creeps me out. And I'm a huge horror fan. But ig if your kid isn't scared by that sort of thing, it'd be a good one.