The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ken Annakin |
Screenplay by | Ken Annakin |
Based on | Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren |
Produced by | Gary Mehlman Walter Moshay |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Roland Smith |
Edited by | Ken Zemke |
Music by | Misha Segal |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
Countries | United States [2] [1] Sweden [2] [1] West Germany |
Language | English |
Budget | $8–10 million [1] |
Box office | $3.6 million |
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking is a 1988 musical adventure film [1] written and directed by Ken Annakin, based on the Pippi Longstocking book series by Astrid Lindgren. It is a Swedish-German-American [2] joint venture produced by Columbia Pictures, Longstocking Productions, and Svensk Filmindustri. While the title suggests a continuation of previous entries, it is in fact a remake of the original story.
Filmed in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and at soundstages in Jacksonville, Florida, the film premiered on March 8, 1988 in Tokyo, before it was released on July 29 in the United States and September 9 in Sweden. It received mixed reviews upon release [3] and became a financial failure. It was Annakin's last finished feature film before he died on April 22, 2009.
Pippi Longstocking, who travels on the ship Hoptoad with her sailor father, Efraim, encounters a sudden storm caused by a volcanic eruption. After Efraim disappears into the sea, Pippi travels to the small coastal town of Rocksby, accompanied by her horse, Alfonso, and monkey, Mr. Nilsson. She takes up residence at her father's home, Villa Villekulla, which the neighborhood children believe is haunted.
Soon Tommy and Annika Settigren venture into it after seeing lights in the windows. Looking for ghosts, they meet Pippi, Mr. Nilsson, and Alfonso instead. They become friends and get into various adventures together such as making pancakes, cleaning the floor with scrubbing shoes, serving ice cream to residents of the local children's home, riding a motorcycle, and dodging "splunks". Pippi must also fight off Mr. Blackhart and his henchmen, Rype and Rancid, who want to demolish her house and sell the property, as well as avoid being legally taken to the children's home by the owner, Ms Bannister. She agrees to escape and flee with Tommy and Annika in a homemade autogyro to avoid this fate. However, they are rescued after nearly going over a waterfall while riding in barrels down a river.
Ms Bannister guilts Pippi into going to the children's home, and as a result, she is forced to leave Mr. Nilsson and Alfonso behind. She is unable to fit in with the other orphans due to her lack of discipline and education. However, after she sends a message in a bottle to Efraim, she rescues two children after the children's home catches fire accidentally started by the janitor and is lauded by the townsfolk as a heroine. She is then allowed to return home to Villa Villekulla
She is reunited with Efraim on Christmas Day, and he offers her the chance to become a cannibal princess of the uncharted island he had washed ashore on and was crowned king. She agrees and everyone comes out to bid her a tearful farewell. Just as they prepare to sail off, she decides to stay after seeing that everyone is sad to see her go. She explains to Efraim that she can't leave Tommy and Annika. He understands and tells her that he loves her. As Efraim sails off he tells Pippi that if she needs anything she knows where to find him. They say goodbye and she goes home with Tommy, Annika, Mr. Nilsson, and Alfonso.
The idea of an American film adaptation of the Pippi Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren was first developed when producer Gary Mehlman's daughters, Romy and Alexandra, convinced him to try to secure the rights from Lindgren. [4] [5] When he wrote a letter to her expressing interest in acquiring the rights to the film in November 1983, she declined, as she regarded the character as "her own daughter". [6]
Eventually, in August 1984, Mehlman traveled to Stockholm during pre-production of The Yellow Jersey to meet with Lindgren and Svensk Filmindustri executives Lennart Wiklund and Conny Planborg for the film rights. [7] Although Svensk Filmindustri was willing to give non-Scandinavian rights to the film, Lindgren was hesitant. After Romy hugged her during their introduction, she gave her approval. [4] After returning from Stockholm, Mehlman met with Walter Moshay, an investment consultant and Mehlman's best friend, and Mishaal Kamal Adham, a Saudi Arabian investor who never produced a film before. Having convinced Moshay and Adham to produce the film with a $12–15 million budget, Mehlman formed Longstocking Productions with them; Mehlman and Moshay served as producers, while Adham served as an executive producer. [4] On August 15, it was announced that Mehlman purchased the rights to the film and that Kimi Peck would write the script for the film. [7] Ken Annakin and Gary Melham were planning to film a sequel to the movie. [8]
On October 16, 1985, it was announced that Ken Annakin would write the screenplay and production was scheduled to start early in 1986 with an estimated budget of $10–12 million; Bavaria, Florida and North Carolina listed as filming locations. [9] At the American Film Market on February 25, 1986, Producers Sales Organization announced that they acquired the foreign sales rights to the film, with TriStar Pictures distributing it in North America. [10]
To cast the titular character, Mehlman, Moshay, and Annakin, along with casting director Garrison True and executive vice president of marketing Gary Shapiro, began an international search for potential actresses on October 7, 1985. [9] Over 8,000 actresses from United States, Canada and the United Kingdom participated in the auditions. [6] [11] After going through two callbacks and a screen test, Tami Erin was eventually selected for the role on February 21, 1986. [5] [11] She was excited at the prospect of working on the film, saying, "This is it! The [hotel elevator] door opened and [...] [Annakin] said, 'You got it!' Oh, oh! I had no idea I would get so emotional after all these years, oh my God! I just jumped in his arms!" [11]
On Erin's casting, Annakin said, "I don't want [Tami] to turn into Pippi. I want Pippi to turn into [Tami]. I've never seen anyone radiate sunshine the way she does." [5]
Principal photography began on May 17, 1987 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. [5] [6] During the production, Annakin allowed Erin to improvise much of the dialogue. [5]
The exterior scenes in Villa Villekulla were filmed at the Captain's House, located near Plaza San Carlos. The interior scenes were filmed at the WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida. [3]
Atlantic Records issued the film's motion picture soundtrack upon its release, in both LP and CD formats (LP: 91016-1, CD: 91016-2). It was also issued in Japan by Polydor Records (CD: P32P-20156). [12] The Atlantic LP and CD had 22 tracks, with the score by Misha Segal, and all of the songs. Garrison True provided narration for some of the tracks. [13]
The film premiered on March 8, 1988 in Tokyo. It had its North American premiere on July 15, 1988 at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville [1] [3] and was released nationwide on July 29, earning $933,462 on its opening weekend. [14] It went on to gross $3.6 million in North America – less than half its budget, [14] and became the 136th highest-grossing film of 1988 in the U.S. [15]
Astrid Lindgren, Pippi's creator, did not like the film, despite its basic convictions.
I actually never wanted to make any Pippi movie. The one you’re telling me about [The New Adventures...]... well, this fellow came all the way from America and said to me that they absolutely must make a film about Pippi. Because for American children, he told me, there’s only violence to watch and listen to and they needed to get used to seeing someone who was kind - and that’s why it had to be Pippi. And then I thought to myself, well if I can help combat the misery of violence in America then so be it. However, I later watched the film and it was so so terrible… [16]
Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave a mixed review of the film. She was critical of Tami Erin's acting, the screenplay, and visual effects, but praised Eileen Brennan's acting and Erin's hair design. [17] Richard Harrington, writing for The Washington Post felt that "it's just as hard to imagine Lindgren sending Pippi to Hollywood again anytime in the near future" and criticized the film's subplots. He concluded that "anything that drives kids to reading can't be all bad." [18] People's Peter Travers was critical of the film's storyline, the music, and the acting, saying "If cute could kill, pigtailed Pippi could bring nations to their knees". [19] Todd McCarthy of Variety called it "a picture for the pint-sized crowd only." Although McCarthy praised Pippi's characterization, he found Erin's acting "overbearing" and stated "putting up with her charmlessness for 100 minutes is a tall order". However, he praised the performances of Eileen Brennan, Dianne Hull and John Schuck and later stated, "Despite major gaps in some of the staging, [writer/director] Ken Annakin's production is presentable enough for what's needed here." [20]
Johanna Steinmetz of the Chicago Tribune also had mixed feelings. She thought that Erin "seems to embody the relentless good nature, physical agility and spunk necessary for the role", but questioned the film's plot and soundtrack, concluding that it is "a Pippi Longstocking museum rather than a movie, crammed with bits and pieces from a number of [Lindgren's] different books, none of them quite working together". [21] In his 2015 Movie Guide, critic Leonard Maltin found Pippi a "tiresome troublemaker" and stated that the film would likely appeal to "undiscriminating children." [22] However, Candice Russell of the Sun-Sentinel gave a positive review of it. Despite her concerns about the scene where Pippi uses Efraim's pistol to ward off intruders, she praised it for its settings and Erin's acting. She gave it three stars, concluding that Ken Annakin "deserves to be proud of the Disney-esque The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking". [23]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 17%, based on reviews from 6 critics, with a weighted average score of 4.4/10. [24] The film was respectively nominated two Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst New Actor and Worst Supporting Actress for Tami Erin and Eileen Brennan, but lost to Ronald McDonald and Kristy McNichol, respectively. [25] It was also nominated for Worst Picture at the 1988 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards but lost to Caddyshack II . [26]
Speaking with the Daily Herald , Tami Erin reflected on the film in 2013, saying "Becoming a real movie star in a studio picture gives you sort of an all-access pass to things in life, and I've been really lucky for all the doors that [The New Adventures] has opened for me." [11]
In May 2014, Suzanne Broughton of the Orange County Register included the film in her list of 20 children-friendly films. She said that it "has some hokey moments, but it still delivers the carefree spirit of that little redhead." [27]
In North America, the film was first released on VHS on December 15, 1988 by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video and again on August 13, 1996 by Columbia TriStar Home Video. [28] An open matte, 1.33:1 aspect ratio DVD was released in the US on April 24, 2001. Only a few region 2 PAL DVDs feature transfers in the film's original widescreen, 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. [29] The film was released on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on February 23, 2021 in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. [30]
Pippi Longstocking is the fictional main character in an eponymous series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who asked her mother for a get-well story when she was off school.
Tamara Erin Klicman, known professionally as Tami Erin, is an American actress, model, singer, and fashion designer. She is best known for her role as Pippi Longstocking in the 1988 movie The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. It was released in movie theaters worldwide in 13 languages by Columbia Pictures.
Kaka Ferskur or The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking is a 1988 film written and directed by Todd Hughes. Kaka Ferskur satirizes coming of age from a "Pippi Longstockings" view. The movie shows the characters either as young adults or as real adults who won't grow up. In this film, men often play female roles, with squeaky voices dubbed over the men's voices. Pippi Longstocking is played by comic Walter Barnett.
Pippi Longstocking is an animated television series produced by AB Svensk Filmindustri, TaurusFilm, TFC Trickompany Filmproduktion, and Nelvana based on the book series drawn and written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. It is a joint Canadian-German-Swedish production. This was the first time that the popular character had been animated. A spin-off of the 1997 animated film of the same name, the series disregards the film and starts with a new storyline. Melissa Altro, Richard Binsley, Noah Reid, Olivia Garratt, Wayne Robson, Rick Jones, Philip Williams, Chris Wiggins and Karen Bernstein are the only voice cast reprising their roles from the 1997 film. It was led by German director Michael Schaack. The story editor and chief writer for the series was Ken Sobol whose son, John, also wrote several episodes.
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. A joint Swedish-German-Canadian venture produced by Svensk Filmindustri, IdunaFilm, TFC Trickompany and Nelvana, the film features the voices of Melissa Altro, Catherine O'Hara, Gordon Pinsent, Dave Thomas, Wayne Robson and Carole Pope.
Pippi Longstocking is a Swedish/West German TV series based on Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking children's books. The show ran for thirteen episodes, the first episode being broadcast 8 February 1969 on Sveriges Television.
Pippi Longstocking is the titular fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
Pippi Longstocking is a 1949 Swedish film directed by Per Gunvall and starring Viveca Serlachius as Pippi Longstocking. It is based on the famous children's novel of the same name by Astrid Lindgren.
Pippi Goes on Board is a 1969 Swedish/West German movie, based on the eponymous children's books by Astrid Lindgren with the cast of the 1969 TV series Pippi Longstocking. The film consisted of re-edited footage from the TV series. It was produced by Beta Film, one of the German co-producers of the TV series after the success of their first compilation movie Pippi Longstocking, using scenes and episodes not used in the first film. Despite its title, the film has little-to-nothing to do with the book of the same name in terms of story. The movie was eventually released in Sweden in 1973, where it has been poorly received, due to its disjointed continuity compared to the TV series. It was released in the US in 1975.
Pippi in the South Seas is a 1970 Swedish/West German movie, loosely based on the eponymous children's book by Astrid Lindgren and sequel of the 1969 TV series Pippi Longstocking. The movie was followed by Pippi on the Run, released later in the same year. It was released in the US in 1974.
Pippi on the Run is a 1970 Swedish/West German movie, sequel of Pippi in the South Seas with the cast of the 1969 TV series Pippi Longstocking. It is the last entry in the original TV and movie series and the only one to not be based on any of the previous books written by Astrid Lindgren. Lindgren eventually wrote a book adaptation of the movie. It was released in the US in 1977.
Pippi Longstocking is a 1969 Swedish/West German movie, based on the eponymous children's books by Astrid Lindgren with the cast of the 1969 TV series Pippi Longstocking. The film consisted of re-edited footage from the TV series featuring a new soundtrack. It was produced by Beta Film, one of the German co-producers of the original show, while the Swedish TV series was still in post-production and has never been aired in Sweden. The movie was followed by Pippi Goes on Board, released later in the same year. It was released in the US in 1973.
Pippi Longstocking is a Swedish children's novel by writer Astrid Lindgren, published by Rabén & Sjögren with illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman in 1945. Translations have been published in more than 40 languages, commonly with new illustrations.
Villa Villekulla is a fictional house that is the home of Pippi Longstocking, a character in a series of books. She lives there with her horse and monkey, Mr. Nilsson. Outside stands a tree that grows Sockerdricka, a soft drink sold in Sweden.
Fay Masterson is a British actress. She is best known for her roles as Head Girl in The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, Andrea Garnett in The Last Ship, and as Gail Jones in Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Pippi in the South Seas is a 1948 sequel to Astrid Lindgren's classic children's books, Pippi Longstocking and Pippi Goes on Board. It is set sometime after the events of the original book and centers around Pippi's further misadventures and experiences, but also Pippi's theory that the reason for her father's mysterious disappearance that he was hailed as king of an island of natives is confirmed as true.
Carl Emil Pettersson was a Swedish sailor who became king of Tabar Island in Papua New Guinea after he was shipwrecked in 1904.
"Pippi Longstocking" is the 15th episode of the second season of the American television series Shirley Temple's Storybook. The episode was directed by Frank Bunetta and starring Gina Gillespie as Pippi Longstocking. It is based on the famous children's novel of the same name by Astrid Lindgren.
Astrid Lindgren's plays are a number of theater plays written by Astrid Lindgren in the 1940s to 1970s. Part of the plays are based on her books, other stories were only written for theater. Since almost all of Astrid Lindgren's works have been staged for theater, this page only deals with the plays, whose scripts were written by Astrid Lindgren. Many of these works were published in the Swedish books Sex Pjäser för barn och ungdom (1950), Serverat, Ers Majestät! (1955) and Praeser för barn och ungdom. Other Samlingen (1968). Most of these works have not been translated into English. These include stories about well-known characters such as Kalle Blomquist or Pippi Longstocking, which were only written for the theater and were not published as prose.