''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
s written and illustrated by
Ludwig Bemelmans
Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian-American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the ''Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939.
Early life
B ...
,
an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature film. As a closing line, the adaptations invoke a famous phrase
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...
used to rebuff curtain calls, "
That's all there is, there isn't any more
"That's all there is, there isn't any more" was a phrase Ethel Barrymore used to rebuff curtain calls. The line entered the national consciousness of the United States in the 1920s and 1930s and has often been referenced and parodied.
Origins
A ...
". The stories take place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris. The teacher, a
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
named Miss Clavel, is strict but loves the children, cares for them, and is open to their ideas.
Much of the media starts with the line "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ..." The stories often are written entirely in rhyme, include simple themes of daily life, and the playful but harmless mischief of Madeline, which appeal to children and parents alike. Most of the books have several recurring themes, such as Miss Clavel turning on the light and saying: "Something is not right".
In literature
''
Madeline
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series ...
'' was written by
Ludwig Bemelmans
Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian-American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the ''Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939.
Early life
B ...
and published in 1939. Bemelmans wrote five sequels between 1953 and 1961. Later books in the series were written by Bemelmans' grandson
John Bemelmans Marciano
John Bemelmans Marciano (born 1970) is an American children's book author and illustrator.
Life
The grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the children's book series '' Madeline'', has continued the series with three books written and ill ...
. The books focus on 12 girls in a Catholic boarding school in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Madeline is the smallest of the girls, only seven years old and the only girl with red hair. She is the bravest and most outgoing of the girls. The images seem classical and show scenery and landmarks of the location where the story takes place such as the
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "'' ...
and the
Seine River
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributaries ...
.
In the first book, Madeline gets sick, is taken to the hospital, has her appendix removed, and all the gifts she has received cause the other girls to become envious. In ''
Madeline's Rescue
''Madeline's Rescue'' is a children's picture book by Ludwig Bemelmans, the second in his ''Madeline'' series. Released by Viking Press, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1954.American Library AssociationCaldecott Me ...
'' she falls into the Seine River and brings back the dog that saved her life. In ''
Madeline and the Bad Hat
''Madeline and the Bad Hat'' is a children's picture book by Ludwig Bemelmans featuring the popular children's character Madeline. It was first published by Viking Press in 1956.
Plot
The story opens as the Spanish Ambassador to France moves i ...
'' she meets Pepito, the son of the Spanish Ambassador to France, and works to convince him to change his naughty ways.
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
published a
Four Color Comics
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
issue in 1942 titled "Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline and Genevieve".
In film
Animated shorts:
The earliest appearance in the cinema was in the 1952 animated short ''Madeline'', produced by
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio active from the 1940s through the 1970s. Beginning with industrial and World War II training films, UPA eventually produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Picture ...
(UPA) and directed by Bob Cannon. It was nominated for the 1952
Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), but lost to
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
's 75th cartoon ''
Johann Mouse
''Johann Mouse'' is a 1953 American one-reel animated cartoon and the 75th ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, released in theaters on March 21, 1953 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The short is directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, composed by Scott Brad ...
''.
In 1959,
William L. Snyder's Rembrandt Films produced animated adaptations of ''Madeline's Rescue'', ''Madeline and the Bad Hat'', and ''Madeline and the Gypsies'' for the educational film market. The latter two were featured, along with other similar adaptations of children's books, in Snyder and
Gene Deitch
Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...
's 1966 theatrical feature ''
Alice of Wonderland in Paris
''Alice of Wonderland in Paris'' or ''Alice in a New Wonderland'' is a 1966 Czech-American animated film directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder in extreme limited animation.
Plot
Young Alice, having become a celebrity for he ...
''.
Live-action film:
A live-action feature adaptation of ''
Madeline
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series ...
'', shot in France by Jaffilms but produced in England with predominantly British accents, was released in 1998 by
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony ...
. It starred
Hatty Jones
''Madeline'' is a 1998 family comedy film adaptation of the children's book series and animated television series of the same name. The film starred newcomer Hatty Jones as the titular character with Frances McDormand and Nigel Hawthorne in suppo ...
as the title character,
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...
as Miss Clavel, and a supporting cast with British actors
Ben Daniels
Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is a British actor. Initially a stage actor, Daniels was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Never the Sinner'' (1991), the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for ''900 Oneonta'' ( ...
and
Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is most known for his stage acting and his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary in the 1980s sitcom '' Yes Minister'' and the Cabi ...
. Its script encompassed the plots of four of the books. Original music was composed by
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...
and
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...
sang the theme song "In Two Straight Lines". It was directed by Daisy Mayer. The 1998 live action version significantly
differed from the TV series and the main book continuity. The filming location of the boarding house and neighbouring Spanish Ambassador's house, can be found at Avenue du Colifichet, Croissy-sur-Seine, although both houses are now obscured by hedging and fencing.
In television
In 1960, the Madeline stories were adapted to a one-hour color episode for the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
series ''
The Shirley Temple Show
''Shirley Temple's Storybook'' is a 1958-1961 American children's anthology series hosted and narrated by actress Shirley Temple. The series features adaptations of fairy tales like Mother Goose and other family-oriented stories performed by well ...
''. In 1988,
DIC Enterprises adapted the first book into an animated television special for
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
.
Between 1990 and 1991, Cinar and France animation produced animated adaptations of the other five original books for
The Family Channel,
In 1993, DIC produced a ''Madeline'' television series of twenty episodes, which also aired on the
Family Channel,
and in 1995, an additional 13 episodes were produced by DIC for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, under the title ''The New Adventures of Madeline''.
Between 2000 and 2001, DIC produced 26 episodes for
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
. It features songs written by Andy Street and
Judy Rothman
Judy Rothman Rofé (born September 17, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, lyricist and author specializing in comedy and literary adaptations for children. She won the 2002 Emmy for Best Animated Program for '' The New Adventures of Made ...
. Arguably, this rendition gave the characters their iconic designs.
Audiobooks
Madeline audiobooks have been appearing since the early 1970s as vinyl records. The record typically consists of a mixture of stories and songs.
The first soundtrack for the TV series was ''Madeline's Favorite Songs'', released in 1995. It contains 16 tracks of music composed by
Joe Raposo
Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH (February 8, 1937 – February 5, 1989) was an American composer, songwriter, pianist, singer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', for which he wrote the theme ...
or Jeffrey Zahn with lyrics by
Judy Rothman
Judy Rothman Rofé (born September 17, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, lyricist and author specializing in comedy and literary adaptations for children. She won the 2002 Emmy for Best Animated Program for '' The New Adventures of Made ...
from the DIC and Cinar specials. The second soundtrack, ''Hats off to Madeline'', was released in 1996. It contained 17 tracks of music from the 1993 and 1995 episodes with music by Andy Street and lyrics by Judy Rothman. In 2002, the latest Madeline soundtrack to date, ''Sing-A-Long With Madeline'', was released, featuring 27 tracks of music from the 2001 episodes and they were also written by Andy Street and Judy Rothman.
Video games
Between 1995 and 1999, ten Madeline-themed
educational
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...
point-and-click
Point and click are the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse, usually the left button (''click''), or other pointing device. An example of point and cli ...
computer games were released by various developers.
Toys
Madeline toys were initially produced by Eden Toys LLC, since acquired by Learning Curve. Most popular during the 1990s was a Madeline rag doll, with a signature half-smile and scar from the appendectomy that corresponds with the story from the book.
Eden's Madeline Doll House received the Toy of the Year Award for Best Specialty Toy at the first annual Toy Of The Year Awards in 2000.
DVD releases
Films
See also
References
External links
*
*
Madelineat
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on February 11, 2016.
{{Madeline
Child characters in literature
Fictional people from Paris
Children's books
Boarding school fiction
Fictional French people in literature
Literary characters introduced in 1936