''Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'', also known as ''Anne of Avonlea'' or ''Anne of Avonlea: The Continuing Story of Anne of Green Gables'', is a 1987 Canadian television miniseries film and the second in a series of four films. A sequel to the 1985 miniseries '' Anne of Green Gables'', it is based on

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

's novels ''

Anne of Avonlea Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...

'', ''

Anne of the Island ''Anne of the Island'' is the third book in the '' Anne of Green Gables'' series, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery about Anne Shirley. ''Anne Of the Island'' is the third book of the eight-book sequels written by L. M. Montgomery, about Anne Shirle ...

'', and ''

Anne of Windy Poplars Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

''. The Disney Channel was the first television station to broadcast the miniseries in four hour-long installments, giving the world premiere of the series in May and June 1987, using the title ''Anne of Avonlea: The Continuing Story of Anne of Green Gables''. This was the same title used in March 1988 when the series was broadcast on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

anthology series ''

WonderWorks ''WonderWorks'' is an anthology series which ran from 1984 to 1992. Produced by the Public Broadcasting Service, the Walt Disney Company purchased the home video rights to the series in 1987 and was responsible for making the series available t ...

''. Disney later shortened the title in

television syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States wher ...

and for VHS and DVD sales to simply ''Anne of Avonlea''. The airing rights and video rights to the program in the United States were initially purchased by PBS under the title ''Anne of Avonlea'', and the rights to broadcast the series and sell the series for home video under that title were purchased by the

Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

from PBS in 1987. The series debuted in Canada using the title ''Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' in two 150-minute installments, in December 1987, on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). The miniseries has used various names in international markets, depending on the distribution rights in that given market with Disney using the title ''Anne of Avonlea'' and Sullivan Films of Toronto using the title ''Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' in European and Asian markets.

Plot

After two years of teaching at the Avonlea school,

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

dreams of being a writer, but her story "Averil's Atonement" is rejected by a magazine. Her best friend Diana Barry has become engaged. Marilla's eyesight has also improved, opening an opportunity for Anne to follow her ambitions, which have been on hold since giving up the Avery Scholarship. Anne's misadventures in Avonlea continue. Unbeknownst to her, Diana submitted "Averil's Atonement" into a contest to introduce the new Rollings Reliable baking powder to the public, and it wins first prize. Anne is grateful to her friend for trying to boost her spirits, but finds the widespread recognition humiliating. She later sees her jersey cow Dolly in Rachel Lynde's field, which she had promised would never happen again. After unsuccessfully trying to get Dolly back to her field, Anne sells the cow to

Gilbert Blythe Gilbert Blythe is a character in Lucy Maud Montgomery's '' Anne of Green Gables'' series of novels. Character description Gilbert is described in the books as being very handsome with brown, curly hair and hazel eyes. He is tall with a lean build ...

and his father. She laments about her "

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' Ben (Hebrew), son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria ...

day" to Marilla, who offers encouragement and plum puffs, only to discover she actually sold Rachel's cow instead of her own. When she and Marilla pay a visit to the Lyndes to explain her mistake, Rachel's ailing husband Thomas passes away, which Rachel fears will force her to sell her farm and leave Avonlea. At a

clambake The clambake or clam bake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, scallops, soft-shell clams, and Hard clam, quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the i ...

for Diana's engagement, Gilbert proposes to Anne, but she rejects his offer, convinced that their marriage would be unhappy and unsuccessful. She later runs into Morgan Harris, a traveling businessman whom she had previously met at the beach and who shows interest in her. At Diana's wedding, she sees Gilbert with a young woman named Christine Stuart. Gilbert insists they are just friends, and offers to wait for Anne, but she affirms she will never marry. Back at Green Gables, Marilla reveals that Rachel will be moving in with her. Anne decides to accept a job offer from her former teacher Miss Stacey as an English literature teacher at Kingsport Ladies' College in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. Anne initially finds her job difficult. Kingsport is dominated by the wealthy and conceited Pringle family, who resent that she received the position over one of their own. The students in her class, led by Jen Pringle, delight in causing trouble to make Anne look like a bad teacher. Anne must also endure the cold and sarcastic principal of Kingsport Ladies' College, Katherine Brooke. She grows close to Emmeline Harris, a motherless student who also happens to be Morgan's daughter. After Anne and Emmeline get on Katherine Brooke's bad side, Morgan withdraws both his daughter and his financial support from K.L.C. He sends Emmeline to live with her stern grandmother Margaret Harris and repressed aunt Pauline at their mansion, Maplehurst. Anne convinces Mrs. Harris to let her tutor Emmeline at home, and let Pauline attend a friend's wedding anniversary overnight. Meanwhile, Anne and Miss Stacey organize a play to raise money for the school, with Jen Pringle playing the lead role of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

. When Jen calls off sick on the day of the show, Anne convinces Morgan to let Emmeline star in the play, which they have been rehearsing during tutoring sessions. The show is a success and Anne finally wins the Pringles' support. After returning from a trip to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, she runs into Gilbert and finds out that he is engaged to Christine Stuart. Inspired by his suggestion, she publishes a series of short stories entitled ''Avonlea Vignettes''. During a hospital benefit ball, Morgan asks her to marry him, which she declines. After Mrs. Harris dies, Pauline accepts a marriage proposal and Morgan decides to sell Maplehurst and return to Boston with Emmeline. Anne resigns from K.L.C. and persuades Katherine to come back to Avonlea with her for the summer holidays. Upon arriving at Green Gables and meeting Diana's new baby, Anne discovers that Gilbert has fallen ill with scarlet fever, which he contracted at medical school in Halifax. Finally realizing her true feelings for Gilbert, Anne rushes to his bedside, where he tells her that he has called off his engagement to Christine because Anne is the only one for him. After recovering, he proposes once more, and Anne accepts him with a kiss.

Timeline of events (1902–1903)

*Late spring 1902 – Anne, now 18, finishes teaching at Avonlea school. *Summer 1902 – Diana marries Fred, Anne takes a teaching position at Kingsport Ladies College. *September 1902 – Anne begins teaching at Kingsport Ladies College. *November 26, 1902 – Production date of Anne's play at Kingsport Ladies College. *Summer 1903 – Katherine Brooke spends summer break with Anne at Green Gables. Anne commits to Gilbert.

Cast

Megan Follows Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian-American actress and director. She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in the 1985 Canadian television miniseries '' Anne of Green Gables'' and its two sequels. From 201 ...

- Anne Shirley * Colleen Dewhurst - Marilla Cuthbert * Jonathan Crombie - Gilbert Blythe * Schuyler Grant - Diana Barry *

Patricia Hamilton Patricia Hamilton (born 27 April 1937 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for playing Rachel Lynde in the television mini-series '' Anne of Green Gables'', its sequels: '' Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' ...

- Rachel Lynde *

Marilyn Lightstone Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer. Biography Early life and education Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on t ...

- Miss Stacey *

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

- Mrs. Margaret Harris *

Frank Converse Frank Converse (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor. Early life Converse was born in 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in ...

- Morgan Harris *

Kate Lynch Kate Lynch (born June 29, 1959) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress, drama teacher, theatre director and playwright. Biography In 1980 she won the Genie Award for Best Actress for ''Meatballs''. She was notably adept at improvisation ...

- Pauline Harris *Genevieve Appleton - Emmeline Harris *

Rosemary Dunsmore Rosemary Dunsmore (born July 13, 1952) is a Canadian TV, film, and theatre actress, director, and educator. She was awarded a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her 1982 performance in ''Straight Ahead/Blind Dancers''. In 2009 she won the ACTRA Award f ...

- Katherine Brooke *Susannah Hoffman - Jen Pringle *Nuala Fitzgerald - Mrs. Tom Pringle *Molly MacNeil - Myra Pringle *Fiona McGillivray - Hattie Pringle *London Juno - Jimsie Pringle *

Bruce McCulloch Bruce Ian McCulloch is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the same name. He ...

- Fred Wright *Sheila Harcourt - Christine Stuart *Kathryn Trainor - Essie * Rosemary Radcliffe - Mrs. Barry * Charmion King - Aunt Josephine Barry *Robert Collins - Mr. Barry *Kay Hawtrey - Mabel Sloane *Jacqueline Blais - Mrs. Harrison *Anna Ferguson - Mrs. Boulter *Trish Nettleton - Jane Andrews *Jennifer Inch - Ruby Gillis *Brigit Wilson - Tillie Boulter *

Miranda de Pencier Miranda de Pencier (born August 20, 1968 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian film and television director, producer, and actress. She is most noted for her 2011 film '' Throat Song'', which won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Shor ...

- Josie Pye (uncredited) *Ian Heath - Anthony Pye *

Mag Ruffman Margaret "Mag" Ruffman (born 28 February 1957) is a Canadian comedian, actress and television host. She has played roles in films such as '' Anne of Green Gables'' and ''Anne of Avonlea'' and TV series '' Road to Avonlea''. She was reunited wit ...

- Alice Lawson *

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

- Lewis Allen

Awards and nominations

*2 Cable Ace Awards: Best Costume, Best Supporting Actress (Colleen Dewhurst), 1987 *6 Gemini Awards: Best Dramatic Miniseries, Best Photography ( Marc Champion), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Performance by Lead Actress (Megan Follows), Best Performance by a Supporting Actress (Colleen Dewhurst), 1988 *Silver Award - International Film and Television Festival, New York, 1987 *Best Family Series - TV Guide, 1987 *CFTA Award - Best New TV Production, 1987 *Chris Award - Columbus International Film Festival, 1987 *Honourable Mention - International San Francisco Film Festival, 1988 *Crystal Apple Award - National Education Film and Video Festival, 1988 *ACT Award - Achievement in Children's TV, 1988 *Golden Hugo Award - Chicago International Film Festival, 1987 *Gold Award - Houston International Film Festival, 1987

Sequels and spinoffs

'' Road to Avonlea'' is a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was inspired by a series of short stories and two novels by

. Many of the actors in the ''Anne of Green Gables'' movies also appear in storylines crossing over into the long-running Emmy award-winning series, including

as Rachel Lynde, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla Cuthbert until her death in 1991, and

as Muriel Stacy. Jonathan Crombie returned as Gilbert Blythe in a one-time guest appearance in the finale episode of season three, which dealt with Marilla's death. Other actors from the first two ''Anne'' films portrayed different characters in ''Road to Avonlea'', including

, who played Katherine Brooke in this film but returned as "Abigail MacEwan" in the television series. '' Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' was released in 2000. Many cast members from the first two movies returned, including Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, and Schuyler Grant. Taking place in the midst of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the movie follows Anne (now in her twenties) as she embarks on a new journey, taking her from her home in Prince Edward Island to New York City, London, and into war-ravaged Europe. This film is an original story not based on any of Montgomery's novels, nor does it align with the chronology of the books. Montgomery's ''

Rilla of Ingleside ''Rilla of Ingleside'' (1921) is the eighth of nine books in the '' Anne of Green Gables'' series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but was the sixth "Anne" novel in publication order. This book draws the focus back onto a single character, Anne and Gilbe ...

'', which also takes place during the first World War, focuses on Anne's teenage daughter and depicts Anne and Gilbert as a middle-aged couple who witness the effects of the war from the home front while their adult sons fight in Europe. '' Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' was released in fall 2008 (the 100th anniversary of the original novel), serving as both a sequel and prequel to the previous films, and is not based on the books. Set near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1945, the story follows a middle-aged Anne (

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

) looking back on her life before arriving at Green Gables.

Hannah Endicott-Douglas Hannah Endicott-Douglas (born November 29, 1994) is a Canadian actress from Toronto, Ontario. She is primarily known for her role in the television movie series ''The Good Witch''. Career Endicott-Douglas landed her first role at the age of nine ...

played the role of young Anne.

Production

When Kevin Sullivan was commissioned by CBC,

and

The 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 ...

to create a sequel he started by combining many different elements of Montgomery's first three sequel books: ''Anne of Avonlea'' (1909), ''Anne of the Island'' (1915), and ''Anne of Windy Poplars'' (1936) into a cohesive screen story. Sullivan invented his own plotline relying on several of Montgomery's episodic storylines spread across the three sequels, He also looked at numerous other nineteenth century female authors for inspiration in fleshing out the screen story. The film succeeded in re-popularizing

and Colleen Dewhurst in their original roles. Sullivan also cast

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

veteran actress and Oscar winner,

, in the role of the impossible Mrs. Harris whom Sullivan created based on a composite of several matriarchs found in the series of novels. In Canada, the film became the highest rated drama to air on network television in Canadian broadcasting history. This Sequel became known as ''Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel'' when shown around the world, and as ''Anne of Avonlea - the Continuing Story of Anne of Green Gables '' when it premiered on The Disney Channel.

ACE Award nomination

Megan Follows was nominated for an

ACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Ame ...

in 1988 by the National Academy of Cable Programing in the Ninth Annual System Awards for Cable Excellence for Disney's "Anne of Avonlea".

Home Box Office Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, 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 busi ...

led with 112 nominations for the

, or Award for Cable Excellence. Showtime was awarded 48, Arts & Entertainment 33, and the Disney Channel and

Cable News Network CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

10 each, respectively. 30 categories of the 174 ACE Awards were presented on a live broadcast on HBO on January 24, 1988. The other categories were presented at a non-televised dinner in Las Vegas, on January 22, 1988. The ACE awards were established after cable programs and performers were excluded from the Emmy Awards. The National Academy of Cable Programming was established in March 1985 to promote excellence in cable television programming.

References

External links

The Official Anne of Green Gables Movie Website
- The official website of Sullivan series of Anne of Green Gables movies
Sullivan Entertainment Website
- The Official website of Sullivan Entertainment. Includes information on the Anne movies and its spinoffs
Road to Avonlea Website
- The official website for Road to Avonlea, the spinoff to the Green Gables series of movies *
L.M. Montgomery Online
Formerly the L.M. Montgomery Research Group, this site includes a blog, extensive lists of primary and secondary materials, detailed information about Montgomery's publishing history, and a filmography of screen adaptations of Montgomery texts. See, in particular, the page fo
''Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anne Of Avonlea (1987 Film) 1980s Canadian television miniseries 1987 films Anne of Green Gables films CBC Television original films Films directed by Kevin Sullivan Films set in New Brunswick Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners Canadian drama television films 1980s Canadian films