''Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front'' is a 2006 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film. It is the third movie in the ''American Girl'' film series, and is based on the ''Molly: An American Girl'' book series written by American children's author Valerie Tripp. The first two movies in the series, '' Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'' and '' Felicity: An American Girl Adventure'', were broadcast on

The WB Television Network The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on br ...

. However, following the WB/

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merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

, the series moved to the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

. The film premiered on the Disney Channel and on DVD from

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

on November 26, 2006. The film stars

Maya Ritter Maya Ritter is a Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively ...

in the titular role, with

Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and '' The Facts of Life'' (both 1979–1980) before being nominated for ...

David Aaron Baker David Aaron Baker (born August 14, 1963) is an American actor whose credits stretch across theater, film, television and audiobooks. Biography On Broadway, he is most prominently known for his starring role as "Prince Dauntless" opposite Sarah J ...

, Tory Green and Genevieve Farrell in supporting roles. The film was directed by

Joyce Chopra Joyce Chopra (; born October 27, 1936) is an American director. She was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until his death on February 23, 2009. Life and career Chopra was one of three siblings born in New York City to Abraham ...

, with Deborah Schindler as executive producer. Screenwriter

Anna Sandor Anna Sandor is a Hungarian-born Canadian/American film and television screenwriter.Tom McMahon, "A marriage made for TV". ''Windsor Star'', December 20, 1986. Sandor began her career as an actress, becoming a writer in her mid-twenties. Her films ...

won the 2007

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

for the movie.

Plot

In 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, nine-year-old Molly McIntire lives in the fictional town of Jefferson, Illinois with her parents, James and Helen, and two older siblings, fourteen-year-old Jill and twelve-year-old Ricky. James is a doctor in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, while Helen is a stay-at-home mom. Molly is in the third grade at Willow Street School along with her two best friends, Linda and Susan. As Molly's tenth birthday nears, she dreams of having a princess-themed tea party inspired by Princesses

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

and Margaret Rose of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, only to be disappointed as she learns that her family does not have the money nor rations to afford it. James takes Molly to a Victory Dance contest at the local park where he gives her a locket. Later that night during an air raid drill, James reveals that he has decided to go to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to provide medical aid to soldiers and civilians. Molly is furious that her father is leaving the family and going to a "strange" and "unsafe" city. James comforts Molly by calling her his

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...

and telling her to look at the stars to think of him. After James departs to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, Helen decides to enter the workforce to do her part for the

war effort War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...

, taking a factory job at the fictional Jefferson Aircraft Plant. The McIntire's neighbor, Mrs. Gilford, begins coming over in the daytime to watch the children while Helen is away at work. Molly then decides she wants to be the school's "Miss Victory", the lead tap-dance performer in the school's

Christmas Pageant A Christmas pageant is a public event conducted in celebration of the Christmas holiday, typically involving an entertainment in the form of a procession (such as a Santa Claus parade), or a Nativity play or other performance. Nativity pageant ...

. She struggles to improve her tap-dancing, but with the help of her teacher Ms. Campbell, she begins to see improvement. Soon after, the McIntires take in a

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

girl named Emily Bennett. Molly is unaccepting of the McIntire's new guest while Jill insists she must learn to adapt to her new situation and do her part. Fascinated by Emily, Molly's friends Linda and Susan question Emily about her home in

; overwhelmed, Emily lies and says her parents are royalty, and that she lived in "Bennett Manor". At school, Emily becomes popular amongst the students, particularly with Molly's tap-dancing rival Allison Hargate. This causes Molly to resent her. The two later participate in a spelling bee together. Before a winner can be declared, a member of the

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

arrives to inform Ms. Campbell, who is on the panel of judges, that her

fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''f ...

has been killed in the war. Later, another air raid drill occurs, upsetting Emily as the McIntires shelter in the basement of their home. That night, Emily wakes up in the midst of a nightmare. She reveals to Molly that her street was bombed in

The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

, destroying her parents' apartment and killing her mother. She says her father is a bus driver and that they lived above a candy shop, and that she was never really royalty. Molly forgives her and the two become friends. After returning home from school one day, Molly finds her mother Helen making a casserole for Mrs. Gilford, whose son has been

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

. Empathetic, Molly helps her bake and deliver the casserole to Mrs. Gilford's house. Molly's Aunt Eleanor comes to stay with the McIntire's to help with the children and housework while Mrs. Gilford is grieving. Her stay is short-lived, though, as she eventually leaves for

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to join the

WASPs A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

. As

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

nears, auditions for the role of "Miss Victory" conclude at school. Molly finds that she has been chosen for the lead role, but her excitement is short-lived as the McIntires receive a telegram stating her father is

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

. The following day, Molly goes to the

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

where she sees a

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...

inspiring her to participate in the war effort at home. She helps create care packages for

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

soldiers in conjunction with the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

, as well as collecting old clothes and making bandage boxes for soldiers overseas. While setting up the Christmas decorations in the house, another telegram from the

arrives. It says James has been found alive but has been hospitalized, and that he will be

discharged Discharge may refer to: * The act of firing a gun * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from service Flow * Discharge (hydrology), the a ...

and sent home as soon as he is well enough to travel. On Christmas Eve, Molly performs as Miss Victory at the Christmas Pageant when her father, James, surprises her after the finale. Though his leg is wounded and he relies on a cane, the family is ecstatic to see him and relieved that he is alive. The family goes home to enjoy their

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

and open presents. Molly receives a Red Cross doll while Emily receives a copy of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' from her father, whom James encountered while he was abroad.

Cast

Molly McIntire American Girl is an American line of dolls released originally in 1986 by Pleasant Company (now Mattel). The dolls portray eight to thirteen-year-old girls of a variety of backgrounds. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoin ...

, the 10-year-old protagonist of the film. * Tory Green as Emily Bennett, a girl from England who is taken in by Molly's family during the war. * Hannah Fleming as Susan Shapiro, one of Molly's best friends. * Samantha Somer Wilson as Linda Rinaldi, one of Molly's best friends. * Josette Halpert as Alison Hargate, a rich, popular girl in Molly's class. *

as Dr. James McIntire, Molly's father who leaves for England to help wounded soldiers and civilians. *

as Helen McIntire, Molly's mother who takes a job assembling war machinery after Mr. McIntire leaves. * Genevieve Farrell as Jill McIntire, Molly's 14-year-old sister. * Andrew Chalmers as Ricky McIntire, Molly's 12-year-old brother. *

Thomas Brodie-Sangster Thomas Brodie-Sangster (born 16 May 1990) is an English actor. As a child actor, he gained recognition for his roles in the commercially successful films ''Love Actually'' (2003) and ''Nanny McPhee'' (2005). He voiced Ferb Fletcher, Ferb in the ...

as boy in spelling bee

Production

Before scriptwriting for the movie began, screenwriter

began by reviewing and reading the original Molly book series written by children's author Valerie Tripp. Various changes were made from the books in order to adapt the series into a single movie, such as removing Molly's five-year-old brother Brad and changing elements of Emily's backstory. After the script was completed, casting began in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Twelve-year-old

, who had previously appeared on the

as Zoe in '' Disney Bumpers'', as well as Zelly in ''

Finn's Girl ''Finn's Girl'' is a 2007 Canadian drama film, directed by Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert. ...

'', was cast in the lead role as Molly. Additionally, due to Ritter's young age at the time of a filming and strict child labor laws, acting

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

McKayla Kenny was cast to replace Ritter in several shots during long work days. Amongst those cast was 1980s Hollywood legend

, who had just returned from living in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at the time of filming. Over thirty costumes were created or rented for Maya; over half of them were designed by Trysha Bakker, who referenced Nick Backes' and Chris Fox Payne's original Molly illustrations as well as magazines and children's clothes from the period. Additionally, Bakker collaborated with the original product designers for Molly's collection, utilizing samples of doll clothes while designing. Although the majority of costumes featured on set were rented, others such as the

nurse uniform were sewn in-house for the movie. Filming took place over the course of five intensive weeks during May and June 2006 in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Most of the film was shot on a soundstage, such as the entirety of the McIntire house, while other scenes were shot on location with minimal changes done to existing environments. The downtown street, school, train station, and auditorium scenes were all shot on location in

Port Hope, Ontario Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and west of Kingston, Ontario, Kingston. It is at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County, Onta ...

. Rocket Science VFX provided

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

such as the change of seasons and the weather.

References

External links

''An American Girl''
nbsp;— official home page * {{Joyce Chopra 2006 television films 2006 films 2000s English-language films American Girl films Films based on American novels Films based on toys Films directed by Joyce Chopra Films set in 1943 Films set in 1944 Films set in Illinois Films set on the United States home front during World War II Warner Bros. films American World War II films American children's films 2000s American films Films shot in Ontario Depictions of Elizabeth II on film Fiction about refugees and displaced people