Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- sentimental
- nostalgic
- hopeful
- family movie night
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly find the adaptation charming and emotionally effective despite its overtly saccharine, old-fashioned sentimentality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sara loses her tuition and is forced to work as a servant at the girls’ school after her father is reported missing.
Sara refuses to accept that Captain Crewe is dead and searches hospitals for evidence that he survives.
The film combines a Boer War backdrop, musical presentation, rousing patriotism, and deliberately emotional performances.
The exclusive school becomes Sara’s workplace, where she cleans fireplaces and scrubs floors under Miss Minchin’s authority.
Films like The Little Princess, and why
Heidi
family melodrama centered on an orphaned or displaced child, resilience, and a comforting moral resolution
A Little Princess
classic children's drama combining poverty, institutional authority, resourceful young protagonists, and sentimental uplift
The Blue Bird
Shirley Temple vehicle with musical charm, child-centered adversity, and feel-good emotional payoff
Movie Details
- Director
- Walter Lang
- Release Date
- 1939-03-17
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (129)
Cast
- Shirley Temple
- Richard Greene
- Anita Louise
- Ian Hunter
- Cesar Romero
- Arthur Treacher
- Mary Nash
- Sybil Jason
- Miles Mander
- Marcia Mae Jones
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Dove Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Little Princess about?
- A spirited schoolgirl preserves her hope and compassion while enduring a sudden fall from wartime privilege to servanthood.
- What is The Little Princess like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Little Princess as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Little Princess violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Little Princess.
- What did critics think of The Little Princess?
- Critics broadly find the adaptation charming and emotionally effective despite its overtly saccharine, old-fashioned sentimentality.
- Which films are like The Little Princess?
- Films with a similar feel include Heidi, A Little Princess, and The Blue Bird.
- How long is The Little Princess?
- The Little Princess runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Little Princess?
- In United States, The Little Princess streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Dove Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel, Artiflix.
