Madeline: Lost in Paris facts for kids

Madeline: Lost in Paris is an animated musical adventure movie from 1999. It was made by DIC Entertainment, L.P. This film was first released on August 3, 1999, directly to VHS tapes. Later, in 2009, it became available on iTunes for its 10th anniversary. It's a fun story based on the famous "Madeline" books by Ludwig Bemelmans.

What Happens in the Story?

The movie starts in winter. Twelve girls, including Madeline, are walking in two straight lines. They discover their teacher, Miss Clavel, is sick with a bad cold. Dr. Cohn tells her to rest. He also tells the girls to be kind and caring while she gets better.

Suddenly, Pepito, their neighbor, plays his violin loudly. He promises Madeline he will stop until Miss Clavel feels better. That night, the girls talk about their families. They remember good times, especially when they were sick. Madeline shares that her parents passed away. She shows them a special gold necklace with animal pictures from her mother.

The girls feel sad for Madeline because she has no other family. Miss Clavel comforts them all. She reminds them that they are all like a family together. They love and look out for each other.

Madeline's New "Uncle"

One day, Madeline gets a mysterious letter. It is from her long-lost Uncle Horst from Vienna. He plans to visit. He arrives at the school and has dinner with the girls. Lord Cucuface and Pepito's family are also there. Uncle Horst then announces he is Madeline's new legal guardian. He shows court papers to Miss Clavel.

Horst plans to take Madeline to Vienna. She will attend a special finishing school there. They are leaving the very next day on the Orient Express. Madeline and her friends are shocked, excited, and sad all at once. The children want to show that their school is just as good. They put on a musical show for Uncle Horst. But he is not impressed. He still plans to take Madeline with him.

A Tricky Plan

The next morning, Uncle Horst takes Madeline away. But he takes her on the Paris Métro instead of the Orient Express. They go to a strange part of the city. It looks poor and a bit dangerous. Madeline thinks she is being taken against her will. She throws beads from her mother's special necklace. She hopes to leave a trail. She keeps one bead with a lion on it as a memory.

It turns out that "Uncle Horst" is not her uncle at all! He is a French actor named Henri. He works for Madame LaCroque. She owns a lace shop. Henri takes Madeline to the shop's basement. There, many other girls are kept. They are orphans and are forced to make lace all day. One of the girls, Fifi, becomes Madeline's friend. Madame LaCroque had faked the custody papers for Madeline. She and Henri plan to steal Madeline's family money.

Friends to the Rescue!

After Madeline leaves, Miss Clavel, the girls, and Pepito try to stop her. Pepito wants to give Madeline a special Halloween gift. They go to the train station. But they learn Madeline and Henri took the Métro. They also find Genevieve, their dog, left behind. Miss Clavel worries. She asks the police to help find Madeline.

At the lace shop, Madame LaCroque is very mean to the girls. She makes them work very hard. One day, Fifi accidentally makes a lace yellow. LaCroque gets angry. She says Fifi must only make black lace in the dark. This could make Fifi blind. Madeline stands up for Fifi and the other girls. LaCroque punishes Madeline. She throws her into a small prison cell. There, Madeline sings a song with the other orphans.

Madeline finds a loose brick. She tells Fifi and the other girls they should escape. Fifi says she tried once. But she was caught. LaCroque then cut off Fifi's long hair. Fifi explains that LaCroque used to be a famous dancer. She had a terrible accident on stage. She was so embarrassed that she stopped dancing. She sold her long blond hair to make lace. She and Henri then tricked the courts. They promised to care for orphan girls. Instead, they made them work like servants.

Madeline's friends follow the trail of her necklace beads. They, along with Pepito and Genevieve, find the factory. Back at the lace shop, a customer asks for red lace. This gives LaCroque an idea to cut Madeline's hair. Madeline tells her new friends that even though they are small, they can work together. LaCroque tries to stop their escape. She cuts some of Madeline's hair. She plans to cut all the girls' hair.

A Happy Ending

Outside the factory, Pepito uses his special shrunken skull gift. He knocks off LaCroque's wig from the window. This shows her bald head. She gets scared and falls. Meanwhile, Miss Clavel and the police find Henri. He is trying to sell Madeline's things. Henri agrees to lead them to the factory. He hopes for a lighter punishment.

Madeline and her friends tie up LaCroque with rolls of lace. The police arrive with Henri and Miss Clavel. Henri tries to run away one last time. But Pepito trips him with a spool. The girls tie him up too. The bad guys are caught by the police. They face consequences for their actions. The girls give Madeline her mother's beads. The factory girls still need a home.

That night, Madeline's friends talk about the reward money they received. Danielle wants to buy clothes. Chloe wants to travel. Nicole wants to own a zoo. But Madeline has a better idea.

Later, Madeline wears her repaired necklace. She uses the money to open a special school for the orphans. She reunites with Fifi. Fifi now has long hair and is healthy. All the girls from both schools are happy. They are all one big family. Madeline smiles and winks at the audience.

Who Are the Voices?

• Christopher Plummer as the Narrator
• Lauren Bacall as Madame LaCroque
• Jason Alexander as Uncle Horst / Henri
• Andrea Libman as Madeline
• Stevie Vallance (as Stephanie Louise Vallance) as Miss Clavel
• Additional voices include Alex Hood, Jennifer Copping, Brittney Irvin, Tabitha St. Germain, Veronika Sztopa, Rochelle Greenwood, French Tickner, Michael Heyward, Garry Chalk, Dale Wilson, Jane Mortifee

Songs from the Film

• Family - Madeline & 11 Little Girls
• We Can Sing, We Can Dance - 11 Little Girls, Uncle Horst, Mrs. Clavel, Pepito's Mother, Lord Cucuface, Others
• Something is Not Right - Miss Clavel, 11 Little Girls, Pepito, Madeline and Uncle Horst
• Where is the Hope That I Once Knew? - Madeline & Laceshop Girls
• Together - Madeline & Laceshop Girls
• Family (reprise) - Madeline, 11 Little Girls, Pepito & Laceshop Girls