Eloise at Christmastime

Released back in 2003 and based on the famous Eloise at the Plaza book series by Kay Thompson, this is another Christmas movie my sister and I would watch whenever it came on Disney Channel. And oddly enough, I never really knew about the first movie because it never really aired until I caught one showing quite a few years back. I don't really remember much about it, but I guess it doesn't really matter in the grand scale of things. I'll swiftly explain why when I write my opinion on the story! Directed by Enchanted director, Kevin Lima, can spunky Eloise and the Plaza's glitz and glamour bring some Christmas spirit, or is this as insufferable as a spoilt brat throwing a tantrum on Christmas Day? Let's take a look!

Story: Despite being a sequel, this still stands pretty well on its own. Instead of immediately assuming that, the movie gives you time to get to know Eloise and the other characters around her. There are only a few subtle references to its predecessor and thankfully, they don't really feel that distracting because they're just really throwaway lines. Anyway, the main plot revolves around the manager's daughter getting married on Christmas Eve, even though there's clearly still chemistry between her and Eloise's waiter friend, Bill. With that, Eloise tries to go extra lengths to bring the two back together. Despite being such a cliched story when put on paper up to the point that the disposable fiance is a clearly bad guy, it's the execution that saves it. The moments are genuinely funny because of Nanny's reactions to antics, and the emotional scenes do work. On top of that, the romance itself is pretty sweet and there are moments where Eloise has to realize that love doesn't work in a fantasy lovey-dovey sense. Oddly enough though, the subplot involving Mrs Thornton being forced to move out of the Plaza is probably the most interesting one out of them all! This is what leads to the emotions and it can be genuinely heartbreaking once the reality of what happened to her son is revealed. But given that this is a Christmas movie, they come up with a creative way to resolve this plot. If I had another problem outside of the cliches, it'd be the subplot with Sir Wilkes looking for a present for nanny while Eloise snubs every suggestion. It just felt a bit like filler compared to the other stuff that's going on and there isn't really much pay-off despite a small heartwarming scene towards the end. I like said, although the story is cliched on paper, the execution and Lima's directing help save it from being unenjoyable to watch.

Visuals: I just quickly want to go over the visuals for this because for a TV movie, it looks pretty good! The overall really captures the 50s, especially on the lavish costumes. I mean, it's not Oscar quality, but the costumes still look really nice. The Plaza itself looks gorgeous with what the production designers did to various rooms like the lobby, Gold Room and especially Eloise's room. It actually looks like it's been taken straight from the illustrations and the saturated colour scheme of the penthouse Christmas decorations reflect her personality. But I do have one problem: while they try their best to made the inside look like the 50s, they really can't do the same outside New York. It's only in one scene, but it's clear that despite the attempts with a few old fashioned cars in the background, Times Square is not depicted as it was back then judging the modern advertisements and the giant Toys R Us.Still. That's just a nitpick because it still looks all nice and Christmasy around New York with all the decorations and the red colour scheme. Seriously, it didn't ruin me enjoying the visuals for what they were in this TV movie cos it's clear that the production and costume designers wanted to make the movie look as close to the books as possible, and for the most part, they succeeded.

Characters: When it comes to the characters, there is is surprisingly large list. To be perfectly honest...Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) can get annoying. During most of the movie, all she does is run around, prank people and butt into situations which are none of her business. And this is on top of being so spoilt. I don't want to put any hate on Vassilieva because her performance is perfectly fine with the endearing energy she puts in, but it's the writing of the character which bothered me. HOWEVER, the movie's self awareness of her personality saves her from being intolerable. And she can have her moments of genuine compassion and kindness, especially during the subplot with Mrs Thornton and she does have good intentions at the end of the day with Rachel and Bill. So despite her primary character traits, she's not a completely hateable character. Her trusty Nanny (Julie Andrews) is kind and wise yet can have her moments of stress from her antics. A far cry from Andrews' other Disney roles, she actually plays her part really well and her reactions to Eloise's schemes did get some chuckles out of me. Her friend, Bill (Gavin Creel AKA Elder Price from The Book of Mormon), is a waiter who wants to be an actor. On top of his sweet and adorable personality when acting with Eloise, his chemistry with Rachel felt genuine and it is pretty sad how aware he is that he can't be with her and wants to try his best to avoid having his heart broken. Speaking of, Rachel (Sarah Topham) may not be the best written character as she can spend most of the movie as a Mary Sue, but she still has her moments when defending Bill along with some adorable scenes with Eloise. Brooks, Rachel's fiance is such a cliched that even looking at his face, you can tell he's a bad guy! Mr Peabody, the manager and Rachel's father can be strict, but he can have his kinder moments with his daughter and just wants what's best for her and for everyone in the Plaza. Other side characters include the strict Prunella (Christine Baranski), Mr Salamone (Jeffrey Tambor), Cornelia (Debra McGrath) and Sir Wilkes (Kenneth Welsh), all of whom are likeable thanks to their actors and they can be funny with their more realistic reactions to Eloise's antics. But probably the most surprising character in all of this is Mrs Thornton. While at first coming across as a strict prude towards Eloise, once we learn more about her, she becomes a really sympathetic and likable character. Seriously, I wish the movie focused a bit more on her. But for what they managed to do with her, it was still well done. So despite the characters seeming like cardboard cutouts, the charming actors managed to save them and make them likeable.

Sure, it may still have a few problems compared to when I first watched it, but I still enjoy this movie. I guess it's partly the nostalgia goggles in my case, but the story is cute and well executed despite the cliches, it looks very nice and Christmas-y and the charming acting saves the characters from being dull or annoying. I guess I can recommend it to the fans of the books or those in something of a sweet Christmas TV movie that isn't as cloyingly manipulating as a Hallmark movie.
Story: 😊
Visuals: 😊
Characters: 😊
Overall: 😊