Harriet the Spy

Director: Bronwen Hughes Bronwen Hughes

Overview

Young Harriet dreams of being a writer. When her nanny suggests she start a diary to train her writing skills, Harriet begins recording her observations with a critical eye. Unfortunately, when her diary falls into the hands of Harriet's classmates, her two best friends are stung by her commentary.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/10/2017
UPC:	0032429285164
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	PG
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	21,282

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michelle Trachtenberg	Harriet M. Welsch
Rosie O'Donnell	Ole Golly
J. Smith	Mrs. Welsch,Sport
Eartha Kitt	Agatha K. Plummer
Vanessa Lee Chester	Janie Gibbs
Robert Joy	Ben Welsch
Dov Tiefenbach	Boy with Purple Socks
Charlotte Sullivan	Marion Hawthorne
Teisha Kim	Rachel Hennessy
Cecilley Carroll	Beth Ellen Hansen
Nina Shock	Carrie Andrews
Conor Devitt	Pinky Whitehead
Alisha Morrison	Laura Peters
Nancy Beatty	Miss Elson
Don Francis	Harrison Withers
Eugene Lipinski	George Waldenstein
Gerry Quigley	Sport's Dad
Jackie Richardson	Janie's Mother
Mercedes Enriquez	Windchime Lady
Mung Ling Tsui	Mrs. Hong Fat
Ho Chow	Mr. Hong Fat
Byron Wong	Frankie Hong Fat
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee	Bruno Hong Fat
Kim Lieu	Paige Hong Fat
Kwok-Wing Leung	Grandpa Hong Fat
Sally Cahill	Maid
Roger Clown	Dr. Wagner
Bob Windsor	Dog Delivery Guy
Gladys O'Connor	Woman with Purse
Vic Ho	Acupuncturist
Maury Chaykin	Holiday Pageant Director
Miranda Jade Fratton	Student
Connor Devitt	Pinky Whitehead
Tsui Mung-Ling	Mrs, Hong Fat
Jamshied Sharifi	Composer

Technical Credits

Douglas Petrie

Theresa Rebeck

Greg Taylor

Julie Talen

Bronwen Hughes	Director
Douglas Petrie	Screenwriter
Theresa Rebeck	Screenwriter
Marykay Powell	Producer
Debby Beece	Executive Producer
Bob Hall	Special Effects
Greg Taylor	Screenwriter
Julie Talen	Screenwriter
Douglas Bell	Special Effects
Cameron Frankley	Sound/Sound Designer
David Van Slyke	Sound/Sound Designer
Henri Lopez	Sound Mixer
Glen Gauthier	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

Updating the '60s children's novel for a '90s Nickelodeon audience, Harriet the Spy retells the classic story with all the wild design and green slime that kids have come to expect from the cable network. As Harriet M. Welsch, ten-year-old Michelle Trachtenberg (from the underrated Adventures of Pete & Pete TV series) creates a realistic ego-driven creative force, a bona fide heroine who suffers for her art. Stylistically, the world in which Harriet resides is full of bright colors and wacky patterns, with everything having an oversized cartoon sense to it. She and her friends even hang out in a magical play garden full of hands-on junkyard art and trees bearing bottles of soda pop. Yet, the fun is interrupted as the group of wealthy and privileged classmates begin to display a real mean-spiritedness in their ridicule of Harriet, and she too is cruel in her revenge. Though sometimes heading in the direction of sentiment in the scenes with Golly (Rosie O'Donnell), the story mostly remains full of sharp humor and inventive dialogue. While it sometimes seems like an extra-long Nickelodeon TV show, Harriet the Spy nevertheless is a smart kid's movie, celebrating youthful exuberance and managing to address some brutal life lessons.