Eloise' skipping to ABC with two kid-friendly pics

Hollywood Reporter
Nellie Andreeva
July 18, 2002

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Eloise, the garrulous little girl who lives in New York's Plaza Hotel, is headed to the screen for the first time.

ABC is close to greenlighting two movies based on Kay Thompson's classic series of books to be executive produced by Denise Di Novi and Patrick Meehan, chairman of Handmade Films.

"Eloise at the Plaza," written by Janet Brownell (ABC's "Gilda Radner: It's Always Something"), is being eyed for a May premiere, while "Eloise at Christmastime," penned by Elizabeth Chandler (HBO's "Afterburn"), is planned to air around Christmas 2003.

The two films, which will run as part of ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" banner, will be shot back-to-back as a miniseries. Discussions are under way to film some scenes at the Plaza.

The network hopes to build a strong "Eloise" franchise, ABC senior vp TV movies and miniseries Quinn Taylor said. Immediately after giving the green light to "Eloise at the Plaza" and "Eloise at Christmastime," ABC is expected to start developing a third film, likely based on "Eloise in Paris."

Taylor said he and then-head of ABC's longform division Susan Lyne were sold on the "Eloise" pitch the first time they were approached with the idea a couple of years ago.

"Eloise is one of the most beloved characters in children's literature," Taylor said. "For us, it's everything that we need. It has a tremendous amount of appeal to a broad range of audience, parents are still reading these books to their children, it's promotable, and obviously the marketing value alone is priceless. Say 'Eloise,' and everybody gets it."

The best-selling books follow a mischievous 6-year-old who lives with her nanny and an assortment of pets in the venerable Plaza, where a portrait by illustrator Hilary Knight of the young heroine has hung in the lobby since 1957.

Di Novi, who has done the inspired-by-the-books ritual of going to the Plaza for tea many times as a little girl, has been pursuing the idea for a long time of bringing the stories to the screen.

"I've been in love with Eloise since I was a little girl," she said. "There are so many people over the years that have just been desperate to bring this to the screen, and I just feel very lucky and very blessed that I'm working on this project."

Because Thompson was dead set against adapting her books, the rights did not become available until after her death.

In 1999, the Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co. won a heated bidding war to acquire film, television and allied rights to the children's series for an estimated $3 million-$4 million (HR 6/15/99). Di Novi pacted with Itsy Bitsy to develop an "Eloise" feature and later approached ABC with the idea for TV movies. Meanwhile, Meehan acquired the "Eloise" rights after Itsy Bitsy was sold.

"I think Eloise is one of those one in a million characters that is completely unique in who she is -- she is a lovable scamp and a big-hearted naughty person, and I think she has appeal for adults and children and for boys and girls," Di Novi said.  

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