Watch A Little Princess

Based largely on the book by Francis Hodgson Burnett, the film A Little Princess is a story full of magic and hope. Ten-year-old Sara Crew is happy living with her widowed father in India just before the First World War. Her father clearly adores her and ensures that her childhood is as carefree as he can make it. Sara is raised to believe in magic and learns from an early age that everyone is special, no matter their station in life or the color of their skin. Her life truly seems to be a charmed one. When Sara's father enlists to fight in the Royal British forces during the war, Sara must leave her beloved home for boarding school in New York City while he is away fighting. Although the boarding school is a far cry from the warm upbringing Sara has had, she adjusts fairly quickly. Sara makes many friends among her fellow classmates but is clearly not a favorite of her headmistress, Miss Minchin. Miss Minchin makes it clear to Sara that her usual brand of imaginative thinking and storytelling is frowned upon at the girls' academy. Sara continues to do well in school and even befriends the school servant, Becky. Her open mindedness and warm heart endear her to the majority of her classmates while also earning her the envy and disgust of others. One day Sara's world seems to come to an abrupt end when her father is reported missing in action, presumed dead in the war. With no one left to pay for her schooling, she is forced to become a servant at the school to earn her room and board. The loss of her father and all of her worldly belongings leave Sara feeling empty and alone, forgetting that she still has friends amongst her classmates. In the face of so much sorrow Sara must decide if her trials will strengthen her or break her spirit.