Harriet the Spy
Nickelodeon's first feature film.,This film is set in New York City, yet in scenes such as the "kids yelling and chasing Harriet through town" segment, landmarks unique to Toronto, the capital city, are featured blatantly, including a flowerbed in the park shaped like the Canadian maple leaf, and background shots of buildings recognized worldwide as Toronto's architecture.,Ole Golly: You know what? You're an individual, and that makes people nervous. And it's gonna keep making people nervous for the rest of your life.,During the opening credits, items from Harriet's spy kit (i.e. magnifying glass, flashlight, and compass) are seen interacting with the credits as they appear.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Independence Day/Special Effects/Phenomenon (1996),Wack Wack
Written by Eldee Young, Hysear Walker, Isaac Holt & Donald Storball (as Don Storball)
Performed by The Young Holt Trio (as Young-Holt Unlimited)
Courtesy of Brunswick Record Corp.,Harriet the Spy is the story of an eleven-year-old girl, who has been taught to be an individual. Harriet wants to learn about people and she wants to learn how to express her thought about them. So, she decides to becomes a spy and thus eavesdrops on the nuances of the world around her. Of course, her schoolmates find her all too different, and when they learn what she has been writing about, they decide to castigate her and that is where things come to a head. Children can be cruel. Even Harriet. But they can also be hurt more profoundly. Here is a story about growing up. Like Stand By Me, it enjoys humor, but balances itself carefully between the light and dark sides of growing up. Michelle Tractenberg is nothing short of superb in her role as Harriet M. Welsch. Rediscovered as Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, here is a girl who by rights should have been placed on equal terms with Anna Paquin in Fly Away Home or Anna Chlumsky in My Girl. Harriet the Spy is an extraordinary film that bubbles out charm toward kids of any age.,