If you grew up in ’80s, ’90s, or ’00s, the American Girl brand might have found a comfy spot within your fondest childhood memories. Coming of age as a girl in the United States can be a multifaceted and challenging experience, and so, each story the company tells through its merchandise and media is individual. According to americangirl.com, their historical dolls began to be released in 1986 – as this journey continued, they became household names and important figures in toy boxes and kids’ bedrooms as their brand shifted and grew. Since these dolls often come from a wide range of decades, time periods, historic constraints, and life situations, each backstory communicates its own unique messages.
Since the release of their very first one, American Girl movies based on their own time-honored collection of dolls have invited viewers into the worlds of the cherished characters. Several additional films have been made since their more popular era, telling more diverse tales of other dolls’ life stories. More recognizable movies in the series come from the early ’00s and ’10s, which still revolve around complex elements and trials the girls face. Let’s look back through the best movies within the American Girl franchise, ranked.
(Note: Some websites, including IMDB, reflect a slight name change since the films’ releases, but this article will refer to them with their more well-known titles at the time they were released.)
6/6 An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars
In An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars, McKenna Brooks enters the movie world as American Girl’s Girl of the Year for 2012. McKenna’s passion for gymnastics is essentially everything to her, and her vision of eventual acclaim at the Olympics gleams with promise. Beyond the surface, her issues with reading prompt the need for a tutor, which she conceals from her friends at first. As if that isn’t hard enough to deal with, she hurts her ankle and has to take a breather from her greatest happiness. What she learns throughout her story helps to teach growing girls about differing abilities and determination.
5/6 An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong
An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong follows the brand’s 2009 Girl of the Year. On the difficult journey of attending a new school, she comes across some serious social difficulties. Chrissa Maxwell’s entry into the classroom ends up in some crude bullying by the three “Mean Bees,” led by the stuck-up Tara. The cruelty also eventually falls upon Chrissa’s new friend, Gwen, who doesn’t have a home. These instances are extremely underhanded, and hopefully that language will stay on-screen only after watching this movie with younger viewers. Chrissa’s experience teaches audiences about how to spot and respond to bullying, plus how to voice when things are not okay.
4/6 Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front
Molly McIntire has a generally happy life in Illinois, until World War II begins to affect lives across the globe. It even brings her father abroad as he helps to assist the injured, and her family does as much as they can from where they are. Emily, a girl from England who is displaced by the bombings, is led to the safer America, where she stays in Molly’s home for a while. The film highlights the difficulties that war creates in many ways, affecting children just as much as their parents, whether they’re soldiers, or back at home. Molly Ringwald plays Molly’s mother, Mrs. Helen McIntire. On the other hand, some IMDB reviews state that this movie doesn’t translate well to the original American Girl books about Molly’s detailed story.
3/6 Felicity: An American Girl Adventure
Set in the colony of Williamsburg, Virginia, Felicity Merriman’s story departs from the expectations of a young lady growing up during that time period as her free-spirited self breaks loose. Encouraged by society and her family to follow norms for women of the time, becoming a demure and dainty young lady is not this girl’s prerogative. She seeks to wear breeches and rescue an abused horse named Penny, but she also finds her place as a woman-to-be through her kindness and accepting heart. As Felicity, Shailene Woodley stars in one of her earliest roles.
2/6 Samantha: An American Girl Holiday
During the Industrial Revolution, New York beckons with opulence for some, but extreme hardship for others – and some experience both. Young Samantha Parkington resides with her Grandmary at her luxurious estate in the beginning of the 1900s. Next door, a family opens their doors to four new servants, the O’Malley girls, and their father. The story shines a light on child labor and harsh factory conditions of that time, as well as wealth disparity and orphanhood. This American Girl movie is a true tearjerker towards the end, when Samantha and her new friends find a Christmas miracle.
1/6 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Finally, arguably the greatest American Girl movie out there is Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. Kit, played by Abigail Breslin, grows up in the Great Depression with the goal of being a successful reporter. With an amazing cast filled with stars, this intriguing story is indeed what Roger Ebert calls “as serious about Kit as she is about herself.” Kit’s father leaves their home in Cincinnati, Ohio, to find work, and the remaining Kittredge household makes room for boarders to earn some money. This exchange results in a mysterious story full of twists and turns as valuables disappear. The film also tackles the controversial ways that the poor community of hobos were treated in the 1930s, followed by a redeeming conclusion.
