Eloise is a series of children's books written in the 1950s by Kay Thompson (1909â€"1998) and illustrated by Hilary Knight (b. 1926). Thompson and Knight followed up Eloise (1955) with four sequels.
Eloise is a girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her Nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee.
Thompson's goddaughter, Liza Minnelli, has been cited as a possible model for Eloise, as has the author herself. The illustrator said that the image for Eloise was based on a painting that his mother, Katherine Sturges Dodge, did in the 1930s.
Books
Eloise really does live at the Plaza - For 60 years, illustrator Hilary Knight has been drawing the six-year-old character from the children's books "Eloise." But his biggest project to date is with fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger.
Original
- Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown-ups (1955)
- Eloise in Paris (1957)
- Eloise at Christmastime (1958)
- Eloise in Moscow (1959)
- Eloise Takes a Bawth (2002), posthumously published
Subsequent
Other modern Eloise titles released by Simon & Schuster include Eloise's Guide to Life (2000), Eloise at Christmas (2003), Eloise's What I Absolutely Love Love Love (2005) and Love & Kisses, Eloise (2005). The same publisher began producing Eloise stories "in the style of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight" to their early-reader Ready-to-Reads line in 2005. By 2007, 11 titles had been released in that line.
Thompson's time on the set of the 1957 musical film Funny Face inspired a new Eloise cartoon â€" Eloise in Hollywood (2006).
Bernadette Peters narrates a new collection of three Eloise stories â€" '"Eloise," "Eloise in Paris" and "Eloise in Moscow", released by Simon & Schuster Audio in October 2015. They are available in audiobook and CD and book.
Dramatic adaptations
In 2003, two made-for-TV movies based on the first two books were made by Walt Disney Television, titled Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, starring Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise and Julie Andrews as Nanny. In 2006, an animated television series based on the characters of the books, premiered on Starz! Kids & Family, featuring Mary Matilyn Mouser as Eloise and Lynn Redgrave as Nanny.
A movie based on Eloise in Paris, starring Jordana Beatty as the title character and Uma Thurman as Nanny, is being developed by Charles Shyer, director of Alfie and Father of the Bride. As of 2012, little, if any, development on the film was announced, and it was reported that Thurman filed a lawsuit against Handmade and demanded £6m compensation.
A direct-to-DVD animated feature entitled Eloise in Africa was announced in February 2009 but was never finished. It would have been made entirely at Animation Collective’s New York City facility. In 2011, an animatic from the film was uploaded onto Vimeo.
Television
- Playhouse 90, "Eloise" (broadcast on November 22, 1956)
- Eloise: The Animated Series (broadcast from October 8 to November 12, 2006)
Movies
- Eloise at the Plaza (2003)
- Eloise at Christmastime (2003)
- The Brave One (2007) mentions Eloise in a fictional NPR style radio broadcast.
- Eloise in Paris (TBA)
- Eloise in Africa (Cancelled)
Legacy
A portrait of Eloise was hung in the lobby of the Plaza until it closed for renovations in 2005. The portrait was re-hung in 2008 after three years in storage.
Filmmaker Lena Dunham sports an Eloise tattoo and produced the HBO documentary short, It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise, chronicling the life and career of series co-author and illustrator Hilary Knight.
See also
- Evelyn Rudie
- Suzuki Beane
References
