 Logo for theEloise series of books | |
| Author | Kay Thompson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Hilary Knight |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Humor Children's |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1955 |
| Publication place | United States |
Eloise is a series of children's books written in the 1950s byKay Thompson and illustrated byHilary Knight. The series consists ofEloise (1955) and four sequels.
Eloise is a young girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of thePlaza Hotel inNew York City with her nanny, herpug dog, Weenie, and her turtle, Skipperdee.
The character was developed by the author based on her childhoodimaginary friend andalter ego, with a voice in which Thompson spoke throughout her life, according to her biographer, filmmakerSam Irvin.[1] Thompson's goddaughter,Liza Minnelli, was often speculated as a possible model for Eloise.[2]
The illustrator stated that the image for Eloise was based on one that his mother,Katherine Sturges Dodge, had painted, during the 1930s.[3]
The first three sequels — Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise in Moscow — were withdrawn from publication by Thompson in the mid-'60s, but returned to print after her death in 1998.[4]
Other modern Eloise titles released bySimon & Schuster includeEloise's Guide to Life (2000),Eloise at Christmas (2003),Eloise's What I Absolutely Love Love Love (2005) andLove & 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.[5] By 2007, 11 titles had been released in that line.
Thompson's time on the set of the 1957musical filmFunny Face inspired a newEloise cartoonEloise in Hollywood (2006).[6]
Bernadette Peters narrates a collection of four Eloise stories — "Eloise", "Eloise in Paris", "Eloise at Christmastime", and "Eloise in Moscow", released by Simon & Schuster Audio in October 2015. They are available in audiobook and CD and book.[7]
In 2003, twomade-for-TV movies based on the first two books were made byWalt Disney Television, titledEloise at the Plaza andEloise at Christmastime, starringSofia Vassilieva as Eloise andJulie Andrews as Nanny. In 2006, ananimated television series based on the characters of the books, premiered onStarz! Kids & Family, featuringMary Matilyn Mouser as Eloise andLynn Redgrave as Nanny.
Adirect-to-DVD animated feature entitledEloise in Africa was announced in February 2009 but was never finished. It would have been made entirely atAnimation Collective's New York City facility.[8] In 2011, ananimatic from the film was uploaded ontoVimeo.[9]
A film based onEloise in Paris, starringJordana Beatty as the title character andUma Thurman as Nanny,[10] was being developed byCharles Shyer, director ofAlfie andFather of the Bride butlittle, if any, development on the film has been announced, and was reported in 2010 that Thurman filed and subsequently settled a lawsuit againstHandmade Films for £6m after production stalled and the company failed to meet her initial pay-or-play fee.[11]
By 2020, the film re-entered development atMRC Film, and was to be written byBeauty and the Beast screenwriterLinda Woolverton and produced by Handmade Films.[12][13][14]
Television
Films
A portrait of Eloise hangs in the lobby of the Plaza.[15] They also have a room at the Plaza called The Eloise Suite.
FilmmakerLena Dunham sports an Eloise tattoo and produced theHBO documentary short,It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise, chronicling the life and career of series co-author and illustrator Hilary Knight.[16][17][18]American singerKatheryn Hudson, who is better known as Katy Perry, revealed her daughterDaisy Dove Bloom has hair "like Eloise.,"
