An American Girl Story: Maryellen 1955 - Extraordinary Christmas

2016 0h 48m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 12

Family

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's Christmas, 1955 in Daytona Beach, FL, and middle child Maryellen longs to stand out amidst the hustle and bustle of her big family. When Benji, a family friend afflicted with polio comes to stay with them, Maryellen is intent on making the holiday special. After her plans for a big celebration fall through, she discovers the best gifts are often simple, meaningful gestures of friendship.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Alyvia Alyn Lind
Maryellen Larkin
Mary McCormack
Kay Larkin
Madison Lawlor
Joan Larkin
Maxwell Acee Donovan
Davy Fenstermacher
Samuel Faraci
Benji
Jessica Belkin
Carolyn Larkin
Alex MacNicoll
Jarry Ross
Noelle Parker
Beverly Larkin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Valerie Weiss
Writers: Jamie Pachino
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 48-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "An American Girl Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Valerie Weiss, shot by Steve Gainer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sasha Gordon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheryl Campsmith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alyvia Alyn Lind and Mary McCormack and Madison Lawlor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Valerie Weiss directs. Steve Gainer behind the camera. Sasha Gordon scores. Cheryl Campsmith cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 48-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Part of the "An American Girl Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Valerie Weiss, shot by Steve Gainer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Sasha Gordon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cheryl Campsmith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Alyvia Alyn Lind and Mary McCormack and Madison Lawlor carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt6119048 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Steve Gainer
Original score: Sasha Gordon
Editing: Cheryl Campsmith
Production design: Kristan Andrews
Costume design: Barbara Chennault
Runtime: 48 min · 0h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: An American Girl Story: Maryellen 1955 - Extraordinary Christmas (2016)

Part of

An American Girl Collection

American Girl is a line of books, movies, dolls, and accessories based on pre-teen girl characters from various periods of history including the 21st century. Several of the characters from the American Girl books have since had their stories adapted into films, the majority of them released as direct-to-DVD or television films