The screenplay by Robin Swicord is based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868–69 two-volume novel of the same title, the fifth feature film adaptation of the classic story.

The March sisters—responsible Meg, tempestuous Jo, tender Beth, and romantic Amy—are growing up in Concord, Massachusetts during and after the American Civil War.

Mr. Laurence mentors Beth, whose exquisite piano-playing reminds him of his deceased daughter, and Meg falls in love with Laurie's tutor, John Brooke.

Awaiting Marmee's return, Meg and Jo, who both previously survived scarlet fever, decide to send Amy away to live safely with their Aunt March.

Prior to Beth's illness, Jo had been Aunt March's companion for several years, and although she didn't enjoy it, she hoped she would take her to Europe.

Beth gets worse, so Marmee returns home, nursing her to recovery in time for Christmas, but the illness severely weakens her.

Mr. Laurence gives his daughter's piano to Beth, Meg accepts John Brooke's proposal and Mr. March surprises them, returning home from the war.

There she meets Friedrich Bhaer, a German professor who challenges and stimulates her intellectually, introducing her to opera and philosophy, and encouraging her to write better stories than the lurid Victorian melodramas she has penned so far.

Professor Bhaer arrives with the printed galley proofs of her manuscript but, believing Jo is married, he departs to catch a train to the West, to accept a professorship.

According to writer Robin Swicord and producer Denise Di Novi, "people just weren't interested in a movie with a lot of women".

[8] With the help of screenwriter Robin Swicord, they aimed to portray more mature themes than those of the previous adaptations, including family, growing up, and progressive feminism.

[5] Along with Winona Ryder, already signed on to play Jo, offers for the roles of Marmee and Laurie were sent out to Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale.

"[5] Among those to read for the role of Amy were the then-unknown Natalie Portman, and Thora Birch, who had already filmed Hocus Pocus and Patriot Games.

Grant was ultimately deemed too young and confident to play the Bhaer of the book that Frazier, Di Novi, and Armstrong wanted.

John Turturro also lobbied persistently for the role, but Frazier wanted a deeper and more poetic Bhaer, and decided on Gabriel Byrne.

[11] The overall aesthetic for the film was heavily influenced by photographs, paintings, and drawings from the Civil War era, the period when the novel Little Women was written.

The site's critics consensus reads, "Thanks to a powerhouse lineup of talented actresses, Gillian Armstrong's take on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women proves that a timeless story can succeed no matter how many times it's told.

[18] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 31⁄2 stars, calling it "a surprisingly sharp and intelligent telling of Louisa May Alcott's famous story, and not the soft-edged children's movie it might appear."

[49] On October 29, 2019, Mill Creek Entertainment released Little Women in a double feature Blu-ray edition alongside Kirsten Dunst's fellow film Marie Antoinette.