The film starred newcomer Hatty Jones as the titular character with Frances McDormand and Nigel Hawthorne in supporting roles as Miss Clavel and Lord Covington respectively.

While the other girls are smitten with the ambassador’s spoiled son Pepito, Madeline is irritated by the noise he creates while riding around on his Vespa, calling him a "Bad Hat".

Wanting to save the school from being shut down, Madeline enlists Pepito's help to sabotage Lord Covington's attempts to sell the property.

Madeline, blaming herself for what happened and fearing she'll have no place to go as an orphan once the school closes, decides to join the circus, hoping to make friends and find a home within the community there.

After confiding in her best friend Aggie of her plans and making her swear not to tell, Madeline leaves the group and unintentionally stumbles upon Leopold, with the help of a trio of clowns known as "The Idiots", kidnapping Pepito, hoping to ransom him.

Shortly after Madeline's return, Lord Covington arrives and shares that he's sold the property to the ambassador of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.

The film then concludes with a montage of the girls, Miss Clavel and Genevieve attending a fair, accompanied by Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", and changes back to the book setting as the word "Fin" appears.

[7] Principal photography took place in Paris from September 1997 to January 1998, with English actress Hatty Jones, then 9 years old, cast as the main character.

The site's consensus states: "It may be a tad tedious for older viewers, but Madeline's clever, adventurous heroine is likely to charm its intended audience".

[13] AOL movie critic Brandon Judell said of it: "No horribly arch double entendres to draw in audiences who can't spend two hours in a theater without having their libido massaged".

Conversely, John R. McEwen gave a negative review, stating that the film was: "...Adequately simple for children, though perhaps a bit pedestrian for adults".

A similarly negative review was given by Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post, stating that "their 8-year-old daughters will less likely be impressed by the meandering story, dull visuals and flat characterizations".