It struck me while watching Samantha again in preparation for the other two parts in this series … these movies are so the kind of movies – or the books they’re based on, at least – you imagine Lisa Simpson to be awed by, lol. This one ups the whole feminist side of these stories quite a bit, in the etiquette classes Felicity takes, summed up in a great line from the tutor, that she’s preparing them “to take your places in society”.

I originally watched the first American Girl movie ‘cos of AnnaSophia Robb, but it was good enough overall for me to keep an eye out for the other ones. There’s something about these movies, though they’re by no means classics of any kind, that feels right. To just take the same type of character, to bottle up a chunk of history in a way that will subtly raise interest,in young girls in particular, without preaching too much and at all times really just telling a cute and happy story. This one features a lot of one of my favourite combinations in movies – girls and horses. It might not ever reach Velvet or Dreamer levels of wonderment, but it held my attention and I’m sure some girls will go nuts over it.