Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia is a 1988 animated film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with animation services provided by Nelvana. Directed by Phil Mendez from a screenplay by Patricia Jones and Donald Reiker, it is an adaptation of Peggy Parish's 1963 children book Amelia Bedelia and tells the story of the housekeeper who was literally given chores to do for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. The film stars the voices of Helen Hunt, Michael Douglas, and Barbra Streisand.

The film was released in the United States on December 21, 1988 by MGM/UA Communications Co. It was dedicated to the author Peggy Parish, who died a few weeks before the film's release.

Plot
In the neighborhood, a housekeeper named Amelia Bedelia (Helen Hunt) goes out of her house to check a mail from her mailbox. She reads a mail and realizes that she was hired as a maid for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers (Michael Douglas and Barbra Streisand) and she was literally given chores from the list Mrs. Rogers made. By afternoon, Bedelia goes into Mr. and Mrs. Rogers' car as they drive to their house for Bedelia's first day of work. The Rogers drop Amelia Bedelia off to their house and Mrs. Rogers tells Bedelia that she can't be here for a long time and convinces her to do what the list says before the Rogers drove away.

Amelia Bedelia goes inside the Rogers' house and gets the list that Mrs. Rogers made. First, she makes lemon-meringue pie for the Rogers. After putting the pie in the oven, she was given chores to do: change the towels in the green bathroom, dust the furniture, draw the drapes when the sun comes in, put the lights out when you finish in the living room, measure two cups of rice, trim the fat before she puts the steak in the icebox, and dress the chicken. Despite knowing what she has to do, Bedelia didn't do instructions right as proceeds to take them literally. In the first four, she cuts the towels with her scissors to change, she dusts the furniture with the dusting powder, she drew the drapes in a picture paper, and then she switched off the lights and unscrewed all of the light bulbs to put them out. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were playing at the park, while Mrs. Rogers hopes that Amelia Bedelia completed her chores list. Back to the Rogers' house, Bedelia realizes that her pie is ready in the kitchen and she took it out of the oven. Back to her list, she filled the rice in two cups, then she measures them and put the rice back into the container. She decorated the steak rather than trimming the fat and she makes tiny clothes to dress the chicken.

With all of Bedelia's literal instructions done, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers return home to check, but Mrs. Rogers is anxious and angry that Amelia Bedelia didn't do all of her chores right. With Mrs. Rogers' losing temper, she fires Amelia Bedelia over her havoc in their house. The Rogers drove Amelia Bedelia back home. Mr. Rogers didn't care when she decorated the steak with lace. Suddenly, he discovers Amelia Bedelia's lemon-meringue pie on the table. He gives tempered Mrs. Rogers a little piece of pie to try. Mrs. Rogers then feels it was delicious as a surprise from Amelia Bedelia. When she learned that her list was silly to Amelia Bedelia, she Rogers decided that Amelia Bedelia has to come back to their house. The Rogers then writes their apology letter to Amelia Bedelia to send in her mailbox to her house.

Meanwhile, Amelia Bedelia, while cleaning her house and feeling disappointed of her first day of work, checks a mail from her mailbox again and finds out that the Rogers want her to come back to their house for Mrs. Rogers' forgiveness. Curious about Mrs. Rogers' anger again, Amelia Bedelia returns to the Rogers' house. Mrs. Rogers apologizes for her misunderstanding list she made for her. She will also try to make her list more understanding for Bedelia in the future. Feeling more happier, Amelia Bedelia then accepts the Rogers' apologies, and she is employed again to make another lemon-meringue pie.

Cast

 * Helen Hunt as Amelia Bedelia
 * Michael Douglas as Mr. Rogers
 * Barbra Streisand as Mrs. Rogers

Production
In 1983, it was announced that MGM/UA had won the bidding war against The Walt Disney Company and Universal Studios over the film rights for the 1963 children book Amelia Bedelia to make a traditionally-animated film adaptation. Phil Mendez has been attached to direct the film, saying "We grew up reading Peggy Parish's Amelia Bedelia books for many laughs. I was willing to bring her to the big screen." He then contacted Fame screenwriters Patricia Jones and Donald Reiker to write the screenplay based on the story by Peggy Parish and they both accepted.

In November 1985, Mendez announced that Helen Hunt would voice the titular character. Hunt stated she never read the book, but she signed on as the titular role after she was being contacted by Mendez. In 1986, Michael Douglas and Barbra Steisand were both cast as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers respectively.

Reception
To be added