Madeline (1998)

Madeline (1998) Full Recap

Draw. Adios, little girl. Those are for keeping track of the girl's heights. In a Catholic boarding school in France, a nun named Miss Clevel looks after the 12 kids who live there. One day, while they're about to go for a walk, Clevel notices that one of the kids, Meline, isn't outside yet.

Interestingly, it turns out that Meline is looking for a hat inside the boarding school. And after she finds it, she heads out to join Clell and the other kids. Despite being the smallest child at the boarding school, Meline happens to be very outspoken and brushed their teeth. She's also the only one who often tries scary things that leave Clell worried.

During their walk, the girls see a clown making an announcement that a circus is coming to town. He also tries to scare the girls by showing them a caged tiger, but Meline doesn't seem moved. Shortly after, the kids return home. And when it's time for dinner, Cleavell says a prayer for a sick woman named Lady Covington, who owns the school.

Just then, the boarding school chef, Helen, comes over to deliver the special chicken she just made for dinner. The kids look excited because they like Helen's food, especially her special chicken recipe. After the girls are done with dinner, Clell takes them to bed and says a prayer before leaving. When she gets to her room, she says another prayer for all the girls before bringing out a book to read.

She eventually falls asleep in the process, but a few hours later, she wakes up feeling strange. Good night. Good night, Mel. She says that something isn't right, and she decides to check on the kids. When she gets to the room, she notices that the kids are awake and trying to see what's wrong with Meline, who complains that she's feeling pain in her stomach.

Cleavell looks shocked and quickly tries to understand what's wrong. The other girls look scared and start wondering if Meline's tummy hurts because of the food she ate. One of them asks Clell if they'll all die, but the nun tells her not to think like that. She also tells one of the kids to call Helen.

When Helen gets to the room, Clevel immediately tells her to call the hospital. Shortly after, an ambulance arrives and Clevel follows Meline to the hospital. Inside the ambulance, the doctor checks up on Meline and tells Clell that Meline has appendicitis and they'll have to take out her appendix at the hospital. Clevel looks shocked and Meline seems scared because she doesn't know what they're talking about.

Almost immediately, they arrive at the hospital. And as Meline is being wheeled into the operating room, the doctors tell Cleavell to stay back. Meline looks really scared because she doesn't know what's happening, but Clell tells her to continue saying that she can do anything. After this, the doctors take Meline away and a nurse comes over to ask Clevel how they are related.

Clell says she's Meline's teacher and the nurse asks about her parents. Clell says they died when Maline was little and that she's a ward of the church. Meanwhile, Maline gets sedated while the doctors perform the surgery. Miss Clevel. The next day, Clell brings the other girls to the hospital to see Meline.

When they get to Meline's room, Meline looks happy to see them. The other girls then ask about the surgery and how it went. Meline says it was great and that she saw the doctors cut her open to pull out her guts. The other kids look impressed, but Meline eventually confesses that she didn't actually see anything because she was asleep throughout the surgery.

Look what they gave me in exchange for my appendix. She also shows them her surgical scar. And as the kids talk about it, Clell tells them that it's time to go. That night, Meline sneaks out of her room and walks around until she sees Lady Covington. Meline looks really happy to see Lady Coington, who is very sick.

She asks if Lady Coington can remember who she is, and Lady Coington says she can. She adds that she remembers when Meline came to visit her with the other kids during the last Easter celebration. This is Papito, the Spanish ambassador's son. She then mentions that she heard about Meline's illness, and she asks if Meline is now feeling better.

Meline says she is, and Lady Coington asks if they're giving her a lot of ice cream. Meline says they are and she also asks if Lady Coington is getting ice cream from the nurses. Lady Coington says it's not much. And Meline asks if she's now feeling better. Lady Coington says she is.

And Meline looks happy. Lady Coington then talks about how her grandmother started the school. She says she was a student there when she was little, and Meline looks impressed. She then asks if she can tell Meline a secret. Meline says she can and Lady Coington mentions that when she was nine, she carved her name on the baseboard inside the dormatory.

Meline asks if she carved Lady Coington, but she says that her birth name is Marie Gilbear. She tells Meline to check if it's still there, but before Meline can respond, Lady Coington's husband, Lord Coington, comes in and looks surprised to see her. He asks who gave her permission to be there, and Meline says no one did. Lord Coington then scolds her and says she's not supposed to wander around in a hospital.

Meline says sorry before she heads out and Lord Coington gives his wife the flowers he got for her. Later that night, Clell wakes up from her sleep and gets a feeling that something is wrong again. She quickly leaves her room and goes to check on the girls. When she gets to the room, she sees the girls crying and requesting to have their appendices removed, too.

Cleavell looks confused and just tells them to go back to bed. Lady Coington passed away. The next day, Cleavell goes to the hospital to pick up Meline. On their way out, Meline notices that Lady Coington is no longer in her room. She then asks Clell if Lady Coington has also been discharged.

Clell says Lady Coington has passed away and Meline looks sad. Clell notices this and asks if Meline is okay, and she says she is. Shortly after, they leave the hospital and meet Helen in her car. On the way back to the boarding school, Meline sees a chicken inside the car and asks Clell if it's a pet.

Some problems. Some problems. Clevel tells Meline not to forget that pets are not allowed at the school. Maline looks confused and asks what the chicken is for, but Helen doesn't seem to understand the question. She then mentions that she'll be cooking the chicken to celebrate Meline's return home.

Meline looks shocked and cannot believe that Helen really wants to kill the chicken. Shortly after, they arrive home and Helen tells Meline that the Spanish ambassador is moving in next door. Hola. Suddenly, Meline's hat blows off and as she tries to pick it up, a boy named Pepito rides his Vespa to step on it.

Meline looks pissed and Clell introduces Pepito as the ambassador's son. As he leaves, Meline complains that she doesn't like him, but Clevel tells her not to judge him too quickly. Meanwhile, a strange man named Leopold stands across the street and secretly takes a picture of Papito. When Maline gets to the room, the other girls look out the window to stare at Papito.

A girl named Vicki seems to like him. One over someday, and [snorts] Meline seems annoyed because she cannot see what's so special about Papito. Interestingly, Papito sees the girls staring at him through the window, and he looks pleased. That night, Helen serves the girls her special chicken recipe, but Meline says she doesn't want to eat it.

She says the chicken's name is Fred and that she met him inside the car earlier. She adds that she thinks she's a vegetarian. All the other girls, except Vicki, abandon their food, and Helen asks what's going on. Fred's already dead. Look. Maline accuses Helen of killing Fred, but Helen seems pissed that the kids don't appreciate her efforts in the kitchen.

Vicki says she'll eat her own chicken, but as she does this, Meline leads the other girls in making chicken noises. As Clevel tells them to respect Vickiy's choice, Meline stands on her chair and continues trying to shame Vicki. Almost immediately, Lord Coington comes in and asks what's going on. Mattaline quickly sits down and Clevel says he just met them in the middle of a debate.

Lord Coington seems disgusted and says he'd like to have a word with her privately. As Clevel follows him, she says that she and the girls are sorry for his loss. Lord Coington then mentions that the girls lack discipline, but Clevel says they're usually well behaved. Lord Coington doesn't believe this, and he says he has been going through his wife's papers and putting her final affairs in order.

He adds that in 43 years of marriage, the only thing he and his wife disagreed upon was her indulgence of the school. Clevel looks shocked, but Lord Coington talks about how his wife never hesitated in buying things for the school. I'm afraid they lack discipline. Cle says Lady Coington was a very generous woman, but Lord Coington says he can't let it go on any longer.

He adds that he'll be closing the school down, and Clell looks shocked. She asks about the girls and Lord Coington says they'll surely find another school to attend. Clell cannot believe this and after Lord Coington leaves she tells the girls to go to bed. While the girls are in the room, Meline finds Lady Coington's carved name and looks amazed.

Just then, some of the girls lament that they're hungry. Quit chucking. And Meline suggests secretly going to the kitchen to make something for themselves. The other girls agree to do this and they sneakily head downstairs. When they get to the kitchen, they start thinking of what to prepare and Meline makes a chicken joke.

Suddenly, Pepito shows up by the window and scares the girls. Meline seems pissed and opens the door to insult him, but Clell meets her there. She then tells the girls to clean up the mess in the kitchen. She also tells Hela to make a vegetarian meal for them. The next day, Cleavell heads to the ambassador's house with a gift.

After knocking on the door, Liupold opens it and introduces himself as Papito's teacher. Clevel also says she's from next door, and she complains that Pepito seems to be quite a handful. She adds that he probably needs an outlet for his energy, and that's why she brought him a toolbox. Leopold says he'll give it to Pepito, but before Clevel leaves, he asks what she does to keep the kids at the school occupied.

Clell says she does different things, including taking them to the museum, and Leopold says it's a good idea. He also asks what she does for fun, and Clell says she prays, after which she walks away. Later that day, Clell takes the kids to an art museum and shows them around. After they stop at one of the galleries, Clell tells them to draw something in their drawing pads.

Meline is unable to do this because she left her drawing pad in the other gallery. Clell tells her to go and get it and she leaves immediately. When she gets to the other gallery, she hears someone trying to scare her. She eventually realizes that it's Papito and she says she's not scared of him.

She then sees him with her drawing pad and asks for it, but he says she should be thanking him for finding it. Meline refuses to do this, and she just snatches it away from him before leaving. She then checks the book and notices that Papito has already drawn something in it, warning her to beware. When she shows it to her friends, they look surprised and scared because they don't know what it could mean.

Clevel then announces that the Spanish ambassador and his wife have just invited the girls to Pepito's birthday party. Some of the girls seem scared because of his drawing, but Meline says they'll attend the party to show that he doesn't frighten them. Almost immediately, Lord Coington comes into the classroom with some handymen. He then sees some marks on the wall and asks Clell what they're for.

Cleavell says the marks are for the girl's heights, but Lord Coington just tells one of the men to paint over them to celebrate the 10th birthday of his son. Clevel looks shocked and complains about this, but Lord Coington doesn't seem to care. Clell then takes the kids out of the classroom and she marks their heights in a different place. Days later, the girls go to Papito's house for his birthday party.

His parents look happy to see the girls, and they also introduce their son properly. Almost immediately, they leave the house for a meeting, and Pepito looks sad. Cleavell notices this and says that Pepito looks handsome in his outfit. Maline jokes that no one told them it was a costume party, but Pepito says the outfit is his bull fighting uniform.

Meline says he's not a real bull fighter, but Papito ignores her and offers to show the other girls around as they follow him. Meline hears two people arguing in a nearby room. She then walks toward the door and sees Liupold telling a clown that they'll kidnap someone at the circus. The clown says he'll have to speak with his brothers, and Leopold assures him that everything will be fine.

Just then, Leopold sees Meline spying on them, and he just locks the door to keep her away. She then goes to ask Papito if there's a clown at his party, but he says the only clown in the house is Meline. This gets her pissed, but she still follows him and the others around. Shortly after, Papito tries to scare them with a mouse.

Meline says she's not scared, and Papito threatens to feed the mouse to a snake. Meline doesn't think he'll do it, and Pipito says he won't because he'd rather execute the rat with the guillotine he built. Meline seems pissed and attacks him, saying he's cruel. Cleavell looks disappointed, and after she separates them, she tells the girls to go back home.

On the way, Meline sees the key to Pepito's Vespa and decides to take it to annoy him. The next day, Clell punishes the girls by making them write lines. She eventually takes them for a walk and some of the girls blame Meline for getting punished. This gets her pissed and she climbs onto the ledge of a bridge over the Sen to get the other girls attention so she can tell them that Pipito is the enemy, not her.

Almost immediately, she falls into the river and Clevel and the other girls look shocked. Surprisingly, a dog in the area quickly jumps into the river and saves Meline before she drowns. The other girls look very happy and Clell hugs Meline, saying she was really scared. When they return to the school, Clell takes care of Meline and tells her not to get out of bed.

The next day, Clell leaves the house with the other kids, and Meline stays at home because she still has a cold. Interestingly, the dog that saved her the other day finds the boarding school and enters the premises after Clell and the other kids leave. Meanwhile, Meline hears Papito complaining that he cannot find the key to his Vespa. Meline looks pleased, but Leopold suddenly helps Papito turn on the Vespa using a paper clip.

This makes Meline unhappy, and as she leaves her room, she eventually finds the dog, which she calls Genevieve. The house is built in 1852. Coincidentally, Lord Coington arrives at the house with the Liberian ambassador and his wife. Meline looks scared because pets aren't allowed at the school, and she decides to find a place to hide.

As Lord Coington shows the guests around, Maline realizes that he's planning to sell the house. The ambassador and his wife seem impressed with the house, but after they see Papito playing around next door, they refuse to make an offer because they don't want to stay in a place where the neighbor's kid will constantly disturb them. Lord Coington looks annoyed, but he doesn't know what else to say. That night, Meline shows the other kids the dog, and they all look happy to see it.

Meanwhile, Clell sneezes in the living room and suspects that something is wrong. She then heads to the bathroom to check up on the girls who quickly hide Genevieve. When Clevel enters the bathroom, she asks what's wrong and Meline complains that Lord Coington wants to sell the house. The other girls look shocked and cannot believe it, but Clevel confirms it.

As she sneezes again, she says that Lord Coington's plan shouldn't make the girls lose their composure. She adds that Lord Coington is bringing new people to the house tomorrow and they all have to be well behaved. Before she leaves, she says she knows that they have a dog with them. She doesn't scold them for this, but she tells them to keep the dog in the garden shed outside because she's highly allergic to dogs.

The girls look pleased about this and immediately take Genevieve outside. That night, the girls struggle to sleep because they cannot stop thinking about Lord Coington's plan to sell the house. Meline then comes up with a plan and says she knows what to do. After the others go to bed, Meline carves her name next to Lady Coington's.

The next day, she tells the girls to do a few things around the house to sabotage Lord Coington's attempt to sell it. Meline also goes to meet Pepito to ask for his help. Clevel looks shocked to see them together, but she just assumes that they're now friends. Shortly after, Lord Coington brings new buyers to the house and Meline's plan works out in discouraging them.

Before they leave, Lord Coington tries to change their mind. Pepito sets off some fireworks to scare them. Lord Coington looks shocked by this and Clevel also realizes that Meline has something to do with it. She then asks Meline what she told Papito earlier. Meline confesses that she had to do something to save the house, and Cleavell seems impressed.

That night, Lord Coington sees Papito's parents and angrily approaches them while saying that their son is a menace. He walks away before they can ask what's wrong. I'm going to take him to the circus. But Leopold quickly comes over to meet them. Papito's dad asks why Lord Coington just called his son a menace.

But Leopold says Papito is a good boy. He adds that he has been thinking of rewarding Papito for being attentive during their classes. Papito's dad seems confused because he knows that his son can barely read, but Leopold says they have made a lot of progress. He then suggests taking Pipito to the circus tomorrow, and Papito's parents mention that they would also like to come along because they like the circus.

Liupole doesn't look happy about this, but he agrees. Elsewhere, Lord Coington gives Clell some letters and says he wants them delivered to the parents of each girl at the school. He says he knows what the girls did earlier and that he'll be closing the school at the end of the term regardless of whether he makes a sale or not. Just then, Meline shows up and says he can't do that as she accidentally calls him Lord Cuckoo Face, which is a funny name the kids gave him.

Lord Coington seems pissed and insists on closing down the school. Between 7:00 a.m. in the morning and 9:00 p.m. in the evening when they go to Clell then sends Maline to bed. And as Lord Coington is about to leave, she returns one of the letters to him. This leaves him confused, but Clell says Meline has no family.

After Lord Coington leaves the house, he realizes that the girls have a dog around and to take revenge for what they did earlier, he lets Genevieve out. The girls see this and try to find Genevieve, but Clell says she can't let them go out at night. She adds that she'll take them out tomorrow to find Genevieve. The next day, the girls leave the house with Clell to start looking for the dog.

After a while, they are unable to find Genevieve, and Maline looks sad. Clell assures Maline that they'll find Genevieve, but Matteline says that wishing or hoping for things doesn't just make them happen. She says she wished for her parents to come back to life many times, but it never happened. She adds that Genevieve is alone and without a home.

Just like her, Clell says Meline will always have a home, but Meline asks if it's really true. Clell doesn't answer this question, but she says there's no place she'd rather be than with Meline and the other girls. She's got big golden eyes. Meline just walks away and Clell looks sad.

She then decides to cheer the girls up by taking them to the circus. When they get there, Meline sees Papito's parents and realizes that he's probably at the circus, too. She then calls her best friend Aggie and mentions that she won't be going back to the school with the others. Aggie asks what's wrong and Meline says the school is closing and she doesn't have a home anymore unlike the other girls.

She adds that she'll stay with the circus and learn a skill so she'll be able to travel with them. Aggie asks about Clell, but Meline says she'll write to her later to explain everything. She then makes Aggie promise not to tell anyone her plan or where she went. Aggie looks sad but agrees and Meline thanks her.

Much later, Pepito's parents are tricked into volunteering for a trick to be performed by three clowns. With this, Leopold kidnaps Pepito and locks him up inside a truck. Maline sees this while trying to run away and she confronts Leopold. This also gets her kidnapped. And as Rain starts falling, the clowns leave with Leupold.

Cleavell also takes the kids back into the bus and as she does a head count, Aggie lifts Meline's hat to make it seem like she's there. Cleavell falls for this, but when the kids arrive home, Aggie looks sad and confesses that Meline is gone. Clevel cannot believe this and she immediately heads back to the circus. When she gets there, she sees a cop talking to Papito's parents who also complain that they can't find their son.

As the cop hears Cleavell's complaints, he implies that the kids probably ran away together. Clevel doesn't think this makes sense. And as Papito's parents continue talking to the cop, she sees Geneviev barking near the woods. Clell realizes that Genevieve probably knows something and she goes to meet the dog.

Elsewhere, Leopold and the clowns stop in the woods for the night and leave the kids inside the truck. there. Papito seems worried that they might never be released, but Meline says his parents will pay the ransom. Papito then asks about her parents, and Meline says they're gone. Papito says he's sorry, but Meline says it's not a problem because it happened a long time ago.

Madeline (1998) Ending Explained

Papito then jokes that his parents probably don't want him back because he's a lot of trouble. Meline agrees that he's a lot of trouble, but she also mentions that he has a lot of charisma. As Meline then says she misses the girls and Clellito mentions that he won't leave without her. Children go to the circus.

Their little eyes filled with. Elsewhere, Clell brings Genevieve into her car and starts looking for Meline. The next morning, Meline wakes up and sees the blades inside the truck. Papito says he can't believe that the clowns are real idiots, and he and Meline quickly cut themselves loose.

They also see a motorcycle inside the truck and Meline encourages Papito to ride it. Just as Leopold and the clowns are about to check on the kids, Papito and Meline escape with the motorcycle. Leopold looks shocked and immediately gets into the truck with the clowns so they can follow the kids. Interestingly, Cleavell is still out on the road with Geneviev and they see Papito and Meline being chased by a truck.

She quickly heads toward them and tries to stop the truck. As Leopold moves away from the road, he drives into a nearby lake. Lavell looks very happy and runs to meet the kids. The cops also arrive and arrest the criminals. When Meline and Clell return to the school, the other girls look happy to see that Maline is back.

Helen also mentions that she has made a vegetarian meal to celebrate, but Maline says she wants the special chicken recipe. This makes the other girls happy, but Lord Coington suddenly arrives with an ambassador from Usuzbekiststan and her husband. He then tells the girls that the ambassador has bought the house. This makes them sad.

And as Lord Coington shows the new owners around, Meline goes to meet him. She says she knows why he's selling the house, but he looks confused. Meline then mentions that he misses his wife and is struggling to deal with her death, so he wants to sell the one thing that reminds him of her. Lord Coington denies this, but Maline says she understands how he feels because she lost her family when she was little.

She adds that it doesn't mean they're really gone. And it's the same for Lady Coington, who is surely still with her husband and the school. As she mentions that Lady Coington wouldn't want her husband to sell the house, he looks sad and says she's right. However, he says there's nothing he can do because he already sold the house.

The ambassador then feels sorry for the girls and says that they can keep their school. The girls look very happy and Meline hugs Lord Coington. The next day, Clell takes the girls out for a walk and they have a lot of fun as they celebrate getting their school back. After Meline learns that Lord Coington is trying to sell her boarding school, she teams up with the other kids to sabotage his efforts.

This doesn't work out as planned and Meline starts thinking about making the circus her new home since she has no family to go back to unlike the other girls. Just before she runs away, she sees Papito getting kidnapped and as she tries to help him, she's also taken away. Even though she has never really liked Pepito, they work together to escape and Cleavell saves them. Meline then returns home and convinces Lord Coington not to close the