Development
Ideas of a possible feature film revolving around the character had been discussed by the company for several years, although American Girl president Ellen L. Brothers stated that "it was all brand new to us", and had to explore the feasibility of a live-action film by producing made-for-television adaptations of American Girl characters. After the successes of Samantha: An American Girl Holiday and succeeding TV movies, several options were considered on making the transition to a theatrical feature.
Production of the film, which involved finalizing the script and cast, film preparations and principal photography, took up roughly four months due to limitations on part of Abigail Breslin's availability before starting another production. Camera angles were also put into consideration, with the film crew being careful not to shoot areas or objects on the set location that would be out of place in the 1930s setting. A multiple-camera setup was also used to speed up the process.
The costume department made use of vintage photographs by Dorothea Lange and old Sears-Roebuck catalogues for creating the cast's Depression-era clothing. As the Kittredge family would spend less on extra clothing, the costumes were distressed using sandpaper and trisodium phosphate, fading the colours of the clothes to give a more aged, worn out feel.
Among some of the vehicles used in the film, one of them was a 1934 Chrysler Airflow, which was pivotal in the film's storyline as it reflected the family's status before and after Kit's father loses their car dealership business.
Read more about this topic: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
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