Harriet the Spy (film)

Harriet the Spy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bronwen Hughes
Screenplay by	Doug Petrie Theresa Rebeck
Adaptation by	Greg Taylor Julie Talen
Based on	Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Produced by	Marykay Powell Nava Levin
Starring	Michelle Trachtenberg Rosie O'Donnell
Cinematography	Francis Kenny
Edited by	Debra Chiate
Music by	Jamshied Sharifi
Production companies	Nickelodeon Movies Rastar
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	July 10, 1996 (1996-07-10)[1]
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million
Box office	$26.6 million

Harriet the Spy is a 1996 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Bronwen Hughes in her feature film directorial debut, and starring Michelle Trachtenberg in her major film acting debut. It co-stars Rosie O'Donnell, J. Smith-Cameron, Gregory Smith, and Vanessa Lee Chester. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Louise Fitzhugh, the film follows a sixth-grade student who aspires to become a writer and spy.

Filming began in the fall of 1994 in Toronto and was completed by the end of 1995. Produced by Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Rastar, it was the first film produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner and the first of two film adaptations of the Harriet the Spy books. In theaters, the pilot episode of Hey Arnold! called Arnold was shown before the film.

The film was released in theaters on July 10, 1996, to mixed reviews from critics. It made $26.6 million worldwide on a production budget of $12 million.^[2] The film was released on home video on February 25, 1997, with an orange clamshell packaging.