Review of AG's "Isabelle Dances Into The Spotlight"

I was able to find the latest American Girl Girl of the Year (GOTY) movie on YouTube. "Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight" is 2014 GOTY Isabelle's movie.

Disney Channel is showing the movie on Saturday August 9th at 7/6c if you want to watch or TiVo it.

Plot - The movie is about Isabelle's struggle to shine at her performing arts school. She loves ballet but feels stuck in her older sister Jade's shadow and is bullied by a classmate. Isabelle has very low self-esteem and has basically no faith in herself. When she takes a part in the Nutcracker she has to face both her bully and feeling like she'll never compare to Jade. When the big dance number becomes harder will she be able to land the final turn sequence or mess up in front of everyone? Will she be good enough to get the New York Ballet summer program?

Good points:

• The acting wasn't bad, especially for the number of child/teen actors
• The dancing/choreography was great (I have no experience dancing so I'm not the greatest judge on this). 
•  The costumes were nice although only two looked like the Isabelle doll outfits. 

(I realize that it looks like I have far more complaints than compliments but that does not mean I thought it was a bad movie. It's easier to find flaws than good points.)

Some things I noticed that were off or not quite right to me:

• Isabelle's pink hair seem to disappear on and off throughout the movie
• The girl who played Isabelle's sister Jade (Grace Davidson) is obviously not close to Jade's age (which I believe is about 13 because there is a New York ballet program for 4-7th grade spots and most kids are 12 or 13 in 7th grade). Jade could easily pass for a 18 year old. I wasn't able to find Grace Davidson's age but I'm sure she is a legal adult (18+). Isabelle is a 9 year old played by a 14 year old so I'm sure Grace is several years older than Jade which isn't uncommon. 
• There are very few kids that look to be Jade's age or any other age besides Isabelle/Renata's age despite the fact that the school spans several grades/ages.
• The movie is set in DC but quite a few people have noticeable Canadian accents.
• The movie can be painfully slow and predictable. Maybe it's less predictable for younger viewers but I was definitely able to guess what was about to happen most of the time. 
• The music wasn't very good. Mediocre singing and lyrics were (unsurprisingly) pretty cheesy. 
• Isabelle constantly put herself down, to the point where I didn't even feel sorry for her. 
• Renata's bullying went undetected in places where adults weren't out of ear-shot. The bullying seemed off in a way I don't think I can quite describe. It just seemed like too much I guess.
• (Spoiler alert!) It ended the same way every AG movie ends - everyone gets along and everything is perfect. 

American Girl Facebook Chat with Erin Pitt

On July 29 2014, American Girl held a chat on their official Facebook page with Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight star Erin Pitt (who played Girl of the Year Isabelle Palmer). Erin stated in the chat that she was doing it from her home in Canada.

The questions began at 8pm and Erin started answering them quickly. Here are some of the questions she answered and her answers to them. This is only about half of the questions. The answers are written exactly how she wrote them however the questions may have been edited to correct English grammar or shorten them to get to the point.
Q: How long have you been a dancer?
A: I've been dancing since I was 2 years old - 13 years!
Q: What state are you from?
A: I'm not from a state, I'm from Toronto, Canada!
Q: Do you have a pet?
A: I do have a pet - a water frog Lellow and a dog named Chanel!
Q: How long have you been dancing and do you really enjoy sewing?
A: I do enjoy sewing? I make a lot of my clothes actually!
Q: What have you made and do you plan on learning how to quilt?
A: I would love to learn how to quilt!
Q: What was the hardest part of the movie?
A: The hardest part of the movie - messing up my pirouettes.
Q: What was your favorite scene?
A: My favorite scene - the dance off!
Q: Do you like Miley Cyrus?
A: Miley Cyrus is a very talented artist!
Q: How do you like inspiring little girls everywhere to be confident and follow their dreams?
A: I love inspiring girls by being a role model for the,!
Q: What level dancer are you?
A: I'm in Level Elle in Vaganova Ballet
Q: Do you sing?
A: I do know how to sing. I take lessons and am trained classically/
Q: Can anyone take ballet and any suggestions about beginning lessons?
A: Anyone can take ballet, as long as you love it because it's hard work!
Q: What is your favorite style of dance?
A: My favorite style of dance is contemporary, but I love all styles!
Q: Do you have an Isabelle doll?
A: I do have an Isabelle doll!
Q: Do you do any other sports?
A: No, I don't do any other sports. I'd love to try lacrosse, but I'm too busy!
Q: How long did it take to film the movie?
A: It took 6 weeks to film the movie, including 2 weeks of rehearsals.
Q: What is your favorite AG film?
A: My favorite AG film - I like them all!
Q: It that your real hair in the movie?
A: In the movie, it's mostly my real hair but I did get extensions to make it look fuller!
Q: How many brothers and sisters do you have?
A: I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters!
Q: What are your favorite colors?
A: My favorite colors are turquoise, pink and yellow!
Q: Are you close with your movie family?
A: Yes, I'm very close with my movie family. I talk to them almost every day!
Q: Do you like One Direction?
A: I do like One Direction! I'm going to their concert on Friday :)
Q: Have you been in the Nutcracker?
A: I have been in the Nutcracker! I was Clara.
Q: Was it fun leaning the BFF jam?
A: It was super fun learning the BFF jam!
Q: Did you really dye your hair pink?
A: My hair is naturally blonde, but the pink highlights were extensions.
Q: What was your favorite outfit?
A: My favorite outfit would have to be the dance off outfit and I also loved the snowflake costume!
Q: When is your birthday?
A: My birthday is September 22, 1999. I'll be 15!
Q: Do you ever feel like Isabelle?
A: I do sometimes feel like Isabelle and unconfident, but then I pull myself together!
Q: Do you have an interest in acting or did you do it just because it was a dance movie?
A: I have an interest in acting - I've wanted to be an actress since I was 6.
Q: Do you do gymnastics?
A: I don't do gymnastics. Dance is my true love!
Q: Do you have any AG dolls?
A: I only have Isabelle, but if I could have another American Girl doll, it would be another GOTY!
Q: Do you think you pass as a 9 year old?
A: I think I passed as a 9-year-old... a lot of people ask me if I'm that young.
Q: Where did you learn to dance?
A: I learned to dance at many different studio in Canada.
Q: Was it easy to play Isabelle?
A: It was easy to play Isabelle because I could relate to her in many ways.
Q: What other actress or actor would you want to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Rachel McAdams, she's a great actress!
Q: I know you do ballet but are you on pointe?
A: Yes, I've been on pointe for 5 years!
Q: What is your favorite school subject?
A: My favorite subject in school is science. My least favorite is history.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: My role model is my mom!
Q: Have you been on a tv show?
A: I've been in Camp Rock 2 [as a junior rocker] and another movie called Against the Wild, as well as many Canadian tv shows.
Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A: Favorite ice cream flavor... I can't have dairy so I love lemon sorbet. If I could eat it, probably mint chocolate chip!
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: In my free time, I love hanging out with my friends and sewing.
Q: When did you first hear of American Girl?
A: I first heard of American Girl when I was 11 and started watching the movies.
Q: How long have you been acting?
A: I've been a professional actor since I was 9.
Q: Were the dances hard to learn?
A: The dance moves weren't hard for me to learn because I had such great choreographers.
Q: What is your favorite song from the movie?
A: My favorite song from the movie is You Are Your Own Star!
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: My favorite holiday is Christmas!
Q: Do you like Broadway?
A: I love Broadway musicals... my favorite is Mama Mia
Q: What is your favorite thing about Isabelle?
A: I loved how Isabelle pulled herself together to achieve great things and found her own way to shine!
Q: What is your favorite Isabelle doll outfit?
A: My favorite outfit for Isabelle is the one she comes in.
Q: Do you have any of the McDonalds set?
A: I don't have the McDonald's set, but AG is going to send them to me!
Q: Is it fun to go to a performing arts school?
A: Going to a performing arts school is fun! Everything revolves around the arts.
Q: Did you get to keep your outfits from the movie?
A: No, I didn't get to keep the Isabelle outfits I wore in the movie.

Many of the questions were repeated over and over by people who obviously weren't seeing what other people were asking. Questions like how old she was or if she liked Isabelle were asked constantly despite Erin already answering them. Another thing was people asking questions that could easily be googled, like where she is from, how old she is, how many siblings she has, etc. Chats like this should be used to ask questions that can't be easily found on the internet.

On the bright-side, Erin seemed to answer more freely than the author Lawrence Yep who had a chat several months ago. Even though she seemed less controlled, her answers to questions were pretty typical and weren't very interesting. Honestly the most interesting thing I learned was that she can't have dairy and that's not exactly super interesting or exciting to learn.