Nanny McPhee

Nanny McPhee Productions

Company type	Film production company
Industry	Film production
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Films
Parent	StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels

Nanny McPhee is a 2005 comedy drama fantasy film helmed by director Kirk Jones, inspired by the Nurse Matilda stories created by Christianna Brand. Set against the backdrop of 1860s Victorian England, the film features Emma Thompson in the role of Nanny McPhee, who also adapted the screenplay. The cast includes notable actors such as Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald, Derek Jacobi, Celia Imrie, Patrick Barlow, Imelda Staunton, Thomas Sangster, and Angela Lansbury.

This production was a joint effort among StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels, and Nanny McPhee Productions. The producing team comprised Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner. The musical score was composed by Patrick Doyle.

The movie premiered in UK cinemas on 28 October 2005 through United International Pictures and later released in the US on 27 January 2006 via Universal Pictures. With a production budget of $25 million, it achieved a global box office total of $123.3 million. Principal photography occurred at the Penn House Estate in Buckinghamshire. The story continued with a sequel titled Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang released in 2010.

Plot

During Victorian England, widower Cedric Brown works as an undertaker and faces difficulty managing his seven unruly children: Simon, Tora, Eric, Lily, Sebastian, Christianna ("Chrissie"), and baby Agatha ("Aggie"). Since losing his wife, Cedric has been distant from his children and struggles to impose discipline.

The children’s mischief has led to the dismissal of seventeen nannies, while their antics also torment Mrs Blatherwick, the family cook and former military chef. Only Evangeline, the kind but unlettered scullery maid, commands their genuine respect.

One tempestuous evening, Cedric meets Nanny McPhee—a strict woman who employs both discipline and magic to bring order to the household. Although initially resistant, the children gradually come to respect her as she teaches them valuable lessons; with each lesson learned, one of her physical imperfections fades. As they mature and take on more responsibility, they begin to support their awkward father, diminishing Nanny McPhee’s necessity.

The family’s finances rely on Lady Adelaide Stitch, the late wife’s authoritarian aunt. When Adelaide demands custody of Chrissie and insists Cedric remarry within a month to maintain her support, pressure mounts. Cedric pursues Mrs Selma Quickly, an unpleasant widow; however, the children’s interference causes her departure. After admitting their sabotage, they reconcile with Mrs Quickly, who consents to marry Cedric upon discovering Adelaide’s wealth.

At their wedding ceremony, Mrs Quickly reveals a cruel side by breaking Aggie’s cherished heirloom rattle. The children respond by instigating a food fight; Cedric joins them in rejecting Mrs Quickly as his bride. She subsequently calls off the wedding and leaves.

Missing Adelaide’s deadline threatens their financial aid until Lily proposes Cedric marry Evangeline. The children disclose that Evangeline is not their sibling; despite initial hesitation, Cedric and Evangeline acknowledge their feelings and agree to wed. Lady Adelaide faints upon learning that Cedric plans to marry a scullery maid.

Now appearing as a beautiful woman, Nanny McPhee conjures an August snowfall—fulfilling Mrs Blatherwick’s earlier prophecy—and magically transforms Evangeline’s attire into a wedding gown. After restoring Aggie’s rattle, she quietly departs since her work with the family is complete.

Cast

• Emma Thompson portrays Nanny McPhee
• Colin Firth plays Cedric Brown, the undertaker and widowed head of the Brown household
• Thomas Sangster appears as Simon Brown, the eldest child in the Brown family
• Kelly Macdonald is Evangeline, the Browns' scullery maid with ambitions for education
• Angela Lansbury takes on the role of Great-Aunt Lady Adelaide Stitch, aunt to Cedric's late wife and the family's financier
• Eliza Bennett features as Tora Brown
• Raphaël Coleman acts as Eric Brown
• Jennifer Rae Daykin portrays Lily Brown
• Samuel Honywood appears as Sebastian Brown
• Holly Gibbs plays Christianna "Chrissie" Brown
• Hebe and Zinnia Barnes share the role of Agatha "Aggie" Brown, the youngest child
  • Freya Fumic provides the voice for Agatha Brown
• Celia Imrie is cast as Mrs Selma Quickly, the principal antagonist; a widow whom Cedric intends to marry to appease Aunt Adelaide
• Imelda Staunton plays Mrs Blatherwick, a cook with a military background
• Derek Jacobi appears as Mr Wheen, Cedric’s colleague
• Patrick Barlow acts as Mr Jowls, another of Cedric’s coworkers
• Phyllida Law provides the voice of Mrs Partridge
• Adam Godley portrays the Vicar

Production

Director Kirk Jones was appointed on 11 March 2002 to lead the film Nanny McPhee, which was adapted from Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand. The screenplay was penned by Emma Thompson. Production was overseen by producers including Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner, with a budget set at US$25 million and an intended release in 2005.

By 22 April, principal cast members such as Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Sangster, Kelly Macdonald, and Angela Lansbury had officially joined the project.

On 16 May, it was revealed that composer Patrick Doyle would create the film’s score. Filming occurred in Dorset, England, spanning from 1 April to 9 July 2004. This production marked a reunion for Thompson, Firth, Sangster, and Godley, who had previously collaborated on the 2003 movie Love Actually. Due to Thompson’s involvement with this film, she was unable to reprise her role on an episode of the spin-off series Frasier, leading to Laurie Metcalf taking over that part.

Release

The UK theatrical premiere took place on 28 October 2005 through United International Pictures, followed by a US release on 27 January 2006 via Universal Pictures. Subsequently, VHS and DVD versions were issued in the UK on 13 February 2006. In the United States, the DVD became available on 9 May 2006 through Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Critical response

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Nanny McPhee holds a 74% approval rating based on 135 critiques, with an average score of 6.7 out of 10. The general consensus highlights that while initially somewhat unsettling, the film balances a tougher tone against its Mary Poppins-style charm and imparts meaningful lessons. On Metacritic, it garnered a score of 59 out of 100 from 30 reviews, reflecting "mixed or average reviews." Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore assigned it an average grade of "A−."

Box office

Globally, Nanny McPhee earned $122.5 million in total revenue—$47.1 million domestically in the US and $75.3 million internationally. Upon its US debut on 27 January 2006, it generated $14.5 million across 1,995 theaters, securing second place behind Big Momma's House 2.

Sequel

Emma Thompson revealed intentions to create two additional movies. The follow-up, titled Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (also known as Nanny McPhee Returns), premiered in March 2010 and included performances by Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. This narrative centers on Nanny McPhee as she cares for children whose father is away at war.

A third film, intended to be set in contemporary Britain, was planned but ultimately cancelled due to the sequel’s $93 million box office revenue not meeting the studio’s projections. In August 2018, Thompson confirmed she had completed a script for the third installment; however, financial constraints and the previous film’s modest earnings halted further production.

Stage musical

On 12 April 2018, news broke that the story would be transformed into a stage musical. According to The New Yorker in November 2022, the show was slated to debut in London’s West End in 2023.