The children’s literature market is, in many ways, the easiest to break into but the toughest to find any longevity in.

For every Pat the Bunny, Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, there are thousands of forgotten children's books that go out of print quickly and are never heard of again. There simply aren’t that many Richard Scarry level authors out there. So it’s compelling that through all the changes that the world has gone through economically, politically and socially, Beatrix Potter’s books are still incredibly popular today when many of them are over 100 years old. Chances are, even if her name doesn’t ring any bells, you either had some of her books as a child or there are some on your own child’s shelf right now. Books like The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny are likely to stir some memories.

Beatrix Potter enchanted the world with her stories for years. Will Miss Potter enchant us with the story of Beatrix Potter?

For the most part the film delivers. Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago) plays Beatrix at 32 years old. Fed up with her socialite upbringing and the constant stream of suitors that her mother keeps trying to get her to marry, she drowns herself in her favorite hobby – painting anthropomorphic animals. Each of these paintings represents her idea of the personas and private lives of pets that she has in the real world. She sells a few of the illustrations to greeting card companies for a small amount of money but then realizes that she she could write children's books based on the pictures. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she gets "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" published and becomes an instant phenomenon. Before long she gets involved with her publisher Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge!, the Star Wars prequels) and the two get engaged, against the wishes of Potter's strict Victorian mother Helen (Barbara Flynn) and to a lesser degree her generally understanding father Rupert (Bill Patterson). Meanwhile, her books continue to sell out in shops all around the country.

Probably the film's most interesting stylistic technique is used when Potter’s illustrations animate giving viewers a feeling for how she imagines them. Some complain that the animations took them out of the picture or that they felt Potter might be daft or mildly insane, but they really helped me get a beter understanding of the character. Beyond the animations, the film is very conventional. Though the exterior shots are breathtakingly stunning, I feel they say more about the inherent beauty of the English countryside than about the cinematographer.

In the performance department, there aren’t a lot of actors that mesh better than Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger. They have wonderful chemistry, shown first in Down with Love and I hope they continue to pair up in future projects.

More than just a biopic, Miss Potter tells a heartwarming story about an artist who pursued her career not for financial wealth, but simply because she loved doing what she did. It’s easy to see how the men in her life would be inspired by a free-spirited, convention-bucking woman like Beatrix Potter, whose perspective was completely out of sync with the era in which she lived. Potter's life was as interesting as any of her characters. Fans of her books and even the uninitiated are likely to be inspired by her story. Unfortunately Miss Potter is a servicable film but nothing to write home about.

The DVD Presentation
Like most of the DVD releases from Genius Products so far, Miss Potter looks and sounds great. The video transfer is anamorphically enhanced and the colors are sharp and bold, both in the live action and animated sequences. The 5.1 Surround mix features surprisingly enveloping sound effects for a movie with no action. There is an additional French 5.1 mix included, as well as English and Spanish subtitles.

And the Extras Are?
Feature Commentary with director Chris Noonan –
Chris Noonan is a reclusive director. He hasn’t directed a thing since the Oscar nominated Babe, over a decade ago. It's obvious that he hasn't recorded many audio commentaries either as there's an unprepared vibe that runs through his the track. He offers some good information but delivers it in dry dribs and drabs.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Beatrix Potter – (20:10)
This is a fantastic mini-documentary about the real Beatrix Potter and the Peter Rabbit phenomenon that has brightened the lives of children for over a century now. It’s such an interesting primer that it makes me want to revisit books I haven’t read in over twenty years.

The Making of a Real-Life Fairy Tale – (22:16)
This feature documents the production of Miss Potter. In it, the cast and crew offer interesting comments that help flesh out how they approached the material. I was particularly interested in hearing Anthony Powell (the costume designer) relate that they were going for a documentary look because, alhough the costumes are very accurate, Beatrix Potter’s story is so fantastic that Miss Potter reads more like fiction than documentary. It’s hard to believe things really happened the way they did.

Katie Melua’s “When You Taught Me How to Dance” music video – (3:22)
I like this song but the video is boring and uninspired. Katie Melua has a beautiful voice but the video did nothing for me.

Theatrical Trailer – (2:27)
I saw this trailer first on another DVD and was instantly interested in seeing the film. There's something about it that really sells Miss Potter, even though there's nothing particularly innovative about the trailer itself.

There are also non-anamorphic trailers for theatrical and DVD releases including Penelope, The Nanny Diaries, The Mistres of Spices, Lovewrecked and Arthur and the Invisibles.

The Bottom Line
How could an enchanting story about a beloved author, featuring two actors that are hugely huge make less than $3 million at the box office? Distribution. Had this film gone wide, it would have been a great success. Miss Potter is a beautiful film with great acting and is a complete success in the entertainment department. If you’re looking for a nice romantic story that’s not overbearingly mushy, you’re sure to spend a great hour and a half with Miss Potter.