Why do I hate her so?

Hi Shandy8,

I watched the movie again, yesterday and I have to admit that it's gotten a little hard to watch once you're an adult and have to deal with kids yourself. I cannot really understand why this is a movie parents are nostalgic about and want their kids to see.

Can you specify the details of your hate? Do you simply hate the picture of her? Do you hate her as the character? Or do you hate her in context of this movie? I think there is something to find on all levels. That doesn't mean that I do hate her; I just kind of understand why some people do.

Even without knowing anything about the character of Pippi and even without the context of the horse and the monkey and the other kids, almost any image of her (try google pic search) is very much "in-your-face", almost offensive (especially if you like things in order): Her hair is bright red. Her ponytails don't follow the law of gravity. Her clothes are just ridiculous: different colored socks, non-fitting shoes. I'm starting to think that even the shirt-combination uses colors that collide.
This might lead to the idea that no one told her how to dress (triggering a little bit of hate about how such a kid is somehow left alone in this world) or that she simply chose to ignore it (triggering a little bit of hate that she gets away with it).

Getting away with things is a large part of her character. She steps over the line quite often and doesn't have to face consequences. As an adult, one might hate the freedom that girl has. Even the usual missing pillar of the triangle (money, time, energy) doesn't apply: She has sufficient money to get everything she wants - spoiled brat indeed. She also has no idea on how to handle money.
Although one might like the idea that she is strong enough to fight off criminals, this also means that there is no authority that might control her. From a kid's point of view, the policemen might seem like more bad people. From an adult's point of view, you might want them to be the ones calling the shots in emergencies.
Even her father is no authority. She is stronger than him and when he wants to take her out to sea, again, she simply says no - and stays.
Pippi is presented as a hero, as a positive character - but you don't want kids to look up to her or even become them. They can be annoying enough. You don't really want such a kid around your children and therefore might hate the character.

Finally, the movie around her has some potential hate magnets, too. To be fair: Regarding movies that were hacked together from series episodes, this one could have been worse. It doesn't exactly need a movie plotline and can get away with cobbling together small storylines (if you can even call them that).
A lot of the movie simply displays her character but also gives Pippi a surrounding in which to live her adventures. You might hate these surroundings:
The police is incompetent: Even when overlooking the fact that they cannot arrest Pippi (which rather is Pippi's fault), they also cannot keep the criminals in jail or catch them later on.
Too many people in this town are either especially rude (woman with the baby stroller: Please don't be like that with your own baby) or are "bought" much too quickly: The toy store gladly sells out and the candy store seller doesn't even think twice whether that amount of candy might be too much. Once the gold coin is on the table, she forgets all doubts. You'd prefer a town in which people look out a little for the children and you'd might hate the idea of a town as depicted in the movie.
Miss Prysselius might seem like such a caring person but when she enters the house she already has planned exactly what to do with Pippi. As a woman who supposedly knows how to speak with kids she should have known to sit down and talk with her about the situation. She seems to warm up, later.
In my opinion the only adult character in the whole movie who really was able to interact with Pippi was the doctor examining her for the "Spunk". This is one of my favourite scenes of the movie as he also manages to calm her down and get her to do what's necessary.
The remainder of the town seems to just give up. The police never tries to apprehend her, again. Prysselius only gets her out temporarily (when "babysitting" Annika and Tommy. The father just let's her roam free. She's a disturbance but whoever doesn't profit from her just ignores her. They throw a parade for the ship taking her away (weren't those pirates?) but don't dare to stop it once the "deportation" fails.

In the end, there's only one thing that partially gets her under control: Crying. This also seems to be only time that there's another child in this movie. All the other time, I cannot remember Annika nor Timmy having any character development or defining moment. They simple are accessories to Pippi and could have been replaced by any other kid in town.
The whole focus is on Pippi and - as said before - she can be a very annoying character. It might have helped if the movie spread out into other areas, but as it constantly throws this offensive character in your face, it might be some source for your hate, too.

Again, I don't share this hate. The movie was fun to watch for me(although not all positive fun) but I completely understand where the images, character and movie might cause some kind of hate.

Regards,

TCC