Alessandra Stanley from The New York Times, praised the film fidelity to the book and the actor's performances. Reel Film Reviews gave the film two out of four stars, stating: "Eloise at the Plaza is mildly entertaining, if only because it seems to consist of one caper after another. The film's structure soon becomes perfectly obvious - Eloise gets into a madcap adventure, adults chase her around, Nanny admonishes her, etc - and the fast pace is clearly in place to keep younger viewers interested. But, though there are a number of talented actors in the cast, Eloise just isn't a compelling enough character to sustain an entire movie. There's no doubt that the movie will act as wish fulfillment for kids - who wouldn't want to run amuck and get away with it? - but when you get right down to it, Eloise is awfully thin and one-dimensional (not to mention annoying)." DVDizzy.com wrote: "The film even ascends beyond the second-tier quality that most television movies are satisfied to achieve. Eloise deserves praise not merely as a more bearable Wonderful World of Disney presentation, but as a genuinely entertaining family film, regardless of format."