If you grew up watching Megan Follows smash a slate over Jonathan Crombie’s head, you probably have a very specific, sun-drenched image of Prince Edward Island in your mind. It’s all puffed sleeves, raspberry cordial, and white sands. But then comes Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.
Suddenly, we aren’t in Kansas—or Avonlea—anymore.
Released in 2000, this third installment in Kevin Sullivan’s epic saga remains one of the most polarizing pieces of Canadian television ever made. It didn't just tweak the source material; it threw the book out the window. Literally. While the first two films stayed relatively close to L.M. Montgomery's novels, this one took Anne Shirley into the trenches of World War I, a move that still causes heated debates in book clubs today.
The War That Changed Everything
Here is the thing about the "Continuing Story": it is not based on any of the Anne books. Not one.
By the time production started, legal disputes between Kevin Sullivan and the heirs of L.M. Montgomery were in full swing. Because of these rights issues, Sullivan couldn't actually adapt the later books like Anne's House of Dreams or Anne of Ingleside. Instead, he and co-writer Laurie Pearson cooked up an entirely original script.
They aged the characters up. They moved them to New York. Then, they sent them to the battlefields of Europe.
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In the real timeline of the books, Anne and Gilbert are much older when the Great War breaks out. It’s their sons—Jem, Walter, and Shirley—who go off to fight. Anne stays home, a mother waiting and grieving. But in the movie? Gilbert enlists as a medical officer, goes missing, and Anne—being the relentless spirit she is—heads to the front lines as a Red Cross volunteer to find him.
It’s a massive tonal shift. One minute you’re worried about whether a cake will rise, and the next, Anne is dodging explosions in a nun’s habit.
Why the New York Plot Matters
Before the mud of France, the movie spends a significant chunk of time in New York City. This is where we meet Jack Garrison, played by Cameron Daddo. Honestly, Jack is the character fans love to hate. He’s a charming, slightly dangerous writer who represents the "modern" world Anne is trying to break into.
Anne works as a junior editor. Gilbert struggles with the ethics of a big-city hospital.
It feels like a different show. And for many purists, that was the problem. They wanted the "House of Dreams" on the coast of PEI, not a gritty urban drama. However, looking back with 2026 sensibilities, you can see what Sullivan was trying to do. He wanted to show Anne as a woman of her time—an independent, working professional facing a world that was rapidly losing its innocence.
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Fact vs. Fiction: The Montgomery Timeline
If you're trying to keep the facts straight, the movie timeline is a bit of a mess compared to the books.
- The Marriage: In the film, Anne and Gilbert marry right before he heads to war. In the books, they marry years earlier and have seven children (including little Joyce, who died as an infant).
- Green Gables: The movie has Gilbert buying Green Gables back and then the couple leaving it to Diana and Fred. In the books, Anne and Gilbert move to Four Winds and later Glen St. Mary. They never actually live in Green Gables as a married couple.
- The Baby: The subplot involving baby Dominic—the child Anne rescues and eventually adopts—is entirely a creation of the film.
Behind the Scenes Grit
Megan Follows was 31 when she filmed this. She had to bridge the gap between the girl who loved "kindred spirits" and a woman hardened by war. In interviews, Follows has mentioned how the production used a stone quarry in Ontario to recreate the bombed-out battlefields of France.
They used green screens and matte paintings to create the scale of 1915 New York. For a TV miniseries in 2000, the technical ambition was huge.
But did it work?
Critically, the reception was mixed. Some loved the high stakes. Others felt it betrayed the "spirit" of Montgomery’s writing. Montgomery’s world was often about the "quiet" life—the beauty in small things. Putting Anne in the middle of espionage and bayonet charges felt, to some, like a cheap Hollywood tactic.
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Common Misconceptions
- "It’s based on Rilla of Ingleside": People often say this because Rilla is the WWI book. But Rilla focuses on Anne’s youngest daughter. The movie just steals the wartime setting.
- "The cast changed": Actually, Sullivan managed to get almost all the heavy hitters back. Jonathan Crombie (Gilbert), Schuyler Grant (Diana), and Patricia Hamilton (Rachel Lynde) all reprised their roles, which gave the film a sense of continuity despite the wild plot.
Is It Worth a Rewatch?
Look, if you want a faithful adaptation, you’ll be disappointed. You’re better off reading the books or watching the first 1985 miniseries for the tenth time.
But if you view it as a "What If?" story, it’s actually quite moving. The chemistry between Follows and Crombie is still there. When they finally find each other in that field hospital, it hits hard. It’s a testament to how much those two actors understood their characters, even when the script put them in situations L.M. Montgomery never would have imagined.
The "Continuing Story" reminds us that Anne was always a survivor. She survived a lonely childhood, and in this version, she survives the collapse of the old world.
If you're planning a marathon, keep your expectations in check. Grab some tea—maybe skip the currant wine—and appreciate it for the ambitious, weird, and deeply emotional experiment that it is.
Next Steps for Anne Fans:
- Read "Rilla of Ingleside": If you want to see how L.M. Montgomery actually wrote about the war, this is her masterpiece. It is heartbreaking and much more grounded.
- Check out the "Restoration Edition": If you’re watching the film today, look for the 2011 widescreen restoration. The visual effects in the original 2000 broadcast haven't aged perfectly, and the restoration cleans up the "New York" scenes significantly.
- Visit the Sullivan Backlot Archives: Many of the costumes used for the war scenes are now part of film history exhibits in Canada; they are worth a look if you're ever in Ontario.