This is a children's movie. Unfortunately it's one of those that use their target group as an excuse for deficits such as poor dialog and poor acting which supposedly don't matter when a film is 'only' for children. This is really a pity because there are a lot of good ideas here that I would have liked to see executed properly. The sets and costumes are also nice.
Maybe the original reason for this film's existence is a pun? In any case, the Connecticut Yankee in this film isn't a late 19th century blacksmith but Karen, a late 20th century 12-year-old black girl played by
Keshia Knight Pulliam, known from the Cosby Show.
The film is full of interesting ideas that I think are original, such as Karen falling from a horse after school, and bringing a Polaroid camera with her rather than matches. But for me it is spoiled by people constantly behaving in totally implausible ways and the actors not even trying to make their weird behavior believable. A lot of the dialog just doesn't make sense.