Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5522 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-05-28
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Norwegian, Danish, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
E.B. White's classic tale gets a Babe-like makeover in Charlotte's Web, a delightful and well-made film that is sure to become a family classic. Directed by Gary Winick (13 Going on 30), the new version eschews the musical numbers of the 1973 cartoon and mixes CGI with live-action animals. Dakota Fanning brings the right amount of chutzpah to Fern, the young farm girl who rescues a runt, Wilbur, from death and visits him every day at her Uncle Homer's farm. But it's Wilbur's friendship with Charlotte the spider (voiced by Julia Roberts) that ultimately saves him from the "smoke house" (a kid-friendly alternative term to the slaughterhouse), for Charlotte's talent for weaving praiseworthy words about Wilbur into her web turns the Zuckerman farm into a tourist attraction. The more tragic elements of the book are handled sensitively by Winick, working from a script by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), and Roberts' soothing, maternal voice (who knew it would work so well?) makes it all go down easy. It turns out to be just one of many perfect celebrity voice-casting choices, for the farm animals, voiced by an all-star cast including Oprah Winfrey (the goose), Robert Redford (the horse), Steve Buscemi (Templeton the rat), and John Cleese (the sheep), lend plenty of sharp humour. But it's two corn-hungry crows, voiced by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) and OutKast's Andre "3000" Benjamin who steal the show. -- Ellen A. Kim

Synopsis
Featuring the cutest ensemble cast of barnyard animals since BABE, CHARLOTTE’S WEB tells the story of one little piggy’s quest to stay alive... and off the menu. His first saviour comes in the form of spirited farm girl Fern (Dakota Fanning), who rescues Wilbur--the runt of his litter--from her father's axe. But as the swine grows up, he faces the stark prospect of ending up a packet of pork scratchings. Luckily, his arachnid pal Charlotte (voiced by Julia Roberts) is on hand to convince Wilbur's guardians that he is no ordinary pig, by spinning fancy, slogan-filled webs above his pen. The resulting hubbub saves his bacon once again and reveals the importance of friendship and loyalty. Additionally, in scene after poignant scene, Wilbur learns about the nature of miracles, the seasons of life and death, and the inherent worth of even the runtiest of us. Gary Winick (THIRTEEN GOING ON 30) had a lot to live up to in remaking a beloved children's movie, itself based on the classic novel by E. B. White, but this 2006 live-action version more than fulfils its promise. With its droll '50s-inspired art direction and low-key, earnest performances, Winick maintains the deeply moral (though not moralistic) themes of the original novel, injecting some mild humour and scenes of peril and adventure.

Customer Reviews

Awww...
Coming from an adult, I actually cried at this movie. It's just pure brilliance from start to finish. This is supposed to be a kids' film, I know, but I found this a touching and amazing film. BUY!!!

One of My Favorite Things
This movie is a wonderful and entertaining adaptation of the children's book by E B. White, which was published all the way back in 1952. Lending their voices are celebs like Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McIntyre, Andre Benjamin and Sam Shepard, plus live performances by Dakota Fanning and Beau Bridges, among others. With this kind of star power, who can resist taking a peek at this version of the classic tale?

Here's the gist of the movie, best sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things":

Pig slops for Wilbur, the runt of the litter
Saved from the slaughter, he's one lucky critter
Fern kept the pig from her father's sharp knife
Begging and pleading for her piglet's life

Down in the barnyard are sheep for the shearing
Horses and geese, plus the cows that they're rearing
A very wise spider who cares for a friend
Promising he won't be ham in the end

Charlotte the spider worked all the night spinning
Working her webbing right from the beginning
The first ones to see it, their eyes grew so big
The words she had woven, they spelled out "SOME PIG"

Soon the time comes when they're ready for smoking
In comes the rat just a pryin' and poking
Charlotte persuades him to help with her plan
To keep little Wilbur from the frying pan

If their plan fails
At the fair ground
It'll all be in vain
But simply remember once words can be found
That things will be fine again


Notes:
The music for "My Favorite Things" was composed by Richard Rodgers, and the lyrics were written by Oscar Hammerstein II. My apologies to both gentlemen.

This is dedicated to my friend Len, who suggested the theme, even though I'm quite sure he was joking.



Amanda Richards

GREAT!
CHARLOTTE'S WEB tells the story of one little piggy's quest to stay alive... and off the menu. With the help of a spirited farm girl and a literate spider, he learns the importance of friendship and loyalty.

The greatest ever film, haertwarming!