The classic story of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation. Fern (Dakota Fanning) is one of only two living beings who sees that Wilbur is a special animal as she raises him, the runt of the litter, into a terrific and radiant pig. As Wilbur moves into a new barn, he begins a second profound friendship with the most unlikely of creatures - a spider named Charlotte - and their bond inspires the animals around them to come together as a family. When the word gets out that Wilbur's days are numbered, it seems that only a miracle will save his life. A determined Charlotte - who sees miracles in the ordinary - spins words into her web in an effort to convince the farmer that Wilbur is "some pig" and worth saving.
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 humor. But it's two corn-hungry crows, voiced by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) and OutKast's Andre "3000" Benjamin who steal the show. (Ages 4 and older) -- Ellen A. Kim
Beyond Charlotte's Web
Other Children's Book Adaptations on DVD
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Original 1973 Charlotte's Web Cartoon
Stills from Charlotte's Web (click for larger image)
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Review of Charlotte's Web:
Excellent family movie! I bought Charlotte's Web new. It arrived within a few days of purchase and was in excellent shape. This is one of my favorite movies!
Charlotte's Web:
What's not to like about E. B. White's masterpiece, Charlotte's Web? With the special effects that we have grown to love only adds to the realistic feel good of the movie. Throw in the ever adorable Dakota Fanning, and no surprise here, instant claasic all over again!
Charlottes web:
Excellent dvd...is a hit with the kids. They especially like the real animals in the movie.
Excellent Product delivered FAST!:
This was a gift for a friend's child. The DVD arrived within 4 days, in perfect condition and at an excellent price. All the kids love it, and the little ones get a big kick out of the "talking" animals. Good purchase, processed well. Amazon always does right by me with my purchases. I highly recommend!
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for the standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
