This is Some Picture.
Charlotte's Web (2006)
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Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:108
Rotten:31
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Kids will be entertained by the straightforward plot and cute animals, and adults will be charmed by how quiet and humble the production is, a fine translation of E.B. White’s genteel prose.
Theatrical Release:09-02-2007
Synopsis: 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... 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 fulfills its promise. With droll '50s-inspired art direction, low-key and earnest performances, and the cutest ensemble cast of farm animals since BABE, Winick maintains the deeply moral (though not moralistic) themes of the original novel and also injects some mild humor and scenes of peril and adventure. Child actor Dakota Fanning gives an impressively mature performance as the loyal and spunky farm girl Fern who rescues the pig Wilbur--the runt of his litter--from her father's axe. But as Wilbur grows up and faces his likely fate of becoming Christmas dinner, another friend steps in to save the day--the spider Charlotte (voiced by Julia Roberts), who spins fancy, slogan-filled webs above Wilbur's pen to convince his guardians that he is indeed a special pig and worth saving. The resulting hubbub saves his hide 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. [More]
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Thomas Haden Church, Cedric the Entertainer, Robert Redford, Jane Sibbett, Jennifer Garner, Reba McEntire, André Benjamin, Gary Basaraba, Siobhan Fallon
Director: Gary Winick
Director: Gary Winick
Screenwriter: Susannah Grant, Karey Kirkpatrick
Story: Earl Hamner
Producer: Jordan Kerner
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Charlotte's Web
Walden Media should be applauded for continuing on their mission to bring high-quality family-centric fare to audiences without infusing every scene with an ironic wink.
What I can say, without equivocating, is that E.B. White's wise and wonderful children's classic is now a very nice motion picture.
[The film] relies heavily on the voices, though the actors are sometimes miscast (Julia Roberts as the spider) or chosen more for their on-screen personas than their pipes (Steve Buscemi as the rat).
A delightful and enchanting screen version of the children's classic by E.B. White about friendship, the awesome power of words, and the real life of the imagination.
There is nothing magical here, but there is nothing blasphemous either.
It's a movie that might just inspire E.B. White, up in literary heaven, to wipe away a tear of gratitude.
Though Charlotte's Web looks and sounds nice enough, it radiates familiarity and blandness...has none of the gossamer quality needed to bring the 1952 classic to life.
Given a choice between reading the book again and seeing this film version, I'd go with the book, but the film is nicely done and quite cute.
Corny? Overly simplistic? Perhaps. But those were grown-ups snuffling and wiping away tears at a recent screening -- not kids -- as the story reaches its heart-tugging conclusion. And there's no shame in that.
Breathe easy: Gary Winick's new, live-action Charlotte's Web pic does not screw up one of the seminal works of American children's literature.
This highly polished picture is superficially faithful, even reverential to its source, but evinces neither imagination nor a personality of its own.
Almost as sweet as the children's classic novel, "Charlotte's Web" is just, well, crawling with entertainment.
Watching the film, I gotta tell you, I got the creeps big time. Call me a pansy, but I don't like spiders in real life, or in imaginary barns on a big screen.
A beautifully rendered motion picture that's full of warmth, wit and wonder.
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