Charlotte's Web (2006)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Gary Winick

Writers (WGA):

Susannah Grant (screenplay) and
Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Pig Tales

Plot:

Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen. |

Plot Keywords:

Pig | Spider | Ponytail | Baby Bottle | Farm

Awards:

7 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Julia Roberts	...	Charlotte the Spider (voice)
Steve Buscemi	...	Templeton the Rat (voice)
John Cleese	...	Samuel the Sheep (voice)
Oprah Winfrey	...	Gussy the Goose (voice)
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Golly the Goose (voice)
Kathy Bates	...	Bitsy the Cow (voice)
Reba McEntire	...	Betsy the Cow (voice)
Robert Redford	...	Ike the Horse (voice)
Thomas Haden Church	...	Brooks the Crow (voice)
André Benjamin	...	Elwyn the Crow (voice)
Dominic Scott Kay	...	Wilbur (voice)
Sam Shepard	...	Narrator (voice)
Abraham Benrubi	...	Uncle the Pig (voice)
Dakota Fanning	...	Fern
Kevin Anderson	...	Mr. Arable

Also Known As:

Schweinchen Wilbur und seine Freunde (Germany)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:G | Malaysia:U | Australia:G | Singapore:PG | UK:U | Ireland:G | Netherlands:AL | Finland:S | Hong Kong:I | Brazil:Livre | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/6 | Argentina:Atp | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Denmark:A | Norway:A | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Canada:G (all jurisdictions)

Filming Locations:

Attwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Most of the shooting was done in Victoria, Australia. As it wasn't the correct season in Melbourne during the county fair scenes, the trees surrounding the location were spray painted with non-toxic orange and yellow paint to make it seem as though it was autumn. And, rather than have extras getting motion sickness on the rides, the art department sculpted bodies out of polystyrene and took casts of their own faces that were put onto the dummies. These dummies were painted and dressed up and strapped into rides; going round and around for about a week - and no motion sickness. Each of their faces (about 5 of them) were on all of the 60 or so dummies.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Charlotte has caught and wound up the fly in her web, she leaves it and drops down to talk to Wilbur. When she goes back up to her web, the fly is missing.

Quotes:

Mr. Arable: [Mr. Arable looks at pigs, finds a runt, a picks up ax]
Fern: What are you doing?
Mr. Arable: Nothing, now go back to bed.
Fern: You're not going to kill it, are you?
Mr. Arable: It's a runt.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Shia LaBeouf/Avril Lavigne (#32.17)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Wilbur's Lullaby

A Nutshell Review: Charlotte's Web

I had initial hesitation in deciding whether to watch this movie - not because it features a talking pig ala Babe, but probably because, if rumour has you believe, that viewers will swear off pork. They look so cute that you would not imagine them being on your dinner table, ever after. I've read the book when I was a kid, but heck, I can't remember much of the details beyond the friendship between spider and pig.

Wilbur the piglet's destiny is set from birth - being the odd one out without access to its mother's teat, he's earmarked for immediate transformation to pork, but the intervention of a young girl Fern (Dakota Fanning) helped prevent it, albeit for a little while. Put in a barn with the other animals, Wilbur is in desperate need of friendship to wilt away his loneliness, but given the indifferent attitudes amongst the resident animals, he gets a none too friendly introduction to farm life. That is until he meets Charlotte, a spider who will try help to extend the lifespan of Wilbur, saving the spring pig from becoming Christmas ham.

It's a story about friendship, and the miracles gained from trust, help, and the fulfilling of promises. And this movie gets a huge boost through its A-list voice talents, with the likes of, check this out - Julia Roberts as Charlotte, Steve Buscemi as Templeton the selfish rat, John Cleese as Sam Sheep, leader of the pack of sheep followers (played to hilarity), Katy Bates, Cedric the Entertainer, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, Thomas Haden Church, Andre Benjamin and Sam Shepard. They seemed to have a rip-roaring time, and I thought Julia Roberts' Charlotte came across as extremely calm and collected, while probably the character with the best lines was Templeton the rat.

Fanning already got experience playing opposite her animal counterparts, like in Dreamer earlier this year, though this time in the barnyard the animals are enhanced by technology and graphics. Her role however is limited in screen time, and although there are hints on puppy love, it's very much unexplored in depth as the focus is squarely on our animal friends. The score is an unrecognizable Danny Elfman contribution without the dark overtones, and the songs played during the animated stills of the end credits, do sound radio friendly enough to warrant airplay.

Charlotte's Web is a feel good, heartwarming family movie which is suitable for this holiday season. It is uncomplicated, and has a simple message, but is engaging enough for both children and adults. A warning though, the movie is poignant yet hopeful, so to sentimental folks, a tissue or two will help.