Charlotte's Web (1973)

Wilbur is a farm pig who's terrified that he'll end up on the dinner table. His friend Charlotte, a charming spider, comes to his rescue. She weaves words into her web, convincing the farmer that Wilbur is too special a pig to kill.

Directors:

Charles A. Nichols (as Charles Nichols), Iwao Takamoto

Writers:

E.B. White (book), Earl Hamner Jr. (story)

Stars:

Debbie Reynolds, Henry Gibson, Paul Lynde

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debbie Reynolds	...	Charlotte (voice)
Paul Lynde	...	Templeton (voice)
Henry Gibson	...	Wilbur (voice)
Rex Allen	...	Narrator (voice)
Martha Scott	...	Mrs. Arable (voice)
Dave Madden	...	Ram (voice)
Danny Bonaduce	...	Avery Arable (voice)
Don Messick	...	Jeffrey / Lamb / Spectators / Uncle (voice)
Herb Vigran	...	Lurvy (voice)
Agnes Moorehead	...	The Goose (voice)
Pamelyn Ferdin	...	Fern Arable (voice) (as Pam Ferdin)
Joan Gerber	...	Edith Zuckerman / Mrs. Fussy (voice)
Bob Holt	...	Homer Zuckerman (voice) (as Robert Holt)
John Stephenson	...	Mr. Arable / Parking Officer (voice)
William B. White	...	Henry Fussy (voice)

Storyline

Based on the beloved children's novel by E.B. White, this is the story of a little pig named Wilbur who was born a runt. Mr. Arable decides to kill him for dinner food but his daughter Fern begs him to let him live. On greater maturity, Wilbur is sold to Fern's uncle, Homer L. Zuckerman, in whose barnyard he's left yearning for friendship, but is snubbed by other barn animals. Wilbur 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 gentle and wise grey spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.

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Plot Keywords:

pig | spider | runt | children | barn | 

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Taglines:

The all-time best selling novel is now a captivating motion picture.

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dave Madden (the voice of Ram) and Danny Bonaduce (Avery Arable) also starred together in the television series, The Partridge Family (1970).

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Goofs

Near the end when Wilbur is giving names to three of Charlotte's children, Wilbur's medal hanging over the doorway disappears and reappears between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: This old world is filled with wonders, but to me there is no place more wonderful than a farm in springtime, when the sun is just lifting from the sky line. The air is so sweet and everywhere you look, little miracles are happening. Buds swell into blossoms, eggs hatch, young are born. Everything's off to a fresh start, and life is good and busy and brand new... Around the barnyard, big families are a blessing. The more the merrier. Root and grunt, push and shove, room for everyone...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits feature concept art sketches for the film, displayed against multi-colored backgrounds.

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Alternate Versions

The Swedish dub on VHS cuts out several scenes, including: Fern and Henry visiting Wilbur at the farm where a fly wrecks the "Some Pig" lettering on the web, John, Lurvy and Homer trying to get Wilbur into the crate while Avery pretends to be a pig, Fern and Henry riding the Ferris Wheel, Wilbur and Charlotte's conversation before Templeton's feast at the Fair, the entire barbershop quartet performance of "Zuckerman's Famous Pig", the scene after Charlotte dies where the people return to find Wilbur in tears and assume he's homesick, and Wilbur naming Charlotte's daughters and his speech about Charlotte.

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Connections

Referenced in I Love the '70s (2003)

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Soundtracks

Deep In the Dark
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by Debbie Reynolds

User Reviews

Fun adaption of the classic book!

An adaption of the book of the same title, this animation musical has a lot to recommend it... and a few things to detract from its enjoyment. The songs are varied and catchy, the animation is acceptable - not exactly what I'd call beautiful, but not clunky and cheap either.

The characters are what make or break the story and while Wilber, our star pig, starts out as a bit whiny (not without due cause, however!), he grows up over the course of the movie. And growing up is probably the best way to describe the theme of this film. Several characters grow up in different ways, including minor/background characters. It is an excellent look at the passage of time and how it affects different creatures/people - hopefully for the better, but not always.

There are several silly, humorous moments and overall the story is a romp, but the serious points can hit hard. In my personal opinion, it's a fun movie, but not 10 stars - there are definite points where it feels like a musical number is simply filler to make the movie longer and a few places that make me scratch my head at a plot point. But overall, a kid would probably love this and there's really not much objectionable about it.

I'd rate this movie as acceptable for ages 6 and up, but there are a few scary themes - especially death - which may bring children to tears or prompt questions. The emotions in the end are probably bitter- sweet rather than purely upbeat, so I'd advice parental discretion.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

E.B. White's Charlotte's Web

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,232,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Sagittarius Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) Mono (MovieTone) Mono Mono (Mono) Dolby Digital (1996 Re-Release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1