James and the Giant Peach (1996)

An orphan, who lives with his two cruel aunts, befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers:

Roald Dahl (based on the book by), Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley, Pete Postlethwaite

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simon Callow	...	Grasshopper (voice)
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Centipede (voice)
Jane Leeves	...	Ladybug (voice)
Joanna Lumley	...	Aunt Spiker
Miriam Margolyes	...	Aunt Sponge / Glowworm (voice)
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Old Man
Susan Sarandon	...	Spider (voice)
Paul Terry	...	James
David Thewlis	...	Earthworm (voice)
J. Stephen Coyle	...	Reporter #2
Steven Culp	...	James' Father
Cirocco Dunlap	...	Girl with Telescope
Michael Girardin	...	Reporter #1
Tony Haney	...	Reporter #3
Kathryn Howell	...	Woman in Bathrobe (as Kathrine Howell)

Storyline

James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts. Daringly saving the life of a spider he comes into possession of magic boiled crocodile tongues, after which an enormous peach starts to grow in the garden. Venturing inside he meets not only the spider but a number of new friends including a ladybug and a centipede who help him with his plan to try and get to New York.

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Plot Keywords:

peach | aunt | spider | rhinoceros | new york city | 

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Taglines:

Marvellous things will happen!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some frightening images

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

James e o Pêssego Gigante

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$135,378, 26 July 1996

Gross USA:

$28,934,758

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Allied Filmmakers, Skellington Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film took twelve years to reach the screen. Roald Dahl himself was convinced that the property would never make a viable film.

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Goofs

James gets out of bed in his nightshirt, fights his aunt and falls down the stairs head first. His night shirt slips up and reveals that his stunt double is wearing white pants down to his knees. The next shot of James at the foot of the stairs shows that he's not wearing pants.

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Quotes

Ladybug: I crave the tasty tentacles of octopi for tea/I like hot dogs, but I love hot frogs, and surely you'll agree/A plate of soil with engine oil is a super recipe. I hardy need to mention that it's practically free!

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, there is some footage of a carnival game based on the story being played.

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Alternate Versions

The 3D version, as well as the 2012 DVD and Blu-ray releases, replaces the Disney logo with the more current logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Spin City: James and the Giant Speech (1999)

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Soundtracks

Good News
Written and Performed by Randy Newman
Arranged and Produced by Mervyn Warren
Horn Arrangement by Jerry Hey

User Reviews

"One of the greatest movies based on Roald Dahl's books"

I was an enormous fan of Roald Dahl's books when I was kid. I think of him as the Hands Christian Anderson of the 20th century. I didn't read all of Dahl's books but I read most of them. I've also seen most of the movies based on his books. Out of all the Roald Dahl books I read as child I would say that 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' is my favorite but 'James And The Giant Peach' is my second favorite.

The reason why I would say these two books are my favorites is because they're both about children who live miserable lives until a magical experience changes their lives forever and both end up becoming the luckiest kids in the world. For Charlie, his life changes with a tour of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but for James it's with a magical giant peach and group very friendly creatures.

I first remember hearing about this movie back in late 1996 when it was released in America during the Christmas holidays and I was very excited about it, but unfortunately I had to wait until the Easter Holidays before this movie arrived in Australia. I certainly loved it. James's two horrible aunt's who are nothing except cruel and nasty. Are as horrible in the movie as they are in the book.

I really loved the creatures from the peach which I remember (from the book) James describing them as "The friendliest creatures in the world". These creatures include Grasshopper, Earthworm, Centipede, Ladybug, Spider and Glowworm. My two favorite character's are Spider because her French accent made her a very smooth character and Centipede because of his sense of humor.

I also liked the songs. My favorite was "We're Family" which the creatures use to express how much they love James. I certainly believe these creatures are the best family any child could have. So for anyone who loved Roald Dahl's books as a child, you must...must see this film!