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:

Adventures this big don't grow on trees.

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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

The "happy" tune the Grasshopper plays for James is Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita for Violin Solo No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: 3rd movement, Gavotte en rondeau.

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Goofs

There is no way James's aunts could have driven across the ocean from England to New York. Cars can't float on water and one would not survive in a submerged car. Even so, it's impossible to drive at a comparable distance in the time it took for James and his insect friends to travel to New York.

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Quotes

Aunt Spiker, Aunt Sponge: Work, work, work, work, WORK!

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Crazy Credits

Spider Wrangler - Steven Kutcher

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Connections

Referenced in The Harryhausen Chronicles (1998)

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Soundtracks

That's The Life
Written by Randy Newman
Performed by Richard Dreyfuss (uncredited), Susan Sarandon (uncredited), Jane Leeves (uncredited), Simon Callow (uncredited), and Miriam Margolyes (uncredited)
Additional vocals by Jeff Bennett and Sally Stevens

User Reviews

Utterly delightful and a must-see!!

There is sooo much I like with this movie. It has imagination, a sense of wonder and characters you either love or hate. And the blend of live action and stop-motion animation is a delight. The songs incorporated in this story is not very memorable but sweet and fit their purpose. And you simply have to love to hate Margoyles and Lumley in their parts as the aunts from hell. They treat poor James so horribly that I thought that "Cinderella had it easy"! Compared to "nightmare before Christmas" I actually liked this movie better. It has more of a heart even if the story itself may be just a bit less interesting and inventive. There are so many good scenes but among the highlights is the arctic adventure and the New York sequence. But, mind you, the opening is very deceptive and might scare younger parts of the audience. Otherwise, a must-see!!!