The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

Director:

Mark Waters

Writers:

Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay), David Berenbaum (screenplay)

Stars:

Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, David Strathairn

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Highmore	...	Jared Grace / Simon Grace
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Helen Grace
Nick Nolte	...	Mulgarath
Sarah Bolger	...	Mallory Grace
Andrew McCarthy	...	Richard Grace
Joan Plowright	...	Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick
David Strathairn	...	Arthur Spiderwick
Seth Rogen	...	Hogsqueal (voice)
Martin Short	...	Thimbletack (voice)
Jordy Benattar	...	Young Lucinda Spiderwick
Tod Fennell	...	Helen's Co-Worker
Mariah Inger	...	Nurse
Jeremy Lavalley	...	Tow Truck Driver
Lise Durocher-Viens	...	Mrs. Spiderwick
Tyler Patrick Jones	...	Additional Performer

Storyline

Once upon a time, upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother Helen (Mary-Louise Parker), twin brothers Jared (Freddie Highmore) and Simon Grace (Freddie Highmore), along with their sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of fairies and other creatures. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames it all on Jared. When he, Simon, and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it.

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Plot Keywords:

shape shifter | gryphon | competition | boy | dancing | 

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Taglines:

Their World Is Closer Than You Think

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Industrial Light & Magic worked on this movie and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). Buckbeak and the Griffin in this movie have identical heads.

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Goofs

(at around 42 mins) On the way out to see Aunt Lucinda, Simon calls to Mullory and gives her an ocular device he has found that holds the seeing stone. Just before leaving the house, Mullory is seen putting the ocular device over her right eye. When Mullory and Jared first enter the tunnel, the ocular device is on the right eye as seen earlier. However, a few moments later while running through the tunnel the ocular device is on the left eye. As the two approach an intersection the ocular device is back on the right eye.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Helen Grace: [the Grace family arrive to the Spiderwick estate house] There it is. Pretty much how I remember it. I was younger than you last time I was here, Simon
Mallory Grace: Well, it's big.
Simon Grace: Yeah, so I can get bigger pets here, right Mom?
Helen Grace: Sure! Get a cow. Get a whole flock.
Simon Grace: [Simon smiles] Herd.
Helen Grace: That, too. What do you think, Jared? Jared?
Helen Grace: [as Jared listens to his headphones ignoring Helen] Okay, here we go.

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Crazy Credits

In Loving Memory of Scott Rathner and Stuart Rosenberg

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Connections

Edited into Yoostar 2: In the Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

London Bridge Is Falling Down
(uncredited)
Traditional
Performed by Jordy Benattar

User Reviews

Their World Is Closer Than You Think

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.

I've made up a theory: People who have read books that are turned into movies will be more harsh to judge the films unlike people who see movies without reading the book. I think this theory is right. I was disappointed by Harry Potter 5 at first, but watching it now for a year later and nearly forgetting about the book, I found it the best in the series.

The same might as well go with this film. I was disappointed. If you don't know, this film is based on 5 books. However, the movie ignores the 4th book, which is probably because of budget issues and/or limited running time. Still, I can't help but complain. There could've been more creative production designs to see, more action, and more magical creatures.

Apart from that, I felt that the film was well put together, especially the fact that they skipped a lot in the books. The special effects are very good, as well as the action scenes. I also may feel this film pushed the PG rating. It certainly is not as intense as Harry Potter 3 but there might be about 2 to 3 scenes that could make this film a PG-13 rating.

The performances here are decent, although not captivating. The film may be a bit fast paced, if you asked me. Overall, this is a decent adaption to another fantasy book. If you have read the books, you might be disappointed. If you have not, enjoy it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2008 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Las crónicas de Spiderwick

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,004,058, 17 February 2008

Gross USA:

$71,195,053

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$164,170,327

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 107 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1